Read the date as a scenario, not a deadline
Start with $5,000, add $250 at the end of each month and choose a fixed future-dollar target of $20,000. With return, fees, inflation and contribution increases set to zero, the remaining $15,000 takes 60 months, or five years.
At $300 a month, the same gap takes 50 months. That ten-month difference comes from the contribution alone, without assuming better investment performance.
The maximum projection period limits how far ahead the calculator looks. A result that does not reach the target within that period is not a prediction that you will never reach it. Extend the period or change one assumption at a time.
A today's-dollar goal grows with the inflation assumption; a future-dollar goal stays fixed. If you compare two timelines, keep that choice, contribution timing and tax treatment the same. Real investment returns fluctuate, so revisit the estimate using your actual balance rather than relying on the original date.
