Retirement planning collection

Start with the retirement decision in front of you.

A plain-English path from today’s saving gap and workplace benefits to long-range targets, pension elections, Social Security claiming, Medicare premiums, and retirement distributions.

1. Ask whether the current plan supports the spending goal

Begin with today’s balance, sustainable contributions, retirement age, spending, recurring income, inflation, return, and withdrawal assumptions. The result is a scenario to stress-test, not a promise.

Retirement Savings CalculatorConnect current age, retirement age, savings, contributions, spending, other income, inflation, return, and a starting withdrawal rate.

2. Understand the contribution decision

Separate money contributed by the worker, money contributed by the employer, current tax treatment, future tax assumptions, fees, and growth. Read the actual plan rules before assuming a common match formula applies. For ordinary tax, gains, self-employment tax, and payment questions, use the 2026 tax calculator collection.

401(k) Employer Match CalculatorModel employee contributions, an entered match formula, salary growth, fees, and investment growth without calling the match an investment return. 2026 401(k) Contribution Limit CalculatorCombine pre-tax and Roth employee deferrals, apply the correct age-based catch-up, compensation ceiling, and Roth catch-up wage status. Roth vs. Traditional 401(k) CalculatorCompare equal contributions and equal take-home-pay cost while keeping current and retirement tax-rate assumptions visible. 2026 Saver’s Credit CalculatorApply the 50%, 20%, or 10% rate after checking contributor eligibility, AGI, qualifying contributions, and recent distributions. 2026 Federal Income Tax Bracket CalculatorInspect ordinary federal tax by filing status, taxable-income band, marginal rate, and effective rate before using a tax assumption in an account comparison. 2026 Long-Term Capital Gains Tax CalculatorSee how eligible qualified dividends and long-term gains stack above ordinary income across the 0%, 15%, and 20% bands. 2026 Roth IRA Contribution Limit CalculatorApply the shared annual IRA limit, compensation, modified-AGI phase-out, and contributions already assigned to one person. 2026 Traditional IRA Deduction CalculatorEstimate the deductible amount after workplace coverage, filing status, Traditional IRA modified AGI, compensation, and shared IRA room. 2026 HSA Contribution Limit CalculatorCalculate one HSA owner’s standard monthly-method room after coverage, age-55 catch-up, employer deposits, and other contributions. 2026 HSA vs. FSA Decision GuideKeep health-plan selection, current medical cash flow, HSA ownership, health FSA forfeiture, and later-life account use in one defensible decision order.

3. Test the long-range target and its purchasing power

Use today’s dollars consistently. Run lower-return, higher-inflation, and lower-withdrawal-rate cases before relying on a date or target.

Coast FIRE CalculatorEstimate the balance needed today to grow toward an entered future spending target without additional contributions. FIRE CalculatorTranslate annual spending and a withdrawal assumption into a target, then model progress using real growth. Inflation CalculatorCompare future equivalent cost with the purchasing power remaining in today’s dollars.

4. Treat retirement income and distributions as a different phase

An enhanced senior deduction, Social Security claiming comparison, work-related withholding, taxable benefits, a pension election, a Medicare income adjustment, a legal minimum, a chosen monthly withdrawal, and an investment return are different questions. Use current official estimates or statements and the tool that matches the actual decision.

2026 Enhanced Senior Deduction CalculatorCheck the return, age, valid-SSN, and Schedule 1-A MAGI rules before applying the $6,000-per-person amount and 6% phaseout. Social Security Break-Even CalculatorCompare two retirement benefit estimates from the same SSA record without confusing a cash crossover with a recommended claiming age. 2026 Social Security Earnings Test CalculatorFollow the beneficiary’s age path, isolate countable work earnings, and stop safely when an annual estimate does not fit. 2026 Social Security Taxable Benefits CalculatorEstimate how much of expected benefits enters federal income under the general IRS worksheet—not the tax owed on those benefits. Pension Lump Sum vs. Annuity CalculatorCompare two matched pension offers with a cash crossover, same-age totals, COLA, present value, and explicit survivor-term limits. 2026 Medicare IRMAA CalculatorCopy Form 1040 line 11 and line 2a, choose the exact filing-status table, and separate Part B totals from Part D add-ons. 2026 RMD CalculatorCalculate a confirmed standard original-owner RMD from the December 31, 2025 balance, IRS Uniform Lifetime Table, and distributions already counted. SWP CalculatorModel a user-selected monthly withdrawal, annual increase, return assumption, balance path, and possible depletion. Investment Return CalculatorSeparate deposits from gain and calculate ROI or CAGR when the inputs support it.

5. Connect the calculations before acting

Use the guides to connect individual calculations with benefit terms, taxes, household needs, and uncertainty.

When to Claim Social Security GuideConnect personal SSA estimates, break-even math, work rules, Medicare timing, taxes, spouse and survivor questions, and uncertainty. Pension Lump Sum vs. Annuity GuideCompare benefit forms, present value, COLA, essential income, taxes, rollovers, plan protection, health, and household risk. 2026 Medicare IRMAA GuideConnect the tax return, filing status, per-beneficiary brackets, Part B and Part D costs, and SSA correction or SSA-44 routes. 2026 Senior Tax Planning GuideKeep the standard and enhanced deductions, taxable Social Security, RMDs, gains, withholding, and Medicare MAGI in the correct return order. Debt Payoff, 401(k) Match, and FIRE GuideFollow the planning path from monthly cash flow and debt cost through account contributions, real returns, targets, and retirement distributions.

Choose the calculator by question, not by the biggest number

A retirement savings gap is not an RMD. An employer match is not a market return. A pension cash crossover is not a payout recommendation. A Medicare IRMAA bracket is not a complete plan premium. A FIRE target is not a guaranteed safe withdrawal amount. Keeping these questions separate makes each result easier to understand and harder to misuse.

Carry verified values forward: actual balances from dated statements, a contribution the budget can support, plan rules from current documents, and spending expressed in consistent dollars. When a calculator asks for a return, inflation rate, tax rate, or withdrawal rate, rerun it with less favorable assumptions rather than optimizing a single answer.

These tools provide general educational arithmetic, not investment, retirement, tax, legal, benefits, or financial advice. Laws, account rules, plan documents, taxes, market outcomes, inflation, fees, income, spending, health, and longevity vary. Verify current official requirements and consider qualified professional guidance before acting.