Drawdown Calculator – How Long Can Your Savings Last?

Last Updated: 25th January 2026

After years of hustling and saving up, I managed to put together some money and was wondering – how long would these resources last me?

I put together a simple calculator in Excel to figure that out. Update: The calculator is now web-based and you can use it below with no download required! New features of CPF Payouts and returns volatility are also introduced.

Two Modes

The calculator has two modes:

1. How long will my savings last?
2. How much savings do I need?

Mode 1 is more for people who are curious how long their sum of money can last them if they were to retire soon (or a career break, just adjust Life Expectancy accordingly), while Mode 2 is more for those who are striving to hit a certain age for retirement.

Simply input the details required below and you can easily toggle between both modes:

According to my calculator, a person aged 45 years old with S$850,000 can spend S$2,500 per month for the next 40 years assuming a rate of return of 5% p.a. and 3% p.a. inflation rate (assuming no volatility). This would result in a score of AA since he/she would be able to make it to age 85 which is slightly above the average life expectancy in Singapore.

I would encourage tweaking the investment returns to see the impact of returns on how long a sum of money can last. Some amount of return volatility should also be added to see how the unpredictability of the markets can affect one’s drawdown plans.

CPF LIFE Payouts

CPF LIFE payouts are now added and if you want to have a sense of how much your payouts will be, use the CPF Estimator Tool that I made.

Return Volatility

While we typically assume a certain figure for our average returns, say 5% per annum each year, the thing is that returns are never predictable or the same every single year.

Year 1 could give negative 5% return, while things could be better in Year 2 with 15% returns. On average, this is still 5% per annum, though negative or poor returns early on can have adverse effects on someone drawing down from their investments.

This is called sequence of returns risk and you can play around with the volatility by tweaking the volatility and randomise the returns to see how it impacts your drawdown. I’ll discuss more about how to manage this risk so stay subscribed for updates.

Suggested volatility settings:

Assumed Returns	Suggested Volatility
4% or less	Low
More than 4%, less than 8%	Moderate
8% or more	High

Change Log

Date	Changes
12th December 2024	Excel version released
7th December 2025	Web-based version released
25th January 2026	CPF Life Payouts and returns volatility introduced

Do let me know of feature requests in the comments or Telegram. For updates, remember to stay subscribed!

Subscribe for more deals and updates!

If you’re someone who wants to earn more from credit cards, savings accounts and other financial deals, stay subscribed to the Telegram or WhatsApp so you can be notified of news and deals. Remember to unmute and turn on notifications or the updates may not reach you.

Seth Wee was a licensed financial adviser representative from 2009 to 2025, with over 16 years of experience in Singapore’s financial advisory industry.

He started Sethisfy.com in 2019 to share practical insights on credit cards, banking products, and miles strategies, helping readers identify financial products that deliver the best value. Seth has been featured in CNA, Channel 8, Today, and a host of other publications. In 2025, he was also part of a panel at CPF’s Ready For Life festival.

Subscribe to the channel for free updates!

Disclaimer: I may receive an affiliate/referral fee when you sign up for services/products on this site, and such fees keep the site running. I would only recommend services/products I would personally use or recommend to my own friends and family, but I do not provide any warranty or guarantee for the quality of these services/products. Thank you for supporting my site!

Please exercise due diligence when signing up for any service/product as I will not be liable for any personal loss, financial or otherwise. Content published here are my sole views and personal opinion, and none of the information here constitutes personal financial advice nor represents the views of my employer(s).