Perpetual Care Fund Calculator

Fund target from maintenance budget and interest.

Cemetery acreage

Maintenance cost per acre ($/yr)

Expected investment return %

Safe withdrawal rate %

Current fund balance ($)

Annual contribution ($)

Inflation rate %

Tab to move between fields

Perpetual fund target ($)

$200,000.00

≈ 13 used cars

Funding gap ($)

$100,000.00

≈ 9 years of state college

Annual maintenance needed ($)$8,000.00

Funded %50%

Current investment income ($)$5,000.00

Safe annual withdrawal ($)$4,000.00

Annual shortfall ($)$4,000.00

Years to reach target4

10-year projected balance ($)$376,714.00

How to Use This Calculator

Enter cemetery acreage and annual maintenance cost per acre.
Set expected investment return (%), safe withdrawal rate (%), current fund balance, and annual contribution.
Enter inflation rate (%).
Review Perpetual Fund Target, Funding Gap, Funded (%), and Current Annual Investment Income.
Aim to fully fund the perpetual care target before the cemetery reaches capacity.

How the result changes with Safe withdrawal rate %

Cemetery acreage: Total maintained cemetery acreage.
Maintenance cost per acre ($/yr): Annual per-acre maintenance cost (mowing, landscaping, roads, etc.).
Expected investment return %: Expected annual return on endowment investments.
Safe withdrawal rate %: Annual withdrawal rate from endowment (3-5% is standard).
Current fund balance ($): Current perpetual care fund balance.
Annual contribution ($): Annual new money added to the fund from plot sale set-asides.
Inflation rate %: Expected annual inflation rate for real-return calculation.

Annual maintenance needed ($): Total yearly maintenance budget for the cemetery.
Perpetual fund target ($): Endowment balance needed to fund maintenance forever at the safe withdrawal rate.
Funding gap ($): Additional money needed to reach the perpetual care target.
Funded %: Current fund balance as a percentage of the target.
Current investment income ($): Annual income from current fund at expected return rate.
Safe annual withdrawal ($): Sustainable annual withdrawal from current balance.
Annual shortfall ($): Gap between maintenance budget and sustainable withdrawal.
Years to reach target: Estimated years to reach full funding (-1 if unreachable).
10-year projected balance ($): Fund balance in 10 years with contributions, returns, and withdrawals.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Cemetery acreage = 20, Maintenance cost per acre ($/yr) = 400, Expected investment return % = 5, Safe withdrawal rate % = 4 = 7 input(s) provided
Calculate Perpetual fund target
Perpetual fund target = annualMaintenanceBudget / (withdrawalRatePct / 100)
200000 = $200,000
Calculate Funding gap
Funding gap
100000 = $100,000
Calculate Annual maintenance needed
Annual maintenance needed = totalAcreage * maintenanceCostPerAcre
8000 = $8,000
Calculate Funded %
50 = 50%