Before anything else
This is not a budgeting app.
This is your wealth map.
Most financial tools ask you to track what you spend. This one asks something different: where are you going, and is what you’re building today enough to get you there?
The numbers you enter don’t need to be perfect. They need to be honest. A rough estimate, honestly made, will give you far more useful insight than a precise number you spent hours finding. Done is better than perfect here.
If you don’t know a number, make your best guess, note it, and come back to refine it. The goal of your first session is to get a complete picture — not a perfect one.
Your preparation checklist
The numbers to have handy.
Go through each step below and gather what you can. Anything marked optional is a bonus — the calculator works perfectly well with estimates. The calculator now has 8 steps including a new optional debt step.
Housing planWill you stay in your current home, or downsize/move? This choice opens a dedicated home sale section with its own calculation.
Annual property taxesCheck your most recent tax bill or mortgage statement.
Annual home insuranceYour yearly premium. Check your insurance renewal notice.
Monthly healthcareBefore 65: budget $800–$1,500/mo. After 65: $500–$800/mo including Medicare, supplements, dental, vision.
Annual travel budgetHow much do you want to spend on travel per year in retirement? Be generous — this is your life.
Hobbies & wellnessGym, golf, horses, grandkids, spa, sports, concerts — add it up annually.
Monthly basicsFood, clothing, utilities, transportation — today’s spending is a good starting point.
Social Security estimateVisit ssa.gov/benefits/calculators for a free personalized estimate. Or use $2,000–$3,000/month as a placeholder.
✦
If you plan to downsize or move — the calculator now includes a full home sale section inside Step 1. Have these ready:
- Current home value — check Zillow or Redfin
- Original purchase price — from your closing documents. Used to calculate your capital gains tax basis under IRS Section 121.
- Major renovations total cost — kitchen, additions, roof, HVAC. These permanently increase your cost basis and reduce capital gains tax.
- Tax filing status — Single ($250,000 cap gains exclusion) or Married Filing Jointly ($500,000 exclusion) under IRS Section 121.
- Years you have owned the home — must be at least 2 years to qualify for the Section 121 exclusion.
- Current mortgage balance, years remaining, monthly payment — used to estimate remaining mortgage at retirement.
- Rent or buy smaller? — if buying, have your estimated new home purchase price ready.
The calculator shows a live preview of your estimated net sale proceeds as you fill this in — including the IRS exclusion, capital gains tax, selling costs, remaining mortgage, and new home purchase deduction.
Your current ageAnd the age you want to become work-optional.
Investment account balancesYour 401(k), IRA, SEP IRA, Roth IRA, brokerage — log into each and jot down the balance in each bucket.
Annual retirement contributionsSeparate them by account type: tax-deferred (401k, IRA, SEP), tax-free (Roth, HSA), taxable brokerage.
Return & inflation ratesOptional — defaults already set to 8% / 5% / 2.5%
💡 Tip: The calculator uses actual dollar amounts in each bucket to calculate your blended tax rate automatically — which is more accurate than guessing a percentage. Tax-deferred dollars are taxed at withdrawal; Roth dollars are tax-free. The split matters for your results.
Business entity typeLLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp. If unsure, check your business formation documents or last tax return.
Annual gross revenueTotal revenue before any expenses. Use this year’s projection or last year’s actuals.
Operating expensesTotal business expenses excluding your own salary or owner’s draw.
Your salary or owner’s drawWhat you actually pay yourself. For S-Corp owners, this is your W-2 salary specifically — it affects your retirement contribution limit.
Federal & state tax ratesOptional — needed for the Compensation Optimizer. Check last year’s tax return or ask your CPA.
💡 Why this matters so much: As a business owner you can contribute up to $70,000/year to a SEP IRA or Solo 401(k) — far beyond what employees can access. The calculator shows your exact limit based on your entity type and income, and models three compensation scenarios side by side.
HYSA / savings balanceOptional — exclude your emergency fund (3–6 months expenses). This grows at a conservative rate in the model.
Whole life insurance — cash value & premiumFor each policy you now choose: tap into cash value to fund retirement (lump sum asset, premiums stop) OR keep contributing in retirement (premium is automatically added to your annual retirement income need).
💡 On whole life premiums: If you plan to keep paying a policy premium in retirement, that annual cost is added to your retirement income target — so your plan accounts for it. If you plan to tap the cash value, premiums stop at retirement and the projected value joins your retirement portfolio.
Primary home (if downsizing)If you selected “downsize” in Step 1, your current home appears here automatically, pre-filled with your Step 1 data. All fields are editable. A live net proceeds preview shows the math.
Investment / rental property valueOptional — current market value. Check Zillow/Redfin for a quick estimate.
Mortgage balance & monthly paymentOptional — from your most recent mortgage statement. Used to estimate equity at retirement.
Monthly rental incomeOptional — gross rent before expenses. The model applies standard expense rates automatically (taxes, insurance, management, vacancy).
Inheritance detailsOptional — if you expect to inherit a property: current value and estimated years until you receive it. The stepped-up basis rule applies — all prior appreciation is tax-free.
💡 How the IRS capital gains calculation works here: For properties you own, gains above your purchase price are taxed at 20%. For your primary home (if downsizing), the IRS Section 121 exclusion applies — $250,000 for single filers, $500,000 for married couples, provided you’ve owned and lived in the home for at least 2 of the last 5 years. Your renovation costs increase your tax basis and reduce taxable gains. The calculator applies all of this automatically.
Current annual EBITDA / net profitOptional — your business earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. For most service businesses, this is roughly your net profit. The model projects it forward and applies your chosen exit multiple and sale costs.
💡 Treat a business sale as upside, not a plan. The net proceeds appear in today’s dollars so you can compare them directly to the rest of your retirement picture. Model it as a bonus layer on top of your core strategy.
Business loans / lines of creditOutstanding balance on business term loans, SBA loans, equipment financing, or your business line of credit.
Student loansTotal remaining balance across all federal and private student loans.
Auto loansOutstanding balance on car loans.
Personal / other loansAny other outstanding debt not listed above. Your primary home mortgage is excluded — it’s already captured as a monthly expense in Step 1.
✦ Why debt is included — and why it’s optional: Debt is information, not a verdict. Including it lets the results page show you your true personal net worth (assets minus liabilities) alongside your projected retirement portfolio. The tool also estimates your monthly payment and calculates how much additional retirement wealth you could build by redirecting those payments after payoff.
Your retirement projections are calculated independently — debt does not reduce your projected portfolio. It adds a separate, honest layer to your picture.
Note: Credit card balances are not included here. If you carry a balance, pay it off before optimizing anything else — the math always favors eliminating 20%+ interest debt first.
Understanding your results
What you’ll see
on the results page.
The results page shows several boxes. Here is what each one means in plain language.
Legacy Portfolio & Full Life Portfolio
Two targets, not one. Legacy = live off returns, never touch principal, leave a legacy. Full Life = spend every dollar over your retirement years — always a lower number. Neither is wrong.
Projected Portfolio
Where you are headed based on your current assets and contributions — in today’s dollars so the comparison is apples-to-apples with your targets.
Years to Fully Funded
At your current savings rate, how long until you reach your Legacy Portfolio target? Calculated from your current portfolio balance — not a projected future value. Shows clearly whether you get there before or after your planned retirement date.
Gap & Required Savings
If there’s a gap, this shows exactly: To be fully funded by age X, save $Y/yr total. You currently save $Z/yr — increase by $W/yr to close the gap. One clear number.
Personal Net Worth Today
Your current investment accounts + HYSA + whole life cash value + real estate equity, minus personal debt (if entered). Excludes primary home and business assets. A snapshot of where you actually stand today.
Whole Life Insurance Role
Shows each policy’s retirement strategy. Policies set to “fund retirement” show their projected lump-sum value. Policies set to “keep contributing” note that premiums are included in your income target.
Debt Picture & True Net Worth
If you entered debt in Step 7: shows each category, total debt, your projected retirement assets, and your true net worth today (assets minus liabilities). Also estimates the retirement boost from redirecting debt payments after payoff.
Asset Breakdown & Business Exit
A full breakdown of every asset component at retirement: accounts, brokerage, savings, whole life, real estate, home sale proceeds (if downsizing), business exit. Each shown separately so you can see what is doing the heavy lifting.
What the tool actually does
Plain-language explanation
of the math.
You don’t need to understand any of this to use the tool. But if you’re the kind of woman who likes to know what’s happening under the hood — here it is.
๐
Everything is in today’s dollars
When the tool says you need $5.2 million, that’s in today’s purchasing power — not future inflated dollars. Your housing costs and monthly basics are automatically inflated to your retirement date, then converted back so all numbers are comparable. This is how institutional financial models work.
๐ฏ
You’ll see two portfolio targets, not one
The Legacy Portfolio is based on the 4% rule — you live off investment returns, never touch the principal, and pass it on. The Full Life Portfolio is the minimum you need if you plan to spend every dollar over your retirement years. The Full Life target is always lower. Neither is wrong — they reflect different intentions for your wealth.
โฑ
The calculator tells you exactly how many years
At your current savings rate and current asset base, how long until you’re fully funded? The tool solves for this mathematically — and tells you whether you reach full funding before or after your planned retirement date. If it’s after, the gap box tells you exactly how much more to save per year to close it.
๐
The home sale uses real IRS rules
If you plan to sell your primary home to fund retirement, the calculator applies IRS Section 121 correctly: $250,000 excluded from capital gains (single) or $500,000 (married). Your original purchase price and qualifying renovation costs increase your tax basis, reducing what’s taxable. A live preview shows you the net proceeds as you fill in each field.
๐ข
The business section uses actual IRS rules
Contribution limits are calculated per IRS methodology: LLC SEP IRA = 20% of net SE income × 0.9235 (not a simplified 25%). S-Corp limits are based on your W-2 salary. The Compensation Optimizer models three salary/distribution scenarios side by side — showing real SE tax, income tax, retirement contribution, and take-home cash for each.
๐ณ
Debt shows your net worth, not a reduced projection
The debt step is additive — it does not reduce your retirement portfolio projection. Your asset calculations are shown in full. The debt step adds a separate net worth layer: total assets minus personal liabilities. It also calculates the future retirement value of redirecting your debt payments once you’re paid off. Seeing both numbers gives you the complete picture.
๐จ
You can print your full report
Once you see your results, there’s a Print Inputs & Results button at the bottom. It generates a clean, complete report showing everything you entered and your full results — formatted to share with your CPA, financial advisor, or bring to a strategy session.
You don’t need to be a numbers person
to get real value from this.
The calculator handles all the math. Your only job is to be honest about your life and your money. There are no wrong answers — only estimates that get refined over time.
And if what you see surprises you — if the gap feels bigger or smaller than you expected — that’s exactly the clarity this tool is designed to give you. Knowing is always better than guessing.
Quick answers
Questions you might have
right now.
What if I don’t have all my numbers?
Use your best estimate. A rough number is almost always better than leaving a field at zero. You can always come back to refine the model as you gather more information. The tool is designed to be run multiple times as your picture evolves.
Is my data saved anywhere?
No. Everything runs locally in your browser. Nothing is stored, sent, or saved anywhere. When you close the tab, the session ends. Use the Print button before closing if you want a copy of your results.
Do I need to include debt if I have it?
No — Step 7 is completely optional. Your retirement projections are the same whether you include debt or not. Debt is additive information that shows your true net worth alongside your retirement assets. Include it if you want the complete, honest picture. Skip it if you prefer to focus on asset-building only.
This says I need $5 million. That feels impossible. Should I panic?
No. First: this is a long-term projection, not a tomorrow problem. Second: the tool also shows you your Full Life Portfolio, which is always a lower target. Third — and most importantly — seeing the gap clearly is the first step to closing it. Clarity is not the same as crisis. It’s actually the beginning of strategy.
I plan to sell my home. How does the IRS exclusion work?
If you’ve owned and lived in your home as your primary residence for at least 2 of the last 5 years before selling, the IRS excludes up to $250,000 of capital gains from tax if you’re single, or $500,000 if married filing jointly. Your gain is calculated on your original purchase price plus the cost of qualifying renovations (permanent improvements, not maintenance). The calculator applies all of this automatically and shows you the estimated net proceeds in real time.
What’s the difference between the Legacy Portfolio and the Full Life Portfolio?
The Legacy Portfolio is based on the 4% rule: you live off investment returns every year and never touch the principal. Your wealth stays intact and passes to the people and causes you love. The Full Life Portfolio is the minimum you need if you plan to spend every dollar over your retirement years — it uses a present-value annuity formula to show the lower number. Neither path is wrong. They reflect different intentions for your wealth.
Is this financial advice?
No. This is a financial planning and education tool. It provides estimates based on your inputs and standard financial planning methodology. It is not a substitute for personalized advice from a qualified CPA, financial planner, or investment advisor. Always consult a professional before making major financial decisions.
What do I do after I see my results?
Print your report. Review it. Bring it to a strategy conversation. The results page is designed to show you not just where you are, but what specifically would move the needle — whether that’s maximizing your business retirement account, adjusting your contribution rate, redirecting debt payments, or adding a rental income stream. The next step is turning that insight into a plan.
You’re ready.
Let’s see your picture.
Open the calculator, take your time through each step, and let the numbers tell you the truth. Whatever you find — you’ll be better off knowing it.
