What is a safe withdrawal rate?

The safe withdrawal rate is the percentage of your portfolio you withdraw each year in retirement. The classic 4% rule, based on the Trinity Study, assumes a 30-year retirement with a balanced portfolio. Lower rates (3-3.5%) are more conservative and better suited to early retirees or volatile single-stock portfolios.

Should I use lump sum or dollar-cost averaging?

Lump sum investing historically outperforms dollar-cost averaging about two-thirds of the time because markets tend to rise over time. However, DCA reduces the risk of investing a large sum at a market peak and is the practical default for most people investing from employment income each month.

Can I combine a lump sum I already have invested with monthly contributions?

Yes. Choose the combined lump sum and monthly DCA option, then enter what you already hold either as a dollar amount or as a share count. The calculator grows that existing position to your retirement date at the same total return, subtracts it from the portfolio you need, and solves for the monthly purchase required to close the remaining gap. If the existing position alone is projected to exceed the target, the required monthly purchase is zero.

Does this calculator account for taxes?

No. All figures are shown before tax. Your actual after-tax retirement income depends on the account type (TFSA withdrawals are tax-free, RRSP withdrawals are taxed as income) and your marginal tax rate in retirement.

Is it risky to hold only one stock or ETF for retirement?

Yes. Concentrating your retirement portfolio in a single security exposes you to company-specific or sector-specific risk. A broadly diversified all-in-one ETF like XEQT or VGRO reduces this risk substantially. This calculator is a planning exercise, not a recommendation to concentrate holdings.

Shares to Retire Calculator - How Many Shares Do You Need?

Interactive Tool

Shares to retirement

How many shares of a stock or ETF would you need to retire on your terms? Enter your investment, your timeline, and your desired retirement income to find out. Buy it all today, buy monthly, or start from what you already hold and solve for the monthly top-up.

Last reviewed September 4, 2026

Your investment

Stock or ETF name For your reference only. Enter the price below.

Current price per share

Look up the latest price on your brokerage, Google Finance, or Yahoo Finance.

Annual dividend yield

0.0%

Set to zero for growth stocks that pay no dividend.

How to set expected growth

Expected annual price growth

7.0%

Historical long-run equity average is roughly 7-10% nominal. Slider goes to 100% for high-growth scenarios.

Your timeline

Your current age

Target retirement age

How you plan to buy

Purchase strategy

Lump sum solves for the shares to buy today. Monthly DCA solves for the shares to buy every month. The combined option starts from the money you already have invested and solves for the monthly purchases needed to close the remaining gap.

Retirement spending

Desired annual retirement income (today's dollars)

What you want to spend per year in retirement, before tax, in today's purchasing power.

Safe withdrawal rate

4.0%

The classic "4% rule" is a common starting point. Lower is more conservative.

Expected annual inflation

2.5%

Bank of Canada targets 2%. Adjust higher if you expect above-average inflation.

Annual CPP/OAS/pension income you expect (today's dollars)

Reduces the amount your portfolio needs to cover. Set to 0 if none expected.

1.Estimates only. This calculator provides rough projections based on the assumptions you enter. Actual investment returns vary, and past performance does not predict future results. This is not financial advice.

2.Dividends. Dividends are assumed to be reinvested at the prevailing share price and to grow at the same rate as the share price. In practice, dividend growth rates differ from price appreciation.

3.Taxes. Retirement income, withdrawal rate, and portfolio figures are shown before tax. Your actual after-tax income will depend on the account type (RRSP, TFSA, non-registered) and your marginal tax rate.

4.Safe withdrawal rate. The "4% rule" originates from the Trinity Study and assumes a 30-year retirement with a balanced portfolio. Your mileage may vary depending on asset allocation, retirement length, and sequence-of-returns risk.

5.Inflation. All "today's dollars" figures are discounted at the entered inflation rate to show purchasing power at retirement. CPP/OAS inputs should reflect today's dollar amounts, as the calculator adjusts them forward.

6.Combined lump sum and monthly buying. In the combined mode the lump sum is treated as invested in full today at the current share price, and it compounds at the same total return as the monthly purchases. The calculator then solves for the monthly amount needed to close whatever gap remains. If the lump sum alone is projected to exceed the target, the required monthly purchase is zero and the projected surplus is shown.

7.Monthly contributions. Monthly purchases are modelled as a level nominal amount paid at the end of each month, compounded at the monthly equivalent of your total return. The amount is not escalated with inflation, so a real-world plan that raises contributions each year would reach the same target with a smaller starting payment. Trading commissions, bid-ask spreads, and partial-share limitations are ignored. See the all-in cost calculator for what those costs do to a monthly buying schedule.

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Shares to retirement

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