The best retirement calculator includes income for all sources like rental properties, social security, pensions, etc. and is honest about your situation. If you've ever watched Suze Orman speak to people about money, you would know that it's not always what you want to hear. I meet retirees all the time that think 100k is enough to retire. The goal is to never spend your principle and live off of the income your money provides. If you're planning on living off of CD's, Money Market Accounts, or Bonds, you will need a huge amount of money to maintain an ordinary income each year. For example, you are married and you need $60,000 per year of income to live well after taxes. If your plan is CD's pay 1% interest, then you'll need 100 times that amount to retire or 6M dollars today. Inflation will also make your money worth 3-4% less every year, so every year that $60,000 will diminish in value. It would be like working for someone and not recieving a raise for 20-30 years.
