Planning retirement
Pages in this list checked · How we check
Planning retirement takes 9 of the pages on this site, not one. The order these questions actually arrive in: claim the match, choose the wrapper, work out what the pot reaches, then find out what it pays and what the IRS will make you take out of it. Every figure below comes from the calculator beside it, on the same inputs, so the numbers on this page and the numbers on those pages are the same numbers. Each page in the list computes its own figure from a published formula and prints the working, so the whole sequence can be checked rather than trusted.
- 1401(k) CalculatorThe match first — including the part you are not claimingCalculator
- 2Roth IRA CalculatorTax-free growth, and what the wrapper saves against a brokerage accountCalculator
- 3Traditional vs Roth IRA CalculatorTraditional against Roth at your rate now and your rate laterCalculator
- 4Retirement CalculatorHow many years the savings last against the spending you planCalculator
- 5RMD CalculatorWhat the IRS makes you withdraw once you turn 73Calculator
- 6RMD Table by Age — IRS Uniform Lifetime TableThe Uniform Lifetime denominator for every age, 72 to 120Chart
- 7Annuity Payout CalculatorWhat a lump sum pays each month, and for how longCalculator
- 8Pension CalculatorA monthly pension against the lump sum offered insteadCalculator
- 9Investment CalculatorWhat contributions grow to, before and after inflationCalculator
What goes wrong on this job
The employer match beats every other decision here
A 50% match on the first 6% of an $80,000 salary is $2,400 a year for contributing money you were going to save anyway — an instant 50% return that no fund matches. Over 25 years at 7% the employer side alone puts in $60,000, and the whole account reaches $629,178. Contributing under the match limit is the only mistake on this page that costs money every single payday.
Roth against traditional turns on two tax rates, not on returns
At 24% now and 22% in retirement, $7,500 a year for 25 years at 7% builds $474,368 in either wrapper, and the Roth finishes ahead by $840 once the traditional deduction is invested alongside. The gap is that small because the rates are two points apart. Move the retirement rate to 12% and the traditional wins comfortably — the arithmetic follows the brackets, not the market.
The IRS starts withdrawing for you at 73
A traditional IRA or 401(k) carries a required minimum distribution from age 73, taxed as ordinary income. At 75 the Uniform Lifetime denominator is 24.6, so a $500,000 balance must pay out $20,325 — 4.07% of it — whether you need the money or not, and the share rises every year. A Roth IRA has no RMD during the owner’s lifetime, which is the part of the comparison the bracket arithmetic misses.
What the pot pays is a different question from what it holds
$150,000 saved with $800 a month more, over 20 years at 6.5%, reaches $940,804. Against $4,500 of monthly spending in today’s money with $2,000 of Social Security, it lasts 20.0 years. The same $500,000 as a fixed 20-year payout at 4.5% pays $3,163.25 a month and ends at zero — spending the capital is what makes the income look large.
The defaults on each calculator, so the figures line up
| Question | Inputs | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| What does the 401(k) reach? | $80,000 salary, 6% contributed, 50% match to 6%, 25 years at 7% | $629,178, of which $60,000 came from the employer |
| What is the Roth worth? | $15,000 now plus $7,500 a year, 25 years at 7% | $555,779, with $353,279 of growth never taxed |
| How long do the savings last? | $150,000 saved, $800 a month, retire in 20 years, spend $4,500 | 20.0 years, on a $940,804 pot |
| What must I withdraw at 75? | $500,000 balance, Uniform Lifetime denominator 24.6 | $20,325, which is 4.07% of the account |
| What does a lump sum pay monthly? | $500,000 over 20 years at 4.5% | $3,163.25 a month, ending at zero |
Typical figures for orientation. Every one is recomputed by the calculators above from the dimensions you actually have.
What the figures rest on
Every quantity above is computed by one of the calculators in the list, from these published standards.
- IRS — 401(k) and profit-sharing plan contribution limits
- US SEC Investor.gov — compound interest calculator
- IRS — Roth IRAs
- IRS Notice 2025-67 via the newsroom — 2026 IRA limit $7,500, catch-up $1,100, and the Roth phase-out ranges
- IRS — Traditional and Roth IRAs
- IRS — IRA deduction limits
- US SEC Investor.gov — retirement planning
- Social Security Administration — benefit calculators
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics — Consumer Price Index
- 26 CFR §1.401(a)(9)-9 — Uniform Lifetime Table
- IRS — Retirement plan and IRA required minimum distributions FAQs
- IRS Publication 590-B — Distributions from IRAs
- US SEC Investor.gov — annuities
- FINRA — annuities
- US Office of Personnel Management — FERS basic annuity computation
- Social Security Administration — retirement benefit reduction for early retirement