You Are Not Saving Enough and I Can Prove It
Most South Africans retire with far less capital than they need. Not because they didn't save. But because they underestimated what retirement actually costs.
The monthly income you need in retirement doesn't care about market returns, tax benefits, or product brochures. It cares about one thing: whether you have enough capital to generate it.
And most people don't.
Why Traditional Savings Methods Fall Short
For decades, South Africans have been told to save a percentage of their income. 10%. 15%. Maybe 20% if you're serious.
That advice assumes stable employment, consistent contributions, moderate inflation, and average life expectancy. It also assumes you'll maintain the same lifestyle in retirement that you have now.
Reality is rarely that cooperative.
The Real Problem: Income Replacement
Retirement isn't about having a lump sum. It's about replacing the income you earned while working.
If you need R30,000 per month in retirement and you retire at 65, you don't just need R360,000 for one year. You need enough capital to generate R30,000 per month for 20, 25, or 30 years—while that capital erodes from withdrawals and is undermined by inflation.
The number is almost always higher than people expect.
This Calculator Tests Your Assumptions Using Math
No generic multiples. No hopeful estimates. Just the actual capital required based on the income you tell it you need.
It accounts for inflation, tax, withdrawal rates, and time. It shows you what you actually need—not what sounds reasonable.
When you see the result, you may feel surprised. That reaction is normal. The number often looks higher than expected because most retirement planning skips the compounding effect of inflation, tax erosion, and time.
Use the calculator below to find out how much capital you need — and what it will cost you per month to get there.
After You See the Number
Once you know how much capital you need, the next question becomes obvious: can your current savings strategy get you there?
That's where Step 2 comes in. The second calculator shows you whether your current contributions and expected growth rate will close the gap—or leave you short.
Most people discover they're not saving enough. Some discover they're decades behind. A few discover they're on track.
But guessing won't tell you which category you're in. Only math will.
AS Brokers – Retirement Reality Calculator
Discover how much capital you really need — and whether you are saving enough.
Why This Number Matters More Than You Think
If the result surprised you, that reaction is normal.
Most people underestimate what retirement income really costs because the pressures don't show up all at once. Inflation compounds quietly over decades. Tax reduces what you can actually spend. And your capital is expected to produce income for 20 to 30 years — often longer.
When these factors are viewed separately, they feel manageable. When combined, they reveal the real cost of sustainable retirement income.
This calculator doesn't exaggerate the problem. It simply exposes it.
Retirement Planning Is Not About the Capital Alone
The size of your capital matters.
But what matters more is the gap between where you are now and what your income needs to support — year after year.
That gap is not closed by hope, market averages, or rules of thumb.
It is closed in one way only:
by the rate of growth your investment must deliver, consistently, over time.
Until you know that required growth rate, you cannot judge whether your current plan is realistic — or whether you are slowly eroding capital without realising it.
You now know the income problem.
The next question is the only one that matters.
What annual growth rate must your investment deliver to make this plan sustainable — after inflation, tax, and time?
This is the calculation most people never do. It's also the calculation that determines whether retirement income works… or eventually fails.