How long until you hit $1 million?

The reality check most finance content skips: how much to save monthly, what rate gets you there, and how long the last half takes.

Current savings ($)

Monthly contribution ($)

Annual return (%)

Goal ($)

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Years to goal

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Age at goal (if you start at 30)

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Total you'll contribute

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Interest/growth share

How is time to $1M computed?

Solve FV = P(1+r)^n + PMT·((1+r)^n−1)/r for n (Newton-Raphson). At 8% with $1k/month and $25k saved it's about 26 years — and roughly $310k of contributions plus $690k of growth. The growth share is the whole story.

Why does the last $500k seem faster than the first?

Compound growth is exponential: the first half pays the price of time, the second half rides the snowball. That's not a trick, it's the math working for you after decades.

Is 8% realistic?

As a long-term US stock average, plausible; as a guarantee, no. Run 5% (conservative) and 10-12% (optimistic) to see the real range — the tool accepts any rate you enter.

Should I include inflation?

This is a nominal goal estimate. $1M in 26 years buys less than $1M today. To see the honest target, run the goal at ~2-3% higher (the inflation-adjusted million is roughly $1.5-2M).