Writing the function body

In functional programming, we avoid mutating variables. In an imperative language, you would typically implement nbOfMonthsSaving by using a while loop. It is also possible to do so in Scala, but it is a better practice to only use immutable variables. One way of solving this problem is to use recursion:

def nbOfMonthsSaving(interestRate: Double, nbOfMonthsInRetirement: Int,
                     netIncome: Int, currentExpenses: Int, initialCapital: Double): Int = {
  def loop(months: Int): Int = {
    val (capitalAtRetirement, capitalAfterDeath) = simulatePlan(
      interestRate = interestRate,
      nbOfMonthsSaving = months, nbOfMonthsInRetirement = 
      nbOfMonthsInRetirement,
      netIncome = netIncome, currentExpenses = currentExpenses,
      initialCapital = initialCapital)

    val returnValue =
      if (capitalAfterDeath > 0.0)
        months
      else
        loop(months + 1)
    returnValue
  }
  loop(0)
}

We declare the recursive function inside the body of the function, as it is not meant to be used anywhere else. The loop function increments months by 1 until the calculated capitalAfterDeath is positive. The loop function is initiated in the body of nbMonthsSaving with months = 0. Note that IntelliJ highlights the fact that the loop function is recursive with a kind of @ sign.

Now, we can run our unit test again, and it should pass. However, we are not quite done yet. What happens if you can never reach a month that would satisfy the condition capitalAfterDeath > 0.0? Let's find out by writing another test.