Retirement Scenarios
Real-world walkthroughs · Numbers that make sense · Calculators for your situation
Generic retirement advice doesn't work for everyone. These scenarios walk through specific, real-world situations with detailed analysis — so you can see how the decisions and trade-offs play out for someone in a similar position.
Retiring at 60
You're 52 with $750,000 saved. Can you retire at 60? We walk through portfolio projections, healthcare costs before Medicare, the SS penalty for early claiming, and how sequence risk plays out over a 35-year horizon.
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PensionPension vs. Lump Sum Decision
Your employer offers $3,200/month for life — or a $580,000 lump sum. We analyze the break-even age, tax treatment, spousal survivor benefit, PBGC risk, and investment return assumptions to find which wins.
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FIREEarly Retirement (FIRE)
A couple at 38 has $850,000 and spends $55,000/year. Will they run out of money? We stress-test 40 years of withdrawals, model healthcare before Medicare, the Roth conversion ladder bridge, and worst-case market scenarios.
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Tax StrategyStrategic Roth Conversion
Retired at 62 with $1.2M in traditional IRAs and low income. We model a 7-year conversion ladder to fill the 12% bracket, reduce future RMDs, lower Medicare premiums, and maximize inheritance for heirs.
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InflationBuilding an Inflation-Proof Retirement
After a decade of near-zero inflation, prices surged 20% in 3 years. How does a retiree protect their purchasing power with TIPS, I-bonds, SS COLA, and dynamic withdrawal strategies?
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Risk ManagementSurviving a Market Downturn
You retired in early 2022 with $1M. By October, your portfolio was down 25%. Do you panic? Reduce spending? Sell bonds? We replay the sequence-of-returns math and show the five-move playbook for riding it out.
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Sequence Risk35% Market Crash at Retirement
What if the market drops 35% in your first year of retirement? We model the portfolio damage, test four defensive responses (spending cuts, cash buffer, bond tent), and compare outcomes at age 90.
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Inflation8% Inflation in Years 1–3 of Retirement
A retired couple hits an inflationary surge right after they stop working. We model the real purchasing-power loss, evaluate TIPS and I-bonds as hedges, and show which spending flexes make the biggest difference.
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Social SecurityRetire at 62, Claim SS at 70
Retiring at 62 but delaying Social Security until 70 maximizes your benefit — but you need 8 years of bridge income. We model how to fund the gap with IRA withdrawals and Roth conversions without triggering high taxes.
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HealthcareRetiring Before 65: The Medicare Gap
Unsubsidized coverage runs about $15,000–$20,000/year all-in for a single retiree before Medicare. We compare ACA marketplace subsidies vs. COBRA, model income management to stay under the 400% FPL cliff, and show how to bridge to age 65.
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Phased RetirementSemi-Retiring: $30K/Year Income Bridge
Working part-time at $30K/year before fully retiring can dramatically change your portfolio outcome. We compare full retirement at 58 vs. seven years of semi-retirement (ages 58–65) — the gap in final wealth is surprising.
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Tax StrategyTax-Tiering Strategy 2026
The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act made 2026 brackets permanent at 10/12/22/24/32/35/37% — no post-TCJA rate hike happened. For a retiree with $800K in a traditional IRA, tax-tiered withdrawals still matter for managing RMDs and lifetime taxes.
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TimingRetire at 62 vs. 67: Full Comparison
Five extra working years means more savings, higher Social Security, and less portfolio depletion time. We run the full numbers — including healthcare, SS timing, and investment returns — and find the crossover age.
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PensionPension vs. Lump Sum for a Long Life
$3,200/month for life vs. a $580,000 lump sum — which puts more money in your pocket if you expect a long retirement? We model the break-even age, investment returns, survivor benefits, and pension-fund health out to age 90.
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CompareCompare Two Scenarios ↑ Interactive
Enter any two retirement scenarios side-by-side — different retirement ages, spending levels, SS timing, or return assumptions — and instantly compare portfolio survival, final balance, and withdrawal rate.
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Jump directly into the calculator pre-loaded with a specific situation. Explore forced distributions and proactive tax strategies side by side.
All-in pretax — RMD forces big income
Age 65, $2.2M in pre-tax 401(k). When RMDs start at 73 the IRS forces $80k+ in taxable income on top of spending needs.
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Roth IRA reduces RMD tax exposure
Age 62, $1.5M pretax + $200k Roth. RMDs at 73 are softened — Roth withdrawals shift income tax-free and reduce your lifetime tax bill.
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SECURE 2.0 — RMD delayed to age 75
$1M split between pretax and Roth, with required distributions modeled to begin at 75 instead of 73 — the SECURE 2.0 age for anyone born in 1960 or later. See how a later RMD start leaves more room for tax-free growth and Roth conversions.
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Fill the Roth bucket before SS starts
Age 55, retiring at 62 with $700k. Fill-to-22%-bracket in the 5-year pre-SS window to build tax-free assets ahead of future RMDs.
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$50k/yr Roth conversion to shrink future RMDs
Age 58, $800k all-pretax. Convert $50k/yr from retirement through 70 to build a Roth balance and keep future RMDs manageable.
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Convert now, let RMDs start later
Age 62, $1.48M mostly pretax. Fill-to-24%-bracket conversions from retirement through 72, then RMDs take over at 73 with a smaller pretax balance.
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Run the numbers for your situation
Each scenario links to the relevant calculators. Or start directly with one below.