Savings goal calculator
A trip, a car, an emergency fund: enter the amount you want to reach and your deadline, and find out how much to set aside every month.
How the monthly amount is calculated
Without interest it's simple division: goal divided by the number of months. $5,000 in 18 months works out to about $278 a month. If your savings earn interest — a high-yield savings account, CDs, a recurring investment plan — the tool uses the annuity formula instead: each deposit keeps earning for the months that remain, so the required monthly amount drops. At 4% a year, the same $5,000 in 18 months takes only about $270 a month — and the gap grows a lot over longer time horizons.
Tricks to make saving automatic
The strategy that actually works is "pay yourself first": set up an automatic transfer to a separate account on payday, so the money disappears before you get a chance to spend it. Keep the goal visible — naming the account something like "Japan 2027" helps more than you'd think — and recalculate whenever life changes. Stretching the deadline by three months beats giving up entirely.
This tool provides estimates only: it ignores taxes and inflation and is not financial advice.