Sequence matters
An average return isn't what you get. A bad first few years of retirement does more damage than the same years later, and no average-return calculator shows that.
Calculators
Run your numbers. Then let's talk.
Four quick tools for the questions I hear most. They use simplified assumptions and they can't see your whole picture, but they're a good place to start an honest conversation. Nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.
01 / Retirement readiness
Will your money last?
Estimate what your savings could grow to, and how long that could support the retirement income you want.
—
Projected savings at retirement
—
Money projected to last
Enter your numbers and press Calculate.
Projected balance by age. The dashed line marks your retirement age. Your income need grows with inflation. Returns are hypothetical and compounded monthly.
02 / Built for short earning windows
Short career, long life.
A professional athlete's earning window is often shorter than a decade. So is a founder's run-up to an exit. This works backward from that: what a few peak years, invested, could support for the rest of a long life.
—
Invested by the end of your peak years
—
Annual income it could support, today's dollars
Enter your numbers and press Calculate.
Income is shown in today's dollars and assumed to rise with inflation, so the purchasing power stays level. The balance is drawn down to zero exactly at your plan-through age. This ignores taxes, Social Security, and any income you earn after the peak years, all of which change the answer.
03 / Contracts, NIL, and exits
The big year.
A signing bonus, an NIL deal, or a business sale arrives as one number. Very little of it is spendable. This splits it into what goes to taxes, what goes to the people who represent you, what you actually enjoy, and what goes to work.
—
Left to invest after taxes, fees, and spending
—
What that could become
Enter your numbers and press Calculate.
A marginal rate applied to the whole amount is a planning estimate, not a tax return. Real answers depend on your bracket, your state, the deal structure, and timing. Talk to your CPA before you move money.
04 / Pay tax now or later
Does a Roth conversion make sense?
Converting traditional retirement dollars to a Roth means paying tax now in exchange for tax-free growth later. Whether that trade works usually comes down to your tax rate today versus your rate when you withdraw.
—
Estimated tax due at conversion
—
Difference after all taxes
Enter your numbers and press Compare.
Estimated after-tax value of these dollars when withdrawn.
Before you act on any of this
What a calculator can't decide for you.
The math is the easy part. These are the details that change the answer, and where a conversation earns its keep.
Bracket room this year
A low-income year after a sale, or before a contract kicks in, is often the cheapest tax year you will ever have. Those windows are easy to miss and hard to get back.
Where the money lives
Two people with identical balances can keep very different amounts, depending on which accounts hold what. Asset location is quiet and it compounds.
The parts you can't model
An injury, a buyer walking, a family need. Planning is mostly about staying solvent and calm when one of those lands.
Start a conversation
Want to run your real numbers?
These tools use simplified assumptions. I'll model your actual accounts, brackets, and timeline, then give you a straight answer about what it means.
These calculators are hypothetical illustrations for educational purposes only. They use simplified assumptions, do not represent the performance of any specific investment, and do not account for all fees, taxes, or your individual circumstances. They are not tax, legal, or investment advice, and results are not a guarantee of future outcomes.
Rates of return are hypothetical and are not indicative of any actual investment. Actual results will vary. Please consult a qualified tax professional before making a Roth conversion decision, and an attorney for legal or estate questions. No information entered on this page is stored, transmitted, or seen by anyone.