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How to Use The Living Annuity Calculator

18 May 2025

Planning for retirement can feel overwhelming.

One of the most important questions many South Africans ask is: Will my savings last?

The Living Annuity Calculator is designed to help answer that with clarity.

Whether you’re nearing retirement or already retired, this free retirement calculator helps you estimate how much income your savings can provide—and for how long.

What the Living Annuity Calculator Does

This calculator takes your total retirement savings—including Pension, Provident, Preservation Funds, Retirement Annuities and existing Living Annuities—and shows how they could translate into long-term income.

You’ll see three key outputs:

  • Income – your projected monthly or annual income
  • Capital – how your savings may grow or decline over time
  • Sustainability – how long your money could last and at what age your income might peak

These are displayed in a simple graph that updates in real time as you adjust your inputs.

How to Use It

The Living Annuity Calculator is designed to be flexible. You can start with a basic setup or go into more detail using the advanced settings.

1. Standard Inputs

This is the fastest way to get an estimate. You simply enter:

  • Your current age
  • Expected retirement age
  • Total retirement savings
  • Desired retirement income

With just these, the retirement calculator gives you an initial view of your future income and capital.

2. Advanced Inputs

For more accurate planning, you can:

  • Add your date of birth and retirement month
  • Include monthly contributions up to retirement
  • Choose income increases every 1, 2 or 3 years to help your capital keep pace with inflation

These inputs allow the calculator to simulate more realistic retirement scenarios.

Modelled Returns

To help you plan wisely, the calculator uses three return models:

  • Aggressive – higher return and risk
  • Moderate – a balanced approach
  • Conservative – lower return and lower risk

You can also adjust inflation expectations and expected returns manually. This lets you see how rising prices and market returns could affect your income and savings.

Why This Matters

Using a Living Annuity means your income depends on how your investments perform, how much you draw and how long you live. The wrong decisions early in retirement can reduce your financial security later on.

This is where our retirement calculator helps. It gives you a practical way to test decisions before you make them. You can model scenarios, see what’s sustainable and understand the trade-offs.

Simple and Easy to Use

At Investonline, we believe you don’t need to be a financial expert to plan confidently for retirement. That’s why our Living Annuity Calculator is easy to use and built around real-world decision-making.

If you’d like help understanding the results, one of our qualified advisers is always available to guide you—at no cost.

Try Our Leading Calculator

Use our Living Annuity Calculator to:

  • Estimate your income from your savings
  • Explore how long your capital could last
  • Compare how different drawdown and return strategies perform

It’s free, fast and built for South Africans planning smarter retirements.

In Summary

The Living Annuity Calculator is a practical tool that helps you see how long your savings could last and what kind of income you might expect.

With the ability to test different scenarios, this free retirement calculator supports informed and confident financial planning.

Along the way, it also helps you understand the meaning of a Living Annuity, what it actually is and whether it fits your personal retirement goals.

By exploring your income, capital and sustainability over time, you get insight into what makes a Living Annuity flexible, how it compares to other retirement options, and how to find the best Living Annuity in South Africa based on your needs.

It’s more than just a calculator—it’s a tool for smarter retirement decisions.

Clarity Starts Here

  • Retirement: Model your spending
  • Taxation and Fees: Optimise
  • Legacy: Wealth transfer
  • Analysis: Independent review

Sample One-Page Summary

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