The Wealth Visionnaireยฎ
Financial Freedom Calculator
What does retirement
look like for you?
look like for you?
Enter everything in today's dollars โ housing and basic costs are inflated to your retirement date automatically.
✦ Clarity Corner
Two paths — and both are valid
One of the most impactful decisions in retirement planning is what happens with your home. Here is how to think about your two choices:
- Stay in your current home: If your mortgage will be paid off, that removes one of your biggest monthly expenses — and is worth reflecting on. If you will still be paying, enter your expected payment at retirement. Either way, we estimate annual maintenance at 2% of your home value (you can override this).
- Downsize or move: This can be a powerful financial move. A smaller home typically means lower mortgage or rent, lower taxes, lower insurance, and lower repair costs. The equity from selling your current home can also fund a portion of retirement (model that in the Real Estate step).
💡 Your primary home is not counted as a retirement asset here. If you plan to sell it and use the proceeds, add it as a property in Step 5 (Real Estate). The housing section is purely about your ongoing living costs in retirement.
Housing in Retirement
✓ Great news — no mortgage payment in retirement. Monthly mortgage is set to $0.
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$
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Enter your home value above to see the auto-estimate.
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Auto-filled at 2% of home value — the standard planning benchmark. Override with your own number.
✦ Clarity Corner
The life you actually want to live
This is the most personal section — and the one most women underestimate. Retirement does not mean spending less. It means spending differently.
- Travel: Many women find they travel more in their early retirement years — when health and energy are on your side. Plan for that season generously.
- The things that light you up: Horses, grandchildren, the gym, art classes, dinners out. These are not luxuries. They are the whole point.
- Not inflated: Travel and hobbies are entered as annual totals and treated as constant in real terms — you do not need to adjust them for inflation.
Enter what feels true to the life you want — not a cautious version of it. You can always adjust.
Lifestyle & Leisure (Annual โ entered as-is, not inflated)
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$
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✦ Clarity Corner
Healthcare — the number most people wish they had planned for
Nobody loves talking about this, but a little planning here goes a long way.
- Before Medicare at 65: As a self-employed woman, health coverage can run $500–$1,500 per month. It is worth building this into your plan.
- After 65: Medicare helps significantly, but you will still have premiums, supplements, dental, vision, and prescriptions. A realistic budget: $500–$800/month.
- Fidelity research estimates the average retired couple needs around $300,000 for healthcare over their lifetime. That is not to scare you — it is to prepare you.
If you are planning to retire before 65, this is the line item to be most generous with.
Basic Needs (Monthly today's $, inflated to retirement)
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✦ Clarity Corner
Social Security — do not leave this money on the table
Your Social Security benefit is real money — and when you claim it changes everything.
- Get your number: Visit ssa.gov/benefits/calculators for a personalized estimate. It takes about two minutes.
- Timing is powerful: Claiming at 62 permanently reduces your benefit by about 30%. Every year you wait past that grows it. Waiting until 70 gives you the highest possible amount.
- Here is the math: Every $1,000/month in guaranteed income means you need $300,000 less in your investment portfolio at the 4% rule.
This is entered at today's value and is not adjusted for inflation — consistent with how the underlying model is designed.
Income Offsets (entered as today's $, NOT inflated)
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US: estimate at ssa.gov Quick Calculator
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Your timeline
& assumptions
& assumptions
These drive every calculation. Defaults match The Wealth Visionnaireยฎ Excel model.
Location & Timeline
Plan generously
✦ Clarity Corner
Plan for a long, full life
This is the number that determines how long your money needs to work for you — and it deserves some real thought.
- A generation ago, planners used age 85. Today, planning to 95 or 100 is becoming the standard — and for good reason.
- The risk of planning too short is far greater than the risk of planning too long. Running out of money at 88 is not a scenario worth taking chances on.
- If your family tends toward longevity, if you are in good health, or if you simply take care of yourself — lean toward the longer end.
The “extra” years in your plan are not wasted. If you do not need them, you leave a legacy. If you do — you are covered.
✦ Clarity Corner
The numbers that shape your whole picture
You do not need to be a math person to understand this. Here is what each one means in plain terms.
- Portfolio return: How much your investments grow each year on average. The stock market has historically returned around 10% per year over long periods. A balanced mix of stocks and bonds: closer to 6–8%. The calculator defaults to 8% before retirement, 5% after — both reasonable and grounded.
- The 4% rule: Research from 1994 found that withdrawing 4% of your portfolio each year has historically lasted 30 years through nearly every market condition. It is the gold standard for retirement planning.
Withdrawal rate guide: 4% for a 25–30 year retirement · 3.5% for 30–35 years · 3% for 40+ years. The longer your retirement, the more conservative this number should be.
Investment Assumptions
%
Excel default: 8%
%
Excel default: 5%
%
%
4%=25โ30yr ยท 3.5%=30โ35yr ยท 3%=40+yr
✦ Clarity Corner
Where your money sits changes how much you keep
The tax treatment of your accounts determines your real, after-tax retirement income. Enter actual dollar balances — the calculator figures out your blended tax rate automatically.
- Tax-Deferred (IRA, 401k, SEP — US): Every dollar withdrawn is taxed as ordinary income. A $1M balance becomes less once the IRS takes its share.
- Tax-Free (Roth IRA, HSA — US): Withdrawals are completely tax-free. These are your most valuable dollars in retirement — dollar for dollar worth more than a traditional IRA.
- Taxable Brokerage: Capital gains taxed at 15–20% long-term — more tax-efficient than most expect.
Outside the US? The same principle applies everywhere: some accounts are taxed when you withdraw (like Canada's RRSP or the UK's workplace pension), while others grow and withdraw tax-free (Canada's TFSA, UK's ISA). Enter your balances in whichever bucket matches your account type.
Investment Account Balances (today's $)
Blended tax rate is calculated from actual $ balances โ not percentages โ matching the Excel model exactly.
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IRA, 401k, SEP, RRSP
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Roth, HSA, TFSA, ISA
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Non-registered
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IRA, 401k, SEP, RRSP, etc.
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Roth IRA, HSA, TFSA, ISA, etc.
$
Non-registered investment accounts
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Your businesses
& contribution limits
& contribution limits
LLC: 20% of net SE income ร 0.9235 ยท S-Corp: 25% of W-2 salary ยท C-Corp: standard 401(k) rules
✦ Clarity Corner
Your business structure is a wealth-building tool — use it (US)
Most business owners do not realize how much their entity type affects how much they can set aside for their own future. This is one of the quietest wealth levers available to you. These rules apply to US businesses.
- LLC / Sole Proprietor: You can contribute up to 20% of your net self-employment income (after the deductible portion of self-employment tax) into a SEP IRA or Solo 401(k) employer portion. The IRS formula is: net income × 0.9235 × 20%. Maximum $69,000 for 2026.
- S-Corp: You pay yourself a reasonable W-2 salary, then your business can contribute 25% of that salary as an employer match. The total employee + employer contribution cannot exceed $69,000 for 2026 (plus catch-up if over 50).
- C-Corp: Standard 401(k) rules apply — employee elective deferrals up to $23,000, plus employer match up to 25% of W-2 salary, total capped at $69,000.
Do not include your owner's draw or W-2 salary in operating expenses. The IRS distinguishes between business expenses and owner compensation — and so does this calculator.
✦ Clarity Corner
SEP IRA or Solo 401(k) — a quick guide
Both of these accounts are designed specifically for self-employed women like you. Here is how to think about them:
- SEP IRA: Simple to set up, no annual IRS filing, contribute up to 20% of net self-employment income (max $69,000 for 2026). Best if you want simplicity and flexibility — you can contribute different amounts each year.
- Solo 401(k): A little more involved, but it allows higher total contributions because you contribute as both employee ($23,000) and employer (20% of net income). Also allows Roth contributions and catch-up contributions ($7,500) once you turn 50.
- High earner tip: Even if a Traditional IRA is not tax-deductible due to income limits, you can still contribute and convert to Roth — the “Backdoor Roth” strategy.
Your CPA is your best resource for choosing between these. The right answer depends on your income, tax situation, and what you are optimizing for this year.
✦ Compensation Optimizer
Find your optimal salary & contribution mix
Enter your tax rates below and we will model three scenarios side by side — showing how different salary and distribution splits affect your retirement wealth, tax burden, and take-home pay. This is a planning model, not tax advice — always verify with your CPA.
Your Tax Rates (for optimization model)
%
Your marginal federal rate (22%, 24%, 32%...)
%
MA: 5% · TX/FL: 0% · CA: 9.3%+
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Social Security wage base. Updates annually.
Additional assets
today
today
Investment account balances are entered in Step 2. Add savings, brokerage contributions, and whole life here.
Savings & Brokerage
$
Exclude your emergency fund (3–6 months of expenses). Enrolled in a high-deductible health plan? Max your HSA before adding more here — it is the most tax-efficient account available.
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✦ Clarity Corner
Whole life insurance — a different way to think about it
Whole life insurance means different things to different people. Here is how it fits into this picture.
- Cash value is the amount you could access if you surrendered the policy today — not the death benefit, and not the total of what you have paid in. Check your most recent policy statement for this number.
- Growth is steady, not spectacular: Most whole life policies grow at 3–5% per year — slower than a diversified investment portfolio over time, but with built-in stability and guarantees.
- The real value often lies in the liquidity, the tax-advantaged loans you can take against it, and the death benefit — not purely the growth rate.
Think of whole life as a capital structure tool that adds stability and flexibility to your overall plan — not as a primary growth investment.
Whole Life Insurance Policies
Real estate
properties
properties
Non-primary properties only. Excel uses 7% selling costs and 20% capital gains tax on appreciation.
✦ Clarity Corner
Real estate — clarity before complexity
Real estate can be a powerful part of your retirement picture. The key is being clear about what role you want it to play.
- Selling at retirement gives you a lump sum to invest or spend. Account for selling costs (about 7%) and capital gains tax on appreciation.
- Keeping it as a rental gives you ongoing income — but also ongoing responsibility. You remain a landlord, which means repairs, tenants, and management.
- One property, one strategy: A property cannot fund your retirement through both a sale AND rental income. Choose one path per property.
Inherited a property? Good news: the IRS gives you a “stepped-up basis,” which means all the appreciation before you inherited it is not subject to capital gains tax. Only growth from the date of inheritance forward counts.
Business exit
potential
potential
Optional upside. Net proceeds are converted to today's dollars (รท (1+inflation)^years), matching the Excel model.
✦ Clarity Corner
A business sale can change everything — when the time is right
Selling your business one day is a possibility worth planning for — just not the only plan.
- What buyers pay depends on your revenue size, how fast you are growing, whether income is recurring, and how much the business depends on you personally. A business that runs without you commands a premium.
- The costs of a sale are real: broker fees, legal, accounting, due diligence. Budget 7–12% of the sale price.
- Tax planning before the sale is essential. Strategies like installment sales and qualified small business stock exclusions can significantly reduce what you owe — but must be set up before you sign anything.
The net proceeds are shown in today's dollars so you can compare them directly to the rest of your retirement picture.
Include a Business Exit?
Your financial
freedom picture
freedom picture
✦ Clarity Corner
What your results are really telling you
These numbers are the beginning of a conversation, not a verdict.
- Portfolio Needed is the total you would want invested at retirement so that your portfolio generates enough each year to cover your lifestyle — without depleting the principal.
- Projected Portfolio is where you are headed based on what you have today and what you are building toward — in today's dollars, so the comparison is apples-to-apples.
- Annual Gross Need is the total you would withdraw each year before taxes — slightly higher than your net lifestyle number to account for what goes to the IRS.
Seeing a gap is not bad news. It is useful news. It tells you exactly what to focus on — and that is what working together is for.
Overall Assessment
Calculatingโฆ
Understanding your two portfolio targets
Legacy Portfolio — Based on the 4% rule. You live off investment returns each year and never touch the principal. Your wealth stays intact and passes to the people and causes you love.
Full Life Portfolio — The minimum you need if you plan to spend every dollar over your retirement years. This is always a lower target. Neither choice is wrong — they reflect different intentions for your wealth.
Full Life Portfolio — The minimum you need if you plan to spend every dollar over your retirement years. This is always a lower target. Neither choice is wrong — they reflect different intentions for your wealth.
Legacy Portfolio
โ
Live off returns · leave a legacy
Full Life Portfolio
โ
Spend every dollar · no inheritance
Projected Portfolio
โ
At your retirement age
Annual Gross Need
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Before-tax withdrawal/yr
Years to Retirement
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Years in Retirement
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Asset Breakdown at Retirement
All calculations use the same methodology as The Wealth Visionnaireยฎ Excel model. For educational purposes only โ not financial, tax, or legal advice. Results cannot be guaranteed. ยฉ 2026 The Wealth Visionnaireยฎ.
Julie Praline ยท The Wealth Visionnaireยฎ
Ready to close the gap?
Let's review your results together and build your personalized roadmap to financial freedom.
Book a Strategy CallThe Wealth Visionnaireยฎ โ Financial Freedom Report
ยฉ 2026 The Wealth Visionnaireยฎ ยท Educational purposes only ยท Not financial advice
Refresh IRS Limits
Claude searches IRS.gov for the latest contribution limits and updates the calculator automatically.
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Searching IRS websiteโฆ
Solo 401k Employee
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Solo 401k Catch-up
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Solo 401k Total
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SEP IRA Max
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SIMPLE IRA
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IRA / Roth
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Always verify with your CPA.
