Tools · Saving

Goal Planner

Name a goal, set the amount and the date, and see the path. The planner works out the yearly return your plan would need, what to save each month at a return you pick, and when you would pass each quarter of the way. It is arithmetic, not advice, and no return is promised.

Last reviewed: Nothing is savedEducational only: math, not a recommendation.

Your goal
Your timeline
Where you are nowBlank counts as $0.
Your own return guess
Used for "Pick your own return" and the milestones. It is a guess you control, not a promise. A high-interest savings account pays a few percent; long-run stock averages have been higher, with real drops along the way.

Return needed each year

5.3%

To reach $30,000 for First home down payment by October 2031, your savings would need to grow about 5.3% a year on average.

Needs market-like growth: investing could bridge the gap.

The path in plain numbers

Goal
$30,000 by October 2031
Saved today
$2,000
Saving alone, no growth
$26,000
Gap growth would need to fill
$4,000

"Return" means how much your money grows in a year, as a percentage. A savings account pays a little; investments like index funds have grown more over long stretches, with ups and downs along the way.

Pick your own return

If your money grows 5% a year, saving about $403 a month reaches $30,000 by October 2031.

That is $3 more a month than the $400 you save now.

At 5% a year and $400 a month, the projection lands at $29,769 by October 2031. Change your return guess in step 4 to see how the monthly amount moves.

Milestones on the way

When your balance first passes each marker, at $400 a month and 5% a year. Projected, not promised.

  1. $7,500December 2027
  2. $15,000April 2029
  3. $22,500August 2030
  4. $30,000November 2031after your target date

The required return is arithmetic, not advice. It shows what growth the numbers need, not what any account or investment will earn. Returns go up and down, and fees and taxes are left out.

How the math works

  • Required return is the yearly growth rate that makes your savings today, plus your monthly amount, land exactly on your target by your date. The planner finds it by trial: it tries a rate, checks the result, and narrows in until the two match.
  • The search runs from 0% to 30% a year. If saving alone gets you there, the answer is 0%. If even 30% falls short, the planner says so instead of showing a made-up number.
  • The verdict bands are 4% or less (steady), above 4% up to 8% (market-like growth), and above 8% (above historical averages). They describe the arithmetic, not what any account will earn.
  • Growth is compounded monthly. The yearly rate is split into 12 equal steps, deposits go in at the end of each month, and the same rate applies every month. Real returns go up and down.
  • Left out on purpose: fees, taxes and inflation. A goal priced in today's dollars may cost more later.
  • Nothing is saved. Your goal stays in this browser tab. Tracking progress over time may come later.

This planner is education, not advice. The required return is math, not a recommendation, and no return is promised.

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