The bare essentials only: your account balances, your spending, your Social Security, and whether the money lasts. No pensions, no QLACs, no tax strategy, just a quick check. Want to model RMDs, QCDs, market shocks, or a survivor scenario specifically? Use the full Tool instead; it uses the same calculations behind the scenes, but with more real-life assumptions and variables you can control.
Age today, and the age you want the plan to run through.
What it isEquity, core bond, short-term bond, TIPS, cash, and Roth — the buckets your retirement balance gets divided into. This covers any account subject to RMDs, not just a traditional IRA: 401(k), 403(b), and similar employer plans all belong here too. Roth covers a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) alike.
Use this ifAlways — this is the foundation every other number in this check is built on.
Your traditional retirement accounts, split across five buckets, plus anything you hold in Roth. Combined household total if married.
What it isHow much you plan to spend each year in today's dollars, how much Social Security already covers, and whether you file taxes as single or married filing jointly, since the two use different brackets and thresholds.
Use this ifAlways — required for every scenario. This figure grows automatically with the inflation rate you set, so enter today's number in today's dollars.
How much you plan to spend each year, in today's dollars, and how much Social Security already covers.
What it isAdd a second person to the plan: their own current age, their own Social Security amount, and the age it starts. Required Minimum Distributions are based on each person's own age, so a younger second spouse can meaningfully reduce how much has to come out early on.
Use this ifYou're married and Spouse 2 is a different age than Spouse 1, or has their own separate Social Security benefit. For splitting the account balance by percentage, modeling one spouse predeceasing the other, or other finer controls, that level of detail is in the full Tool.
What it isThe annual return you expect from each part of your portfolio — a single flat average return, not a market simulation. Moderate and Conservative presets give reasonable starting points and set every bucket at once.
Use this ifAlways — every scenario needs one of these. Want to set each bucket's return individually instead? That level of control is in the full Tool.
Expected annual return for each asset class. Pick a preset, that's it, this covers every bucket above.
What it isTwo optional additions: a modeled bad stretch of markets partway through retirement, similar to 2022–2023, and a Monte Carlo simulation showing a range of possible outcomes instead of just one projection.
Use this ifYou want to see how your plan holds up under real market stress, or you want the odds your money lasts, not just a single answer.
Both optional, and both off by default.