How it works
Three sliders. Three futures. No homework.
The whole tool fits on one screen. Here is exactly what it does - and, just as importantly, what it assumes.
Drop in your numbers
Start with what you have saved today and what you can add each month. Two sliders, no sign-up, no account. Your inputs never leave your browser.
Compare three growth paths
Watch the same savings play out as cash, an index average, and a faster growth path - side by side on one chart. The gap between the lines is the whole point.
Adjust until it clicks
Change the amount, the monthly contribution, or the time horizon - in years or months - and the picture updates instantly. Find the version that makes you want to start.
What the three lines mean
The lines are reference points, not recommendations. They exist so the trade-off between safety and growth is something you can see instead of guess at.
Cash
0% growth
Money left as money. No market risk and always available, but it only grows by what you add - and inflation slowly erodes what it buys.
Index
~7.2% long-run average
A broad, diversified market average - the middle path. Historically faster than cash over long periods, with real ups and downs along the way.
Growth
~22% illustrative
A deliberately aggressive assumption to show an optimistic ceiling. Higher potential, far higher volatility. An illustration, not a forecast.
The honest small print
Projections use fixed average rates and assume your contributions keep coming. Real returns are bumpy, negative some years, and never as smooth as a curved line. The tool illustrates the shape of compounding - it does not predict your actual outcome.
It is also not financial advice, and nobody at Budget Happiness sees your numbers. Read the financial disclaimers for the full picture, or the guide on the three paths for the plain-language version.