Retire Wealthy vs Retire Poor

Two people, same age, same starting balance, same contributions, same retirement age, same lifespan, same $70,000 a year income rising with inflation. The only difference is the return. The figures start as the example from the training. Change any of them and the result updates as you type.

Average: about 81 for men, 85 for women.
%
Maximum rate including supplements, 20 March 2026. Indexed with inflation in the charts.
Changes the today's-dollars figures only. Actual dollars never change. What's the difference?

Typical balanced super fund

Scenario 1
$
%
$
$
Left at the end, actual dollars
Balance at retirement
Balance at retirement, in today's dollars
Total withdrawn over retirement
Years on the Age Pension alone
Scenario 1 excludes Age Pension income. If you qualify, the pension would top up what's shown, and the balance would last a little longer.

Invested in quality businesses

Scenario 2
$
%
12% is an assumption. Trading Mastery's actual since January 2020 is 20.82% a year.
$
$
Left at the end, actual dollars
Balance at retirement
Balance at retirement, in today's dollars
Total withdrawn over retirement
Years on the Age Pension alone
Scenario 1Scenario 2Age Pension

The balance, year by year, from now until the end

The income, year by year, in retirement

Year-by-year table

What "today's dollars" means

Money in 30 years won't buy what it buys now, so we translate future dollars back into today's. There are two sensible ways to do it, and they give different answers.

Measured against today's prices
What the money would buy at today's prices. Uses the inflation rate above the whole way. This is the figure the calculator shows by default.
Measured against today's wages (ASIC's method)
How the money compares with what people earn. Wages usually rise faster than prices, so ASIC uses 3.7% a year until retirement, then 2.5%. This gives a lower number.

Both are the same in actual dollars at . Only the translation differs. Change the setting at the top to see every figure on the page both ways.

Both scenarios are hypothetical illustrations to show how the numbers behave, not two real people. They assume you own your home outright. Scenario 1 excludes Age Pension income. The 12% return is an assumption: it is below Trading Mastery's actual 20.82% a year since January 2020, and above long-run market returns. At 10% the second scenario still lasts to 85 but with far less left; at 9% it runs out at 82. Try it. Today's dollars are measured against today's prices by default; ASIC's wage-based method is available in the settings and gives a lower figure. Minimum pension drawdown rules apply to money held in superannuation. General advice only; it does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Past performance is not indicative of future results.