The Black Belt Personal Finance (BBPF) Retirement Calculator is an application which allows an individual to calculate the amount of money required for retirement. It considers the current income and expenses and calculates savings between now and retirement. It takes current retirement savings from tax deferred accounts and non-deferred accounts and calculates their value at retirement. It also considers income in retirement from sources such as Social Security, Pensions, and Other. It calculates lump sum equivalents for these future income streams at retirement. It then calculates whether the individual will likely have enough money to retire or whether there is a gap. If there is a gap then it calculates how large that is and how much the person will likely need to save per month in order to meet their retirement income goals (which is based on current expenses).
Note: The calculator uses abbreviations. Most will be intuitive but if you have questions there is training material available at www.blackbeltpersonalfinance.com under the BBPF Apps tab. It gives descriptions and context.
Note/Caveat/Warning - Although you will be able to learn interesting information the information you get from this app is a high level approximation only. It will give you ideas on what goes into figuring out where you stand relative to your retirement goals. But this is not a comprehensive financial planning exercise, but a starting point to increase your knowledge of the variables. In order to properly plan for retirement you will need to delve into details beyond what the app provides. You should also consult with a financial adviser and tax adviser to come up with a comprehensive plan. The BBPF Retirement Calculator is fun to play with to learn more about the topic but ultimately not what you should base your retirement plan on.