Retirement Strategy Calculator

A full-picture model of an early-retirement, Roth-conversion, and Social-Security plan — designed to keep all three of your accounts compounding while paying the least tax legally possible. Enter your own numbers below and hit Calculate.

👤 Your Information

All fields are yours to fill in — nothing is stored or sent anywhere; everything runs in your browser.

Full name iOptional — just personalizes the summary. Leave blank if you prefer. Date of birth iClick the calendar icon to pick a date — no typing needed. This auto-fills your current age and sets your RMD age (73 if born 1951–1959, 75 if born 1960 or later). Current age iAuto-filled from your date of birth, or type it directly.

Planned retirement age iWhen you stop working and begin living off your brokerage account. This also starts your Roth-conversion window. Social Security claim age iSlide up or down. Each year you wait raises your monthly check — about 8% per year past Full Retirement Age — and keeps taxable income low so you can convert more IRA money at 22%.

Claiming at age 67 → $0/mo ($0/yr)

Project through age iHow far out to run the projection. Life-expectancy planning is personal — extend it to stress-test longevity.

Your Social Security estimates

Copy these straight from your statement at ssa.gov/myaccount — the SSA shows your monthly benefit at 62, at Full Retirement Age (67), and at 70. The tool interpolates the ages in between.

Monthly benefit at 62 iYour reduced benefit if you claim at the earliest possible age, 62. Roughly 70% of your full benefit.

Monthly benefit at 67 — Full Retirement Age iYour Full Retirement Age benefit (age 67 for anyone born 1960 or later). This is the anchor figure the SSA highlights.

Monthly benefit at 70 iYour maximum benefit from delaying to 70 — roughly 124% of your Full Retirement Age amount thanks to delayed retirement credits. Benefits do not grow after 70.

💰 Account Balances & Contributions

Enter today's balance and how much you'll add each year until you retire. Retirement-account contributions are pre-filled with the 2026 IRS maximum for your age.

📈 Taxable Brokerage iAlready-taxed money. Withdrawals are a tax-free return of your original cost; only the gains are taxed at long-term capital-gains rates (0% or 15%). This is your bridge income before 59½. VOO / FXAIX / S&P 500 index funds live here.

Current balance

Added per year iExtra money you invest here each working year until retirement. No IRS limit — you can contribute as much as you want to a taxable brokerage account.

No IRS limit

🌱 Roth IRA iThe crown jewel. Grows and is withdrawn 100% tax-free after 59½, has no Required Minimum Distributions, and passes to heirs tax-free. The whole point of conversions is to move money into here and let it compound untouched.

Current balance

Added per year i2026 IRS limit: $7,500, or $8,600 if you're 50 or older (includes the $1,100 catch-up). Auto-filled from your age. Important: this limit is SHARED across all your IRAs — Roth and Traditional combined.

2026 max: $8,600 (50+)

🏦 Traditional IRA iPre-tax money — every dollar (and all its growth) is taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn, and forced out via RMDs. Left alone it becomes a growing 'tax bomb.' Converting chunks to Roth at 22% now defuses it.

Current balance

Added per year iContributions to a Traditional IRA share the SAME annual limit as your Roth IRA — $7,500 total, or $8,600 if 50+. If you're already maxing the Roth, this should be $0. Most people doing Roth conversions leave this at $0 to avoid adding to the balance they're trying to shrink.

Shares the IRA limit with Roth

🌍 Retirement Destination

Where you retire drives your cost of living — and whether this plan is more than enough. Pick a country, then a city.

Country iChoose the country you plan to retire in. Cities and a benchmark budget will populate automatically. City / area iChoose a specific city — costs vary a lot within a country. Each city carries its own benchmark budget and highlights. Benchmark annual cost of living iA published 2026 ballpark for a COMFORTABLE single-person lifestyle — housing, food, healthcare, transport, and entertainment included. This is a fixed benchmark and can't be edited, so comparisons between cities stay consistent. A couple typically runs about 30–40% higher.

Benchmark — not editable

🎚️ Strategy Levers

The knobs that shape the plan. Adjust anything and re-calculate to see the tradeoffs instantly.

Phase 1 withdrawal % iThe classic '4% rule' safe-withdrawal rate, applied to your brokerage balance AT RETIREMENT (not today's balance). This is your income bridge until 59½. Phase 2 withdrawal % iAn OPTIONAL second income stream you can switch on at 59½, once retirement accounts are penalty-free. If your destination is inexpensive you may not need it — leaving it low means more money keeps compounding. Phase 2 source iWhere the extra 59½ income comes from. Traditional IRA (recommended): the withdrawal is ordinary income that uses 22%-bracket space you'd otherwise convert — it draws the tax bomb down either way AND keeps your Roth growing tax-free. Roth: tax-free cash, but drains the account you worked hardest to build.

Recommended: Traditional IRA

Tax filing status iDramatically changes conversion headroom. Married Filing Jointly doubles the 22%-bracket ceiling ($211,400 vs $105,700) and the standard deduction — so you can convert roughly twice as much per year at the same low rate.

Annual return assumption iS&P 500 / VOO / FXAIX long-run average is ~10% nominal (before inflation) and ~7% real (after ~3% inflation). Nominal shows bigger headline dollars; real shows today's purchasing power.

Custom return % iOverride the preset. This blended annual growth applies to every account. In 'real' mode Social Security COLA is turned off so all figures stay in today's dollars. Spouse income / yr (MFJ only) iYour spouse's expected annual ordinary income. It stacks on top of your income and eats into the same 22% bracket, reducing how much you can convert each year. Only applies when filing Married Jointly.

$0 = spouse not working

Spouse income starts at your age iThe age (of you) from which a working spouse's income begins. Before this age it's treated as $0.

On-the-fly toggles

Do Roth conversions iFill your 22% bracket each year by converting Traditional IRA → Roth. Turn off to see the 'do nothing' baseline and the RMD tax bomb it creates. Keep converting after SS starts iAfter Social Security begins, part of the 22% bracket is used by your benefits, so conversions automatically shrink. Uncheck to stop conversions entirely once SS starts. Reinvest surplus income (SS + RMDs) iIf you don't spend all your Social Security or forced RMDs, this rolls the surplus (net of tax) back into the brokerage so it keeps compounding instead of sitting in cash. Pay conversion tax from brokerage iBest practice: pay the tax on conversions with taxable brokerage money, not the IRA itself, so 100% of the converted amount lands in the Roth and compounds tax-free.

Conversion window ends at age iThe last year you'll convert. Conversions are still legal after RMDs begin, but far less attractive because the RMD already fills your low brackets — so most plans wind them down just before RMD age. RMD start age iSECURE 2.0: age 73 if born 1951–1959, age 75 if born 1960 or later. Auto-set from your date of birth. RMDs are forced taxable withdrawals from the Traditional IRA. Brokerage cost-basis % iOf each brokerage withdrawal, the portion that is your original invested money (tax-free to withdraw). The rest is gain, taxed at long-term capital-gains rates. 65% basis = 35% gain is reasonable for a long-held index position. Social Security COLA % iCost-of-living raise applied to your benefit each year after you claim (nominal mode only). Historically ~2.5%. Set to 0 to hold the benefit flat.

📊 Your Plan at a Glance

Phase 1 income at retirement iYour chosen % of the brokerage balance in your FIRST RETIREMENT YEAR — after it has grown from today until then. This is your living-expenses bridge before 59½.

Max 22% Roth conversion / yr iThe most you can move from Traditional IRA to Roth in a gap year while staying inside the 22% bracket, assuming little other income = top of 22% bracket + standard deduction.

Social Security at claim age iYour monthly benefit at the claim age you selected. Delaying keeps taxable income low during prime conversion years and grows the check ~8%/yr past 67.

Total converted to Roth iCumulative Traditional IRA dollars moved to tax-free Roth across your whole conversion window — the size of the tax bomb you defuse.

Brokerage @ end iProjected balance at your final projection age.

Roth @ end iTax-free and RMD-free at the end of the projection — money your heirs also inherit tax-free.

Traditional IRA @ end iWhat remains pre-tax and still subject to income tax on withdrawal. Lower is generally better for tax efficiency.

Total net worth @ end iSum of all three accounts. Watch it keep growing across retirement — the goal.

🌍 Destination & Cost of Living iCompares the income this plan produces against the benchmark cost of living where you plan to retire, then shows which other destinations also fit your budget.

Destinations within your budget

Ranked by cost, with what each place is known for. Compared against your Phase-1 retirement income.

Destination iCity and country. Benchmark budgets assume a comfortable single-person lifestyle including housing and healthcare.	Annual iEstimated all-in yearly cost for one person, 2026 ballpark.	Monthly iThe same benchmark divided by twelve.	Fits budget? iCompares the benchmark against your Phase-1 retirement income. Comfortable = income is at least 15% above cost. Tight = within 15%. Over budget = costs exceed your Phase-1 income (Social Security later may still close the gap).	Known for iThe main draws of each destination — climate, safety, healthcare, food, culture, expat community, and cost.

Ballpark 2026 estimates for a comfortable single-person lifestyle including housing and healthcare; a couple typically runs ~30–40% higher. Your own budget will vary with neighborhood and lifestyle.

📈 Balances Over Time iHover any point to see the exact balance of each account at that age and year. Click a legend item to toggle its line.

Hover any age to read all account balances for that year.

Brokerage Roth IRA Traditional IRA Total net worth

📊 Annual Roth Conversions iHow much Traditional IRA money moves to tax-free Roth each year. Bars are tallest in the gap years (retirement → Social Security) when taxable income is lowest, then shrink as SS and RMDs use up your 22% room. The shaded band marks when RMDs begin.

Each bar = one year's IRA→Roth conversion, sized to fill your 22% bracket. Hover for the exact amount.

💵 Retirement Income Sources by Age iStacked bars show where your spendable cash comes from each year: brokerage withdrawals early, then Social Security at your claim age, then Required Minimum Distributions stacking on from your RMD age.

Portfolio income first, then Social Security, then SS + RMDs. Hover for details.

Brokerage withdrawal Phase 2 (59½+) Spouse income Social Security RMD

Brokerage withdrawals keep flowing alongside Social Security unless you set Phase 1 to 0%. With reinvest-surplus on, SS/RMD bars represent income received, not necessarily spent.

🔎 Social Security — When to Claim iYour benefit at each age from the estimates you entered. Delaying raises the check ~8%/yr past Full Retirement Age and frees up 22%-bracket room for bigger conversions in the gap years.

Claim age	Monthly	Annual	vs. FRA (67)

📋 Year-by-Year Detail iThe full annual ledger behind the charts. Every column has its own info bubble. Rows are color-coded by phase.

Color key: ■ Working ■ Phase 1 (brokerage) ■ Phase 2 (+59½) ■ Social Security on

Age / Year iYour age that calendar year and the year itself. Milestones: retirement, 59½ (penalty-free), SS claim, and your RMD age.	Phase iWhich stage of the plan: Working, Phase 1 (brokerage-only income), Phase 2 (optional +income at 59½), and whether Social Security is flowing.	Brokerage iEnd-of-year taxable balance after withdrawals, any reinvested surplus, taxes paid, and growth.	Roth IRA iEnd-of-year Roth balance after contributions, conversions in, any Phase-2 withdrawals, and growth. Tax-free.	Trad. IRA iEnd-of-year pre-tax balance after contributions, conversions out, withdrawals, RMDs, and growth.	Total iCombined net worth across all three accounts at year end.	Brokerage w/d iPhase 1 spending pulled from the brokerage that year (your % × that year's balance).	Roth conv. iTraditional IRA dollars converted to Roth this year, sized to fill the 22% bracket.	RMD iRequired Minimum Distribution — forced taxable withdrawal from the Traditional IRA, starting at your RMD age. Reinvested to brokerage if not needed.	SS income iGross Social Security benefit received that year (with COLA in nominal mode).	Est. tax iApprox. federal tax that year: ordinary tax on conversions/IRA withdrawals/RMDs/85% of SS/spouse income, plus long-term capital-gains tax on the gain portion of brokerage withdrawals. State and foreign taxes not modeled.

Educational model only — not tax, legal, or investment advice. This calculator uses 2026 U.S. federal tax law (post-OBBBA) and simplifying assumptions: it applies growth once per year, approximates federal tax only (no state or foreign tax), treats 85% of Social Security as taxable, and holds tax brackets at 2026 levels. Cost-of-living figures are published third-party benchmarks and will vary by neighborhood and lifestyle. Real markets and tax law change. Consult a qualified CPA and/or CFP before acting on any of these numbers.