How long will my money last is the question that now worries Americans more than death itself — a 2026 Allianz Life study found 67% of people fear outliving their savings more than they fear dying, up from 57% just a few years ago. The honest answer depends less on your exact balance and more on how long you’ll actually need that money to last, which is where most online calculators quietly fall short.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Core Question | How long will my money last depends on your actual lifespan, not just a fixed number of years |
| Life Expectancy at 65 (Men) | 18.1 more years (to about age 83) |
| Life Expectancy at 65 (Women) | 20.7 more years (to about age 86) |
| Fear Running Out of Money More Than Death | 67% of Americans (Allianz Life, 2026) |
| Worker Retirement Confidence (2026) | 61%, down 6 points from 2025 (EBRI) |
| Retiree Retirement Confidence (2026) | 73%, down 5 points from 2025 (EBRI) |
| Biggest Risk Factor | Longevity risk — living longer than your plan assumed |
What Does “How Long Will My Money Last” Actually Mean?
It means estimating whether your savings, combined with Social Security or a pension, will cover your spending for as many years as you actually live — not for some fixed, pre-decided number of years. That distinction matters more than most calculators let on, because the real risk isn’t a specific year your money runs out; it’s the uncertainty of not knowing your own lifespan in advance.
This is formally called longevity risk, and it’s different from simple portfolio math. A 65-year-old man has an average of 18.1 more years of life expectancy, and a 65-year-old woman has 20.7 more years, but those are averages — roughly half of people at 65 will live longer than that, some by a decade or more, and a retirement plan built only around the average understates the real risk for anyone on the longer-lived half of that curve.
That’s also why how long will my money last rarely has one single correct answer. Two people with identical balances, identical withdrawal rates, and identical investment mixes can still end up with very different outcomes simply because one of them lives to 82 and the other lives to 97. Planning around a range of realistic lifespans, rather than a single assumed end date, is what separates a durable retirement plan from a rough guess.
Why This Question Feels So Heavy Right Now
Retirement confidence has measurably worsened, and that decline is a big part of why so many people are typing “how long will my money last” into a search bar in the first place. EBRI’s 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey found worker confidence in having enough money for a comfortable retirement fell to 61%, down six points from 2025, while retiree confidence dropped to 73%, down five points — both the steepest year-over-year declines in nearly a decade, driven largely by inflation, debt, and rising healthcare costs.
That drop in confidence lines up with the Allianz Life finding that fear of running out of money now outranks fear of death for most age groups: 73% of Gen X, 69% of Millennials, and 59% of Boomers say they worry more about outliving their savings than about dying itself. Gen X’s number is particularly notable since many in that generation are within 10-15 years of retirement and watching these numbers in real time.
None of this means the situation is hopeless — it means the anxiety is widespread and largely driven by uncertainty rather than any one person’s specific numbers being unusually bad. Understanding your own scenario concretely, rather than reacting to a general sense of dread, is usually the more useful move.
How Long Will My Money Last in 2026: Scenario by Scenario
For 2026, a retiree withdrawing a sustainable rate can expect a well-diversified portfolio to last roughly 25-30+ years, but the actual number swings enormously based on starting balance, withdrawal amount, and investment mix. Here’s what that looks like across a few realistic starting balances, assuming a moderate 3.5%-4% inflation-adjusted withdrawal rate and a diversified portfolio.
A $250,000 portfolio withdrawing $10,000 a year (4%) can reasonably last 25-30 years if markets perform close to historical averages, though a market downturn in the first few years could shorten that meaningfully. A $500,000 portfolio at the same 4% rate ($20,000 a year) follows a similar multi-decade path, simply with a larger cushion. A $1,000,000 portfolio withdrawing $40,000 a year sits in the same percentage-based territory, but the larger dollar cushion gives more room to absorb a bad sequence of early returns without panicking.
These are estimates, not guarantees — actual outcomes depend on the specific sequence of market returns, actual inflation, taxes, health care costs, and how strictly the withdrawal rate is followed in both good and bad years. A dollar-cost-averaging investment approach during the accumulation years before retirement also shapes how large that starting balance ends up being in the first place.
Taxes quietly change these numbers too. Withdrawals from a traditional 401(k) or IRA are taxed as ordinary income, while Roth withdrawals generally aren’t, so two retirees with the same account balance can end up with meaningfully different after-tax spending power. Anyone seriously trying to answer how long will my money last for their own situation should run the math on an after-tax basis, not just the headline account balance.
How Long Different Starting Balances Typically Last
| Starting Balance | Annual Withdrawal (4%) | Typical Longevity Range* |
|---|---|---|
| $150,000 | $6,000 | 20-25 years, tighter margin |
| $250,000 | $10,000 | 25-30 years |
| $500,000 | $20,000 | 28-30+ years |
| $750,000 | $30,000 | 30+ years, more cushion |
| $1,000,000 | $40,000 | 30+ years, strongest cushion |
*Estimates assume a diversified portfolio, inflation-adjusted withdrawals, and historically average market returns; actual results vary significantly with market sequence, fees, taxes, and healthcare costs. These ranges illustrate relative cushion, not a guarantee for any individual situation.
Breaking Down What Shrinks or Stretches That Timeline
A handful of factors answer how long will my money last more than any single number on a statement. Understanding which ones you can actually influence is more useful than fixating on the raw balance alone.
Longevity: Living to 95 instead of the average 83-86 means needing 10+ extra years of income nobody planned for — the single biggest wildcard in this whole calculation.
Healthcare and long-term care costs: These tend to rise sharply in the later retirement years, often faster than general inflation, and can disrupt an otherwise sound withdrawal plan if not budgeted for separately.
Market sequence in early retirement: A downturn in the first five to ten years of withdrawals does more damage than the same downturn happening later, since you’re selling more shares at depressed prices while the portfolio is largest.
Guaranteed income sources: Social Security, pensions, or an annuity reduce how much you need to pull from savings each year, directly extending how long the remaining portfolio lasts — which is part of why a strong pre-retirement budgeting habit, like the kind outlined in a 50/30/20 budgeting approach, can translate into more guaranteed income flexibility later by freeing up room to save more before retiring.
Practical Takeaways
If your calculated timeline feels uncomfortably short, there are concrete levers, not just vague advice to “save more.” Delaying retirement by even two to three years, taking a part-time bridge job in early retirement, or downsizing housing costs can each meaningfully change the answer to how long will my money last, without requiring a dramatically different lifestyle.
It’s also worth separating a one-time bad year from a genuine structural problem. Markets have down years regularly, and reacting by panic-selling or drastically cutting a well-planned withdrawal rate can do more harm than the downturn itself; a sounder response is checking whether the withdrawal rate itself is realistic for your actual balance and life expectancy, not whether this particular year happened to be rough.
Running the numbers once a year, rather than once at retirement and never again, is the single habit that does the most to answer how long will my money last with actual confidence instead of a guess. A short annual check-in — current balance, updated spending, any changes to Social Security or part-time income — catches a drifting plan early, while there’s still time to adjust gradually instead of reacting to a crisis.
For readers specifically trying to reverse-engineer a target number rather than check an existing balance, our deeper breakdown of how much you’d need saved to draw $3,000 a month using the 4% rule walks through that calculation from the opposite direction, which pairs naturally with the scenarios above.
Finally, revisit your numbers periodically rather than once and never again — life expectancy, healthcare costs, and your own spending needs all shift over time, and a plan that looked solid five years ago may need adjusting today, as our Retirement section keeps tracking as these figures change and how they move the answer to how long will my money last.
People Also Ask
How long will my money last in retirement?
It depends on your withdrawal rate, investment returns, and actual lifespan, but a diversified portfolio withdrawing a sustainable 3.5%-4% a year typically lasts 25-30+ years, covering most retirees through their life expectancy at 65 (18.1 more years for men, 20.7 for women, on average).
What percentage of retirees run out of money?
Exact figures vary by study, but confidence in the answer to how long will my money last has declined sharply: EBRI’s 2026 survey found only 61% of workers and 73% of retirees feel confident they’ll have enough money throughout retirement, both down significantly from 2025.
How long will $300,000 last in retirement?
At a 4% withdrawal rate ($12,000 a year), a $300,000 portfolio can reasonably last 25-30 years under historically average market conditions, though actual results depend heavily on investment mix, inflation, and market sequence.
What is longevity risk?
Longevity risk is the chance that you live longer than your retirement plan assumed, requiring your savings to stretch across more years than originally budgeted — it’s considered one of the hardest retirement risks to plan for precisely because nobody knows their own lifespan in advance.
How long does the average person live after retiring at 65?
According to Social Security Administration data, a 65-year-old man can expect to live about 18.1 more years on average, and a 65-year-old woman about 20.7 more years, though roughly half of people at 65 will live longer than their respective average.
What can I do if I think I’ll run out of retirement money?
Common options include delaying retirement by a few years, taking part-time or bridge work, downsizing housing costs, reducing discretionary spending, or shifting a portion of savings into guaranteed income like an annuity — each one directly changes how long will my money last.
Are people more worried about running out of money than dying?
Yes — a 2026 Allianz Life study found 67% of Americans worry more about running out of money than about death itself, up from 57% in 2022, with the highest concern among Gen X (73%) and Millennials (69%).
Does Social Security affect how long my money lasts?
Yes, significantly. Guaranteed income from Social Security or a pension reduces how much you need to withdraw from savings each year, which directly extends how long your remaining portfolio can last.
Is a 4% withdrawal rate still realistic in 2026?
Current research suggests a slightly more conservative rate, closer to 3.5%-4%, is more realistic for a 30-year retirement given current market and bond conditions, though the right number still depends on your specific time horizon and risk tolerance.
Can I calculate how long will my money last on my own?
Yes — start with your current balance, a realistic withdrawal rate (3.5%-4% for most diversified portfolios), and your expected guaranteed income from Social Security or a pension, then compare that against the life-expectancy scenarios above rather than relying on a single generic online calculator.
The Bottom Line
How long will my money last in retirement comes down to fewer variables than it feels like in the moment: your withdrawal rate, your investment mix, guaranteed income like Social Security, and — the hardest one to control — how long you actually live. The national mood around this question has gotten noticeably more anxious, with EBRI showing confidence down sharply in 2026 and Allianz Life finding most Americans now fear outliving their money more than they fear dying.
The practical fix isn’t more worry, it’s running your own specific numbers across a realistic range of scenarios rather than fixating on one rigid outcome, and knowing the concrete levers available — delaying retirement, part-time bridge work, downsizing, or adding guaranteed income — if the picture looks tighter than you’d like. Revisiting how long will my money last once a year, rather than once and never again, is what keeps the answer accurate as your numbers change. For more breakdowns like this one, visit Snoopstats.
