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Retirement Calculators

12 tools covering both halves of retirement: building the pot and spending it down.

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Retirement planning has two distinct phases with almost nothing in common. Accumulation is about contribution rates, employer matching, and account type. Decumulation is about withdrawal rates, sequence-of-returns risk, and IRS rules that carry real penalties if you get them wrong.

The distribution tools use current IRS tables — the Uniform Lifetime Table for RMDs, the SECURE Act 10-year rule for inherited IRAs, and the approved 72(t) methods for penalty-free early withdrawals. These rules changed materially in recent years, so older guidance you find elsewhere may be out of date.

013 tools

Building the pot

Employer matching is the highest guaranteed return available anywhere — a 50% match is an instant 50% gain before any market movement. Capture it before optimising anything else.

023 tools

Deciding when you can stop

The 4% rule is a starting point, not a law. Sequence-of-returns risk means the order returns arrive matters as much as the average — a bad first five years does far more damage than the same years later.

032 tools

Required distributions

RMDs begin at 73 for most people and carry a penalty for underpayment. Inherited IRAs follow separate SECURE Act rules that depend on when the original owner died and your relationship to them.

043 tools

Tax strategy and early access

The years between retiring and claiming Social Security are often a low-income window where Roth conversions cost less tax than they will later. 72(t) SEPP allows penalty-free withdrawals before 59½ but locks you into a fixed schedule.

051 tool

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Common questions

Short answers to what people ask most before picking a tool.

Is the 4% rule still safe?
It came from the Trinity Study, which tested historical 30-year US retirement periods and found 4% initial withdrawal with inflation adjustment rarely depleted a balanced portfolio. Critics point out that it assumes US historical returns and a fixed 30-year horizon; longer retirements or lower forward-looking returns argue for 3.3–3.5%. The safe withdrawal rate calculator lets you test different rates against your own horizon.
When do I have to start taking RMDs?
Age 73 for most people under current rules, rising to 75 for those born in 1960 or later. Your first RMD can be delayed to April 1 of the following year, but doing so means taking two distributions in one tax year — which can push you into a higher bracket. The RMD calculator uses the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table.
Should I do a Roth conversion?
It makes sense when your current marginal rate is lower than the rate you expect in retirement — commonly in the gap years between stopping work and starting RMDs or Social Security. The conversion is taxable in the year you do it, so the question is whether paying now at a known rate beats paying later at an unknown one. Watch the effect on Medicare IRMAA thresholds.
Can I access retirement money before 59½ without a penalty?
Yes, through a 72(t) SEPP — substantially equal periodic payments. You commit to a fixed withdrawal schedule for five years or until you turn 59½, whichever is longer, and breaking it retroactively applies penalties to every withdrawal. It's a real option but an inflexible one, so model it before committing.

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