How Long Will $100,000 Last in Retirement?

Approximately 41% of Americans have no retirement savings, so if you’ve managed to save $100,000, you’re ahead of many, but still behind others. The big question is: How long will $100,000 last in retirement? The short answer is that it could last for quite a while, but likely only if you’re prepared to stick to a strict budget and rely heavily on Social Security benefits. To get a clearer picture of how long your savings might last and how to make the most of them, consider speaking with a financial advisor who can help tailor a plan to your specific needs.

Balancing Income and Growth in Retirement

Your retirement account doesn’t need to sit idle, nor should it. Even after retiring, you’ll want your retirement savings to continue growing. With a $100,000 portfolio, finding the right balance between income generation and capital preservation is essential. You’ll need some investment returns to support your lifestyle, but you also can’t afford to take major risks.

One option is to invest in an S&P 500 index fund, which has historically averaged around 10% annual returns. If you keep your principal intact, that could produce approximately $10,000 per year in income. Combined with an average Social Security benefit of about $21,000, that brings your annual income to around $31,000. However, stock market volatility makes this strategy unpredictable. Some years may yield strong returns, others could result in losses. For someone relying on limited savings, that inconsistency may be difficult to manage.

Another approach is to shift toward the bond market, a common strategy for retirees seeking more stability. Corporate bonds, for example, average around 5% annual returns, which would generate about $5,000 per year on a $100,000 investment. Paired with Social Security, this would bring your annual income to roughly $26,000 — less than stocks, but with significantly less risk.

You might also consider an immediate lifetime annuity. With a $100,000 annuity purchase at retirement, you could receive approximately $7,600 annually in guaranteed income, regardless of market performance. While annuities don’t allow access to your principal, they provide consistency. Combined with Social Security, this would yield a total annual income of around $28,600 — a stable, worry-free option for those seeking predictability in retirement.

Example Asset Allocation for a $100,000 Retirement Portfolio

With a $100,000 retirement portfolio, it’s important to prioritize both income generation and capital preservation. A balanced asset allocation might look like this:

40% in dividend-paying stocks ($40,000): These can provide growth potential and regular income. With an average dividend yield of 4%, this portion could generate around $1,600 per year.
40% in bonds or bond funds ($40,000): Bonds offer more stability and predictable income. At a 5% average yield, this segment could produce approximately $2,000 per year.
20% in cash or short-term investments ($20,000): Held in a high-yield savings or money market account yielding around 4.5%, this allocation could provide about $900 per year and serve as a liquidity buffer for near-term needs.

This allocation offers a balance between growth, income and security — key goals for retirees working with a modest nest egg. This would generate approximately $4,500 from investment returns alone, not including potential Social Security benefits or occasional principal withdrawals.

Spending and Withdrawals

A man reviews how long $100,000 will last in retirement.

As we mentioned above, another critical question is whether to draw down on your principal. The problem here is that, with $100,000 in savings, almost any withdrawals will quickly impact the portfolio’s returns. This can create a pretty severe feedback loop, in which cutting your returns forces you to draw down further on the principal, cutting your returns further and so on.

With the right plan, you can afford to take a very modest amount out of your portfolio each year without exhausting your money early, but almost any significant rate of withdrawal will drain your savings at some point during retirement. This would give you a modestly improved early retirement and a significantly harder life later on.

For example, say you invest in bonds with an average 5% interest rate. This lets you collect $5,000 per year from your portfolio ideally indefinitely, since it’s all interest payments. You could add another $1,000 per year in principal withdrawals, for a total of $6,000 per year in portfolio income and have a portfolio lifetime of more than 30 years.

But even here there’s a huge risk. On the one hand, $1,000 is a lot of money. On a tight budget that can make a big difference in your quality of life. However, even at this rate of withdrawal, you will likely exhaust your savings between 30 – 35 years. Say that you retire at age 70. Life is getting longer and health is improving. If you do live to be more than 100 years old, you will find yourself running out of money at exactly the point when you are least able to do anything about it.

And, again, your margins are very thin. Even boosting that to $6,500 will change the math entirely, causing you to run out of money after 25 years, quite realistically in the later stages of your life. The result is that you should expect to make at most very small withdrawals from the principal of your retirement account and you should do this based on calculations you make with a qualified financial advisor. Anything beyond that will begin to erode your portfolio’s ability to generate returns very quickly.

Depending on when you retire and how you invest, you may be able to withdraw an additional $1,000 – $2,000 on top of your returns. Much beyond this, however, will cause a feedback loop likely leading you to run out of money in your late 80s or early 90s. Given modern life expectancies, it’s reasonable to plan on living that long. You don’t want to risk running out of money on your 90th birthday.

Social Security and Medicare

If you only have $100,000 saved for retirement, you’ll want to figure out how much money you’ll earn in Social Security benefits. Contrary to popular belief, this program does not guarantee income in your old age. Instead, it’s designed more as an income replacement system. The more you earned while working, the more you’ll receive in benefits.

So it’s essential to understand how much you, specifically, can plan for. You can get a general estimate of your benefits by using tools like SmartAsset’s Social Security calculator. You can get a much more specific set of numbers by requesting your Social Security statement from the SSA.

In general, the average recipient collects about $1,750 in benefits from Social Security. That comes to around $21,000 per year in income. That’s not a lot, but it can be enough to live comfortably on in the right parts of the country. You can’t live in Manhattan on this, but upstate Michigan is a very different story.

If at all possible, you could wait to retire until age 70. The later you wait to begin collecting Social Security benefits, the more you’ll receive in monthly payments. At age 70, the maximum age, the difference in lifetime benefits is substantial and can make your retirement much easier.

Then, make plans for your medical insurance (depending on how much you pay already). Medicare covers most basic needs, which is a huge help for retirees planning how to spend their money. While Medicare covers most needs, it doesn’t cover all, so most people will need supplemental insurance. Prepare for that in your budget.

Bottom Line

With $100,000 you should budget for a retirement income of around $5,000 to $8,000 on top of Social Security, depending on how you have invested your money. Much more than this will likely cause you to run out of money within 25 – 30 years, which is potentially within the lifespan of the average retiree. You should speak to an expert to dive into your unique retirement situation in order to learn more.

Retirement Planning Tips

While beyond the scope of this article, an excellent way to extend the life of your retirement account is by managing your taxes well. Here are a few ways to get started on that.
A financial advisor can help you build a comprehensive retirement plan. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area. You can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.