Comprehensive pension calculator

Hi guys,

I've started doing some investigation on how much I need to be saving in my pension for retirement. Im 30 now and having being getting a 4% contribution from my employer and also adding a 4% AVC for the past 6 years. I've been to the pensions calculator on the pensionboard's website and based on my specific circumstances it indicated that I need to save 20% of my salary if I want to retire with a pension of 66.66% of my final salary.

What Im looking for now is something more comprehensive that allows me to understand how the pensionsboard calculator comes up with that 20%. I found a site http://www.retireearlyhomepage.com/software.html that has an extremely complete excel application, it requires me to fill in 23 input parameters e.g. inflation rate, % salary increase p.a, % investment return p.a., ratio of living expenses in retirement to current living expenses etc.
However the calculator is really specific to the U.S. as it includes US taxation rates, IRA contributions etc.

What Im wondering is if anybody seen something similar which would be specific to Ireland?


I could make a stab at changing the US one but it could take me a significant amount of time.

Cheers,
Warren

Okay folks no luck on the pension calculator. Professional QFA's will have such a tool as Im sure they pay somebody for a product that allows them to crunch the figures.

So if such a calculator isnt available to Joe Public how do you work out how much you need to fund your pension and what its potential value will be?
1. Go to a QFA and take their advice
2. Use the pensions board calculator and just go with the % it indicates
3. Take some advise from your pension administrators on a ball park return for a certain contribution
4 Others?

There are a few pension calculations listed here if I recall correctly.