Retirement Planning Center

Sample plan tour

Meet Jim & Susan: A Retirement Plan Example

Jim is 58, Susan is 56. They want to spend about $82,000 a year in retirement (today’s dollars). The question this plan answers, year by year: does that work — and what happens if spending or returns change?

  • $1.34M saved today across their accounts
  • Retire at 62 (Jim) and 60 (Susan)
  • Social Security at 62 and 60 · modeled return 6.1%
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Jim and Susan home dashboard with projected balances and income charts

Jim & Susan’s home dashboard after baseline data is entered.

The household

Start by documenting the savings you already have

People don’t have one generic retirement account. Savings is spread across taxable, traditional IRA, Roth IRA, annuity, pension, and other accounts. Their plan keeps those differences visible instead of combining everything into one number.

Account totals by type and individual accounts for Jim and Susan
Why it matters: different accounts can grow differently, be taxed differently, and face different withdrawal rules.

The path

See what the current plan projects

Jim & Susan plan to spend $82,000 a year during retirement, in today’s dollars. Their projection shows how their savings, retirement income, and withdrawals interact from now through the end of the plan. The projection deducts balances in an order that minimizes taxes and maximizes growth.

Saved today $1.34M
At retirement $1.63M
End of plan $3.81M
Projected balances over time and income sources by year charts
See when the portfolio is still growing, when retirement withdrawals begin, and how Social Security and RMDs change where the money comes from.

Illustrative sample data for education only — not a recommendation or guarantee of future results.

Shows its work

Follow the plan one year at a time

A retirement projection shouldn’t be a single number. Those that love the actual numbers can view every data point that influences the projection: spending, Social Security, required minimum distributions, portfolio withdrawals, retirement earnings, and the remaining balance.

Year-by-year projection table with spending, Social Security, RMDs, and portfolio
  • 2030 Retirement spending begins and Social Security starts.
  • 2043 RMDs begin contributing toward spending needs.
  • Later years Follow how much still comes from the portfolio and how the balance changes.

What If

What happens if life doesn’t match the baseline?

What if Jim claims Social Security at 62, 65, 67, or 70? What if the market takes a wild downturn? What if they increase their retirement contributions? Explore how the results change for each variation without affecting your primary plan, and save as many variations as you like.

What if they spend more?

At $82,000 a year, their projected ending balance is $3.81M. Increase spending and the result changes immediately.

What If table for retirement spending levels versus balances
At a glance, they can see how each spending level changes the projected balance over time.

What if returns are lower?

Compare the same retirement plan across different investment-return assumptions.

What If table for investment return rates versus balances
What if their investments earn less than expected — or more?

Explore a decision in more detail

Compare Social Security claim ages, market paths, contributions, and more — side by side — without changing the baseline plan.

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Custom variations form varying Social Security start age
Would waiting to claim Social Security change the picture?

Sample figures for illustration. Your scenarios compare the same way against your baseline.

Report

Take it to the kitchen table

Jim & Susan can turn the projection into various reports they can review together or send to their financial planner — key numbers first, followed by the charts and comparisons that explain how the plan works. The image below is only one small part of one report.

Projection overview report with summary cards, charts, and scenario comparison
Print it, save it, or use it as the starting point for a conversation with a financial professional.

Your turn

Four simple steps to having your own plan

  1. 1

    Create your free account

    No credit card required.

  2. 2

    Enter Your Data

    Ages, accounts, income, and spending — takes just a few minutes.

  3. 3

    Run your projection

    View results, open reports, and revisit whenever life changes.

  4. 4

    Explore variations and “what if” scenarios

    Change any input you desire, without affecting your primary projection.

This is someone else’s plan. Build yours today.

Jim & Susan are a guided example. Your free plan uses the same tools with your numbers, your assumptions, and your privacy.

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