The ExitAge Blog

Retirement Planning, Explained.

Guides, comparisons, and insights to help you understand when you can retire — and what moves that date.

Retirement Planning·9 minutes read

What Is a Retirement Runway Calculator — and Why Does It Answer a Different Question?

Most retirement calculators tell you whether you can retire. A retirement runway calculator shows you something more useful — exactly how long your money will last, and which decisions extend that runway.

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Retirement Planning·7 minutes read

Retirement Planning When Two People Have Different Goals (And Different Salaries)

Most retirement tools are built for one person. Here's how to navigate retirement planning as a couple — two incomes, two ages, two different ideas about what retirement looks like — and find a shared plan that actually works.

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Retirement Planning·7 minutes read

How Pensions Fit Into Your Retirement Plan — And Why They're Not the Whole Picture

Pension is a powerful retirement vehicle — but for most people, it's only part of the financial picture. Here's how to think about pension alongside property, investments, and liabilities to build a genuinely complete retirement plan.

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Getting Started·6 minutes read

I'm 35 With Almost No Retirement Savings. Is It Too Late?

If you're in your mid-30s and your retirement savings feel inadequate, this is for you. The honest answer is no, it's not too late — but you need to know where you actually stand, and what to do next.

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Retirement Mindset·8 minutes read

The Question Nobody Asks Before They Retire: How Much Is Actually Enough?

Most retirement calculators assume what you'll spend. But 'how much is enough?' is the most personal question in financial planning — and the answer shapes everything. Here's how to think through it honestly, including the parts people consistently get wrong.

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Life Events Series·6 minutes read

Getting a Pay Rise? Here's Exactly How Much It Could Bring Forward Your Retirement

A pay rise can disappear into lifestyle creep — or move your retirement date forward by years. Here's the exact maths across three different scenarios, and what each choice actually costs you in time.

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Tool Comparison·8 minutes read

FIRE Calculator vs Retirement Calculator: What's the Difference and Which One Actually Answers Your Question?

FIRE calculators ask if your portfolio survives. Retirement calculators ask if you'll have enough at a target age. Neither asks when you can actually stop working. Here's the full comparison — including the five most popular tools — and what a proper financial independence calculator actually needs to do.

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Retirement Planning·9 minutes read

Why Most Retirement Calculators Are Lying to You (And What ExitAge Does Instead)

Free retirement calculators are built around a simplified, generic version of a human life. Here's exactly what they get wrong — and how ExitAge is built differently to give you a number you can actually trust.

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Mindset & Planning·6 minutes read

I Avoided Thinking About Retirement for a Decade. Here's What Finally Changed My Mind.

For a long time, I had a system for dealing with retirement planning: I didn't think about it. Here's what changed — and why looking at the numbers turned out to be the most empowering thing I did.

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Retirement Planning·7 minutes read

How to Figure Out When You Can Retire: A Step-by-Step Guide

Retirement is one of the biggest financial questions you'll ever answer. This seven-step system shows you exactly how to work out when you can retire — and which levers move that date forward.

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Tool Comparison·7 minutes read

ExitAge vs Free Retirement Calculators: What You're Actually Missing

There's no shortage of free retirement calculators. But 'roughly on track' isn't retirement planning. We run a realistic scenario through a typical free calculator and ExitAge — and show you exactly what the difference looks like.

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