Hi everyone! 👋

I created a retirement simulation using Python — with a big assist from ChatGPT. It’s a more flexible version than most retirement calculators, designed to give probabilities for retiring safely rather than a single pass/fail number.

It’s based on a Monte Carlo simulation with a t-distribution, which is often used in financial models to give more realistic results under volatile conditions.

I was inspired by conversations about the future of the world economy given recent geopolitical developments. This is why I created inputs for different scenarios including deciding each assets’ return rate and introducing shocks in specified years - features missing in many of the existing tools.

🧮 Features

The simulation includes some powerful customization options:

  • Debt inputs (house, credit card, student loan)
  • Age-based changes in spending and income
  • Investment withdrawals and tax impacts
  • Shocks to simulate unexpected events at critical points
  • Custom portfolio estimates and expected returns

Right now, the simulation outputs graphs of your:

  • Median scenario
  • Top 25% optimistic scenario
  • Bottom 25% pessimistic scenario

🛠️ How to Run It

This was a fun little project to learn Python using generative AI. Currently, it’s available as a script, but I hope to build a browser-based version in the future.

🔗 Resources

🧭 Compare With Other Tools

Here are some solid alternatives for comparison:

Let me know what you think or if you have suggestions for improvement!