Last Updated on January 31, 2021 at 6:40 pm
Retirement planning is a complicated financial goal. When you save for a new car, exotic holiday or even for the education of your children, all or most of the accumulated corpus would get spent when the time for the goal arrives. So it is easier to calculate the corpus required for such goals.
When it comes to retirement planning the corpus calculation is complicated because the corpus does not get spent in one shot. Typically it is allowed to grow at some post-retirement interest rate (usually underestimated for safety) and monthly withdrawals are made from it. For complete financial independence during retirement, these withdrawals or pension must increase according to the post-retirement inflation rate.
So the retirement corpus calculation has to take into account not only the years to retirement, present inflation rate but also post-retirement inflation, number of years in retirement and post-retirement interest rate on the corpus.
Given these input parameters, retirement planning consists of two major steps.
🔥Secure your future with our Robo-advisory tool trusted by over 3,500 investors and advisors. From effortless retirement planning to funding your children’s biggest dreams, turn your financial goals into reality. 🔥
Subscribe for money management solutions via email! (Link takes you to our email sign-up form) Join 32,000+ readers in our community.
👉 New Tool Alert! NaviPlan: A Privacy-Focused Multi-asset Tracker and Goal Planner 👈
1. Calculation of the corpus required:
(a) Compute projected future monthly expenses at the start of retirement. This amount can be taken as the initial monthly pension which will be withdrawn from the corpus.
(b) This monthly pension amount is assumed to increase every year according to the rate of inflation, while the corpus is assumed to grow at some constant interest rate. Using these inputs the corpus is calculated using Excel’s present value calculator (PV). The inputs to the PV function, the formulae used are a bit technical and can be found here.
Since the withdrawals are indexed to inflation, the corpus will decrease each year and become zero at the end of the retirement period given as input. A typical rise and fall of the corpus is shown here.
2. Calculation of the monthly investment amount required:
Once the corpus needed is known, this calculation is similar to any other financial goal. It uses the number of years to retirement, estimates of present inflation and annual interest rate, annual increase in investment if any, and amount accumulated so far if any.
The excel based calculators in this site does the above tasks and present an annual cash flow chart of the monthly investment made, monthly expenses, the growth of the retirement corpus prior to retirement and its decrease post retirement. Annual salary and its growth is also shown for reference.
First published at OneMint Thanks to Manshu author of OneMint for publishing this.
We are on Google News
Use this button to add freefincal.com as a preferred personal finance source on Google News.

Explore 1,400+ videos on YouTube!

Subscribe to get posts via email!
Join 32,000+ readers and get free money management solutions delivered to your inbox! (Link takes you to our email sign-up form)Join our WhatsApp Channel

Explore our products
🔥Join our community of 9000+ users! 🔥- Use our Robo-advisory Tool to create a complete financial plan! More than 3,500 investors and advisors use this! Use the discount code robo25 for 20% off. Plan your retirement (early, normal, before, and after), plus non-recurring financial goals (such as child education) and recurring financial goals (such as holidays and appliance purchases). The tool helps anyone aged 18 to 80 plan for retirement, plus six non-recurring and four recurring financial goals, with a detailed cash flow summary.
- Our Flagship Course! Learn to manage your portfolio like a pro to achieve your goals regardless of market conditions! More than 3,500 investors and advisors are part of our exclusive community! Get clarity on how to plan for your goals and achieve the necessary corpus no matter the market conditions! Watch the first lecture for free! One-time payment! No recurring fees! Lifelong access to videos! Reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt while investing! Learn how to plan for your goals before and after retirement with confidence.
- Join the freefincal investor circle! An exclusive space for investors, advisors, fintech employees and students to access financial planning and insurance tools, mutual fund and stock analysis tools, coding strategies and Excel macros for data extraction. 750+ members are now part of our investor circle.
- Increase your income by getting people to pay for your skills! More than 900 salaried employees, entrepreneurs and financial advisors are part of our exclusive community! Learn how to get people to pay for your skills! Whether you are a professional or small business owner seeking more clients through online visibility, or a salaried individual looking for side or passive income, we will show you how to do it by showcasing your skills and building a community that trusts and pays you. (Watch the 1st lecture for free). One-time payment! No recurring fees! Lifelong access to videos!
- Portfolio Tracker! Track your mutual funds and stock investments with our Google Sheet!
- We also publish monthly screeners for
Our Podcast: Let's Get Rich With Pattu
On Spotify: Let's Get RICH With PATTU! Every single Indian CAN grow their wealth! On Audible: Listen to the Let's Get Rich with Pattu Podcast

Listen to the Let's Get Rich With Pattu podcast on YouTube.
Now watch Let's Get Rich With Pattu தமிழில் (in Tamil)!About The Author

Dr M Pattabiraman giving a lecture
- Dr M. Pattabiraman (PhD) is the founder, managing editor and primary author of freefincal. He is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
- He has over 14 years of experience publishing news analysis, research and financial product development. He has over 28 years of teaching and research experience. He is also a public speaker and keynote presenter.
- He is a patron and co-founder of “Fee-only India,” an organisation promoting unbiased, commission-free, AUM-independent investment advice.
- Connect with him via @pattufreefincal on X LinkedIn YouTube
- Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books.
This book helps you ask the right questions and find the right answers. It also includes nine online calculators to create custom solutions.
(2) Gamechanger: Forget Startups, Join Corporate & Still Live the Rich Life You Want. This book helps young earners get the basics right from the start! It will also help you travel to exotic places at a low cost! (3) Chinchu Gets a Superpower! for kids.Both the boy and girl versions of "Chinchu Gets a Superpower".
Most investor problems stem from a lack of poor decision-making. We made bad decisions and money mistakes when we started earning, and we spent years undoing them. Why should our children go through the same pain? What is this book about? As parents, what if we had to groom one ability in our children that matters not only for money management and investing but for every aspect of life? My answer: Sound decision-making. So, in this book, we meet Chinchu, who is about to turn 10. The story follows what he wants for his birthday and how his parents plan it, while also teaching him key ideas about decision-making and money management. What readers say!Feedback from a young reader after reading Chinchu Gets a Superpower!
Must-read book even for adults! This is something that every parent should teach their kids right from a young age. The importance of money management and decision-making based on their wants and needs. Very nicely written in simple terms. - Arun.
About freefincal & its content policy
Freefincal is a News Media organisation dedicated to providing original analysis, reports, reviews and insights on mutual funds, stocks, investing, retirement and personal finance developments. We do so without conflict of interest and bias. Follow us on Google News. Freefincal serves more than three million readers a year (5 million page views) with articles based only on factual information and detailed analysis by its authors. All statements made will be verified with credible and knowledgeable sources before publication. Freefincal does not publish paid articles, promotions, PR, satire or opinions without data. All opinions will be inferences backed by verifiable, reproducible evidence/data. Contact Information: To get in touch, please use our contact form. (Sponsored posts or paid collaborations will not be entertained.)Our publications
- Your Ultimate Guide to Travel. This is an in-depth exploration of vacation planning, including how to find affordable flights, budget accommodations, and practical travel tips. It also examines the benefits of travelling slowly, both financially and psychologically, with links to relevant web pages and guidance at every step. Get the PDF for Rs 300 (instant download)
- How to profit from content writing: Our ebook is for those interested in getting a side income via content writing. It is available at a 50% discount for Rs. 500 only!
