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Life planning

What if I quit?

Explore how long your savings could last if you stopped working for a while.

An educational illustration, not financial advice or a recommendation to quit or stay. Real expenses and income can change unexpectedly.

Your time-away assumptions

Start with the examples, then make them yours. Use a slider or type an exact amount. All calculations stay in your browser.

Basic inputs
Cash available for this break; exclude money you cannot access.
Take-home income that continues after you leave, not your current salary.
Housing, food, transport, debt payments, and other essentials.
Your current spending on dining out, subscriptions, hobbies, and travel.
100% keeps your current lifestyle; 50% halves discretionary spending.
An example, not a forecast. Expenses rise monthly; income stays fixed.
Explore from 1 month to 10 years.
Additional costs and reserve
Before and after quitting
Include costs such as replacement health coverage. These also rise with inflation.
Deducted immediately, before the monthly timeline starts.
A fixed dollar amount to track, not a recommended minimum. The model can spend below it.

Explore the question, one assumption at a time

Enter savings you could actually use, then any take-home income that would continue after quitting. Split expenses into essentials and discretionary spending. Move the lifestyle slider to see what keeping more or less discretionary spending does to your timeline.

Include costs that might change when you leave, such as health coverage, travel, or a move. The reserve is a reference point you choose; it does not prevent the model from drawing down the remaining savings.

How the timeline works

First-month expenses = essentials + discretionary expenses × lifestyle percentage + added monthly costs. Each later month increases this total by the monthly equivalent of your annual inflation assumption.

Expenses in month m = first-month expenses × (1 + annual inflation / 100)(m − 1) / 12

Starting savings = savings minus one-time costs, floored at zero. Each month, income is added and expenses are deducted. Cash cannot go below zero; uncovered expenses accumulate separately as unfunded costs. They do not accrue interest. Income stays fixed, and the reserve stays at its original dollar amount.

Runway and reserve milestones assume net spending is spread evenly within each month. They are approximate, not bill-by-bill payment dates. A milestone outside your chosen timeline is shown as not reached, never as an unlimited runway.

A simple example

With $30,000 saved, $500 in monthly income, $3,000 in monthly expenses, and 0% inflation, savings cover 12 months. A $6,000 reserve is reached after 9.6 months. Positive inflation brings those milestones forward.

Assumptions and limits

This model covers 1–120 months in US dollars. It does not include investment returns, taxes beyond the take-home income you enter, changes in employment, benefits eligibility, borrowing, or unexpected bills. All expense categories rise at the same inflation rate, from 0% to 25% annually. Example inputs are illustrations, not forecasts or recommendations.

Common questions

Does monthly income mean my current salary?

No. Enter only income you expect to continue during the break, after taxes. Use zero if you expect none.

What if income covers my expenses?

Savings may hold steady or grow initially. With inflation, spending can later exceed fixed income. The simulator checks every month of your chosen timeline.

What happens when savings reach zero?

The timeline keeps showing the expenses that remain unfunded. It does not assume you can borrow money or continue the same lifestyle without another source of funds.

Terms used here

Runway
Time until accessible savings are exhausted.
Reserve
A savings level you want to track.
Inflation
The annual increase you assume for expenses.
Unfunded costs
Expenses not covered by modeled savings or income.