Many people head into retirement guessing at a number someone once mentioned—$1 million, $1.5 million, $2 million. But your real “magic number” depends on your lifestyle, spending, income, inflation assumptions, and timing. AI can pull those pieces together and calculate a realistic, personalized target instead of a guess.
Before you use it, just remember: copy, paste, [personalize the brackets] and run the prompt in ChatGPT, Gemini or your favorite AI app.
What it does
Helps you calculate your true retirement “magic number” based on your lifestyle, spending, income sources, inflation assumptions, and withdrawal strategy.
Why it’s useful
Most retirement calculators give a generic target. This AI-powered version personalizes your number to your real life—your budget, your expectations, and your financial reality.
Who this is for
• Anyone 40+ trying to understand whether they’re on track for retirement
• People unsure how inflation affects their long-term plans
• Anyone wanting a customized savings target instead of a generic estimate
• Anyone preparing for Social Security decisions, catch-up contributions, or early retirement
Copy & Paste This Prompt:
Help me calculate my personalized retirement “magic number.” Begin by asking me each question one at a time. After collecting my answers, calculate: my future retirement spending adjusted for inflation, my required annual income after subtracting Social Security/pension, the total nest egg needed based on my preferred withdrawal rate, whether I’m ahead or behind, and how much I should save monthly to close any gap. Then present a simple action plan.
Ask me one question at a time:
- What age am I now?
- What age do I want to retire?
- What is my expected monthly spending in retirement (today’s dollars)?
- Do I expect to have a mortgage or rent payment in retirement?
- What guaranteed income will I have (Social Security, pension, annuities)?
- What is my current total retirement savings?
- How much do I currently contribute monthly?
- What annual investment return should you assume before retirement?
- What annual investment return should you assume after retirement?
- What inflation rate should you assume?
- Which withdrawal method do I prefer: 4% rule, 3% rule, or a dynamic withdrawal strategy?
After I answer all questions, produce the following:
A) A retirement spending summary (including inflation-adjusted monthly and annual amounts at my target retirement age)
B) My total required nest egg (my “magic number”)
C) Whether I’m ahead or behind based on a projection of my current savings and contributions
D) The additional monthly savings needed to close any gap between where I’m headed and my magic number
E) A simple 5-step action plan I can begin immediately to improve my chances of reaching that target
At the end, show two versions of the analysis: a conservative scenario and a moderate scenario, and clearly label each one.
#End of Prompt
How this helps you
This prompt turns a vague retirement worry—“Do I have enough?”—into concrete numbers and next steps. Instead of relying on rules of thumb or random online calculators, you’ll see a personalized target, how close you are today, and what specific monthly savings and adjustments could help you get there.
