Most retirement calculators tell you a number — a projected balance, a monthly shortfall, a savings rate. What they rarely tell you is what that number actually means for your retirement readiness.
The Monetally Retirement Readiness Score changes that. Enter six inputs and get a score from 0 to 100 — broken down across three pillars, benchmarked against savers your age, and paired with a specific roadmap to improve it. It's not just a calculation. It's a diagnosis.
Whether you're 30 and just starting to think about retirement or 55 and trying to close a gap, this tool gives you a clear picture of where you stand — and exactly what to do next.
Important: This tool is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice. Projections use a 6% average annual return assumption and the 4% withdrawal rule (25× annual expenses) as a savings target. Your actual results will vary based on investment performance, inflation, Social Security income, and other factors. Consult a licensed financial advisor before making retirement planning decisions.
Your Retirement Readiness Score is built on three weighted pillars, each measuring a distinct dimension of your retirement health. Together they produce a single number from 0 to 100.
The savings gap carries the most weight because it directly reflects whether your trajectory will meet your goal. Contribution rate and time horizon function as amplifiers — they reveal why the gap exists and what levers you have to close it.
Scores fall into four tiers, each with a distinct interpretation and recommended action plan.
According to the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances, nearly half of American families have no retirement account savings at all. Among those who do, the median balance for households aged 35–44 is around $45,000 — a figure that falls well short of what most financial planners recommend for that age bracket.
Part of the problem is that retirement feels abstract until it doesn't. Decades away, it competes with immediate financial pressure — rent, car payments, student loans, childcare. The urgency never quite arrives until it's too late to fully course-correct.
The other part is that most people don't have a clear, single metric for their retirement health. They might know their 401(k) balance, or their savings rate in isolation — but not how those numbers work together against their actual retirement needs.
That's the gap the Retirement Readiness Score is designed to fill: one number, three pillars, a clear benchmark, and a specific next step.
This calculator uses the 4% rule to determine your savings target — one of the most widely cited frameworks in retirement planning, originally derived from the Trinity Study.
The rule suggests that if you withdraw 4% of your retirement portfolio in your first year of retirement and adjust for inflation each year thereafter, your portfolio has a high historical probability of lasting 30 years. Working backward: to fund $48,000/year in retirement expenses, you'd need a portfolio of $1,200,000 (48,000 ÷ 0.04 = 1,200,000). That's equivalent to 25× your annual expenses.
It's a useful benchmark, but not a guarantee. The rule was derived from historical U.S. stock market returns and may not hold under all market conditions, inflation scenarios, or retirement lengths. If you plan to retire early (before 65) or expect a retirement lasting longer than 30 years, some planners recommend a more conservative 3.5% withdrawal rate — which implies a target of roughly 28–29× your annual expenses.
For a more detailed projection that accounts for Social Security income, investment mix, and variable withdrawal strategies, use our Retirement Calculator.
Your score is driven by three levers. Each one compounds — small improvements in one area create outsized results over a long timeline.
The most direct lever. Moving from a 5% to a 10% savings rate can double your projected savings gap score over a 20-year horizon. If you receive an annual raise, commit to directing at least half of it to retirement contributions — you won't miss money you never saw in your paycheck.
If your employer offers a 401(k) match, maximize it first — that's a guaranteed 50–100% return on contributions, which no investment can reliably beat.
Working two to three extra years has a disproportionate impact. You add more contributions, give existing savings more time to compound, and reduce the number of years your portfolio must fund. For someone with a 60/100 score, this adjustment alone could push them into the 75–80 range.
Your expected monthly expenses in retirement directly set your savings target. A $500/month reduction in expected expenses cuts your required portfolio by $150,000 (using the 25× rule). This doesn't mean sacrificing retirement quality — it means being realistic about which expenses shrink in retirement (commuting, work wardrobe, childcare) vs. which may grow (healthcare, travel, hobbies).
Factor in Social Security income as well. The average monthly Social Security benefit is roughly $1,800–$1,900. If you're entitled to even a partial benefit, your retirement portfolio doesn't need to cover 100% of your expenses — which meaningfully lowers your target.
Your retirement readiness is one piece of a larger financial picture. These calculators work together to give you a complete view.
Disclaimer: The Retirement Readiness Score is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Projections are based on a 6% average annual return and the 4% withdrawal rule. Actual investment returns are not guaranteed and will vary. Percentile comparisons are approximations based on Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances data. Social Security, pension income, taxes, and healthcare costs are not factored into this tool. Always consult a licensed financial advisor before making retirement planning decisions. Monetally is not a registered investment advisor.