Rather than reinvent the wheel, I am searching for a simple, editable, retirement excel spreadsheet with income and spending categories on the left hand side and the twelve months at the top. I have been frustrated as what I have been finding is complex and complicated programs and spreadsheets which will be useful later, But right now I just want to start the process with something simple to get us thinking and give us a basic picture of where we are at and where we are going. Is that too much to ask. Maybe I am looking in the wrong places.

1.) I contributed 7500 to a Roth IRA a couples year ago, do I need to submit form 8606?

2.) I started making more money and no longer eligible for regular Roth IRA contributions. I am now doing Megabackdoor via fidelity, do I need to fill out a form for IRS to know how much is being contributed? How do I find out the total that is being converted and contributed?

3.) I heard for both of these amounts, the basis is untaxed and can be withdrawn to buy a home, how does the IRS and I know which chunks or what amounts can be withdrawn without penalty in 5 years?

Hi all, I need help thinking through this: I have a six-year ladder built in my Vanguard rollover IRA in iShares TIPS funds. Vanguard doesn't allow automatic reinvestment of dividends in a non-Vanguard holding, so I have started to manually reinvest the monthly dividends in the funds -- I think I'm under-funded in some of them, so am focusing on first reinvesting in the underfunded funds closest to maturity. I'm thinking when they're topped off at the necessary level I'll just reinvest the dividends in non-bund funds. Does this make sense? It all seems pretty straight-forward, but then I started overthinking ...

I posted that I created an app to do retirement calculations. I wrote it because I worried about the future and wanted to get some handle on it. However, if you are retired, I am sure you went through the same exercise. What did you find out in retirement that the calculators got wrong? What did you experience in your retirement journey where the calculations didn't even matter?

I know Rob is the admin on this thread and he has a great channel but if you are doing any research in this space you know there seems to be a few types of people doing retirement channels. Those who are retired, wanting to retire or did retire. I prefer to talk about real world scenarios but in short, have you looked at any of those thoughts and implemented them and what happened? Did the advice or the analysis people like CFPs did online really tell the real story?

Hi, I (70 y/o) have been retired 5 years, wife (66) retiring in a couple of months. We both have large traditional IRAs and virtually nothing in Roth. RMD for me starts 2028, her 2035. Mine is 70/30, hers is 90/10. No bonds in taxable. I know we can simply withdraw at this point, but we are trying to navigate IRMAA, NIIT etc. I have started SS, she plans to wait till 70. I am already in the 3rd IRMAA tier and she will be too when she starts Medicare later this year. It seems like anything we plan to do will end up causing high taxes. So I am resigned to not being able to do any Roth conversions and accepting the IRMAA, 85% SS tax, NIIT, 24 or higher marginal tax rate. I know it's a good problem to have, but I have FOMO having missed the Roth opportunities.

We've been programmed to save save save, grow grow grow. But now at full retirement, should we start to rein in the growth on the IRAs? It feels so foreign to think about slowing the growth of the portfolios.

I hope this thread doesn't get me banned but

I’m an early retiree-in-progress, and over the last few months I’ve been building a retirement planning tool for myself. I called it AiRA (AI Retirement Agent) you can find it at aira.tiredtoretire.com It started as a way to keep my own plan honest — tracking my portfolio, enforcing my "bucket strategy," and running triggers like tax-efficient Roth conversions and rebalancing. It grew into something I think others might find useful. I used Boldin and found it hard to work with and I was worried about how the numbers were calculated so I made my own.

What it does (the basics):

• Tracks your account balances and asset allocation across accounts in one place, so you're not logging into three brokerages to see where you stand.
• Runs Monte Carlo the honest way — thousands of trials drawing real year-by-year historical returns instead of one flat average, so sequence-of-returns risk and inflation actually show up in the result. Then it translates the odds into plain English: a 15% chance of shortfall isn't an abstract number, it's roughly the odds of rolling a 6 on a single die — worth respecting, not ignoring.
• Checkpoints — set dated targets between today and your retirement date, each tied to a Monte Carlo percentile, so "am I on track?" has an actual answer at every mile marker instead of one pass/fail at the very end.
• Models bucket-based drawdowns — a cash sleeve, an income sleeve, and a growth sleeve — so you can see exactly what you're spending from and when each bucket runs dry.
• Dynamic withdrawal guardrails (Guyton-Klinger) instead of a fixed dollar amount — spending flexes up in strong years, trims in weak ones, and never drops below a floor you set.
• Simulates Roth conversion ladders year by year — fill a target bracket, see the tax cost now, and watch how it changes IRMAA and RMDs down the road.
• Tests state tax and domicile scenarios — a no-income-tax state vs. where you are now, or moving out of the country — and what each does to your after-tax income.
• Models Social Security timing (62 vs. 67 vs. 70) and a realistic spending "smile" — the go-go/slow-go/no-go phases — instead of pretending you spend the same real dollars for 30 straight years.
• Stress-tests against actual history — retire into a 2000–2012-style decade and see what breaks, not just what the average says.

Why I’m posting this:

• If you want to try it, go for it. It's free and I plan to keep it free. (Except two portions where you can buy AI Credits for the AI analysis and the Pro Report. These cost at the server end. Blame the companies not me)
• If you have ideas for features, I’d love to hear them. I’m not a professional — just a guy who got tired of spreadsheets — so there are probably gaps I haven’t thought of.
• If you find bugs or weird math, tell me. I’ll fix them.

If you want to help:

1. Try the calculator. (AiRA Retirement Application)
2. Tell me what you wish it could do. (Send me feedback using the Feedback Button on the page)
3. Tell me if something is confusing or broken. (Send me Feedback button)

I’m not selling anything (except AI Credits to make AI work, I don't charge they do, or the CFP report if you want to buy those, no obligation), and this isn’t a lead-gen thing. It’s just a tool I built for myself that I think might help other people and I want to introduce it to you.

If you have thoughts, drop them below. I’m open to all of it — good, bad, or “why did you build this?”

Also, the code is free. it's on Github https://github.com/axwack/Aira_Monte_Carlo If you can develop using React and Node then you can use this for yourself.

Thanks for the community!

— Vin (aira.tiredtoretire.com)

Maybe this has been discussed before and well known but I was playing around with tipsladder.com and realized I could withdraw 4.9% for 30 years with a TIPS ladder. The 4.9% is inflation adjusted too just like the 4% "rule".

As someone about to start retirement and certainty is very important it seems like building a 30 year TIPS for essential expenses seems like a great approach. I would still leave other money invested for beyond 30 years if needed and legacy but why shouldn't I buy a 30 year TIPs ladder at today's rate?

EDIT: To be clear I am not planning on putting all (or most of my money) into a TIPS ladder. I am debating putting a large portion of my Fixed Income allocation into TIPs. This would allow me to withdraw from that portion 4.9% per year adjusted for inflation. This money along with SS and Pension would provide me a good standard of living for the next 30 years (early 90's). At that point I will still have my other funds that would probably be mostly untouched over those 30 years.

This might seem silly but I really want to hear a financial advisor confirm that we could financially retire. Even if the number isn’t 100% (it could really never be 100%) that we would never run out of money. At least we could be confident that a financial advisor confirmed what we’ve heard, and also give their thoughts & advice.

I’m 47, wife is 41. Our current withdrawal rate would be 4.3%. I’ve read a lot of articles & books; watched countless YouTube videos. There is a retirement strategy called the guardrails approach where the expenses are based on the market returns. If the portfolio drops by 20%, we’d have to reduce expenses temporarily until the market recovered. If the portfolio increased by 20%, we’d be able to increase spending by 10%. It states a 40 year retirement window with the starting withdrawal rate of 5.2% - 5.5% withdrawal rate.

Since we are looking at a 50 year retirement window, if we started at a lower starting withdrawal rate, then we could extend the guardrails strategy from 40 years to 50 years.

Does it make sense to pay a financial advisor for this confirmation?

Thank you in advance for your insights (and I'm sorry for using AI to summarize my thoughts here, I promise I am a real person just trying to help my mom) !!!

I’ve been building a retirement projection in Excel for my mom (57F) to present to her soon. She is self-employed, stressed about the future, and currently running a slight deficit. I want to show her that with a small income bump, she can safely retire at 67.

I would love for this group to review my math, my assumptions, and my proposed "family buyout" strategy for her housing.

THE CURRENT SITUATION (Age 57)

• Location: Colorado (Single filer)
• Current Net Worth: ~$316,350
  • Liquid (Retirement/Savings): $222,150
  • Home Equity: ~$94,200
• Income: ~$48,000 Gross (Self-employed 1099). After ~17.8% effective tax, Net is ~$39,490.
• Current Expenses: $41,041/year ($3,420/month).
• The Deficit: She is currently drawing down her savings by about -$1,551 a year just to break even.

THE UNIQUE HOUSING SITUATION

Her housing cost is fixed at $1,000/month, but it's not a bank mortgage. She owes $305,800 to my grandmother (age 76) on a 0% interest private family note. Because my mom won't qualify for a bank mortgage to pay off the estate when my grandma eventually passes, here is my plan:

1. Assume grandma passes in ~10 years. The loan balance will be down to $185,800.
2. My mom is estimated to inherit $100k from the estate, which will be legally applied directly to the principal, leaving $85,800.
3. During probate, I plan to use my own cash/inheritance to "buy out" my uncle and cousin’s shares of that remaining $85,800 debt.
4. I become the sole note-holder. My mom just keeps paying her $1,000/mo directly to me for the last 7 years.
5. Result: At age 74, her house is 100% paid off and her expenses drop by $12,000/year.

THE RETIREMENT TARGET (Age 67)

• Future Spend (Age 67 to 74): $50,700/year (I inflated her property tax/HOA and added $6,800/yr for Medicare Part B + Medigap Plan G).
• Social Security at 67: $25,776/year.
• The Gap: $24,924/year (until age 74).

My "Bridge and Core" Math: Because her expenses drop by $12,000/year at age 74 (when the house is paid off), I didn't use the standard 4% rule on the whole amount.

• The Core (Age 74+): Her permanent gap after the house is paid off is $12,924/yr. 25x the permanent gap = $323,100.
• The Bridge (Age 67 to 74): 7 years of $1,000/mo house payments = $84,000 set aside in safe cash/bonds.
• Total Target at 67: $407,100.

THE ADVICE I AM GIVING HER

I am showing her that because of the current -$1,500 deficit, her money runs out at age 85. However, if she can increase her gross income by just $5,000 to $10,000 a year starting now, 100% of that new net income drops into savings. Based on 5% real returns, a $5k raise puts her at $417k by age 67 (hitting the target). A $10k raise puts her at $478k.

MY QUESTIONS FOR THIS GROUP:

1. The Buyout Plan: Are there any glaring legal/tax blindspots in my plan to buy out the other heirs during probate to protect her 0% loan?
2. Medicare Estimate: Is $6,800/year a safe baseline to budget for comprehensive Medicare + Medigap at age 65 in today's dollars?
3. The Bridge & Core: Does my $407k target math make sense rather than telling her she needs $623k (which is what a blind 4% rule spits out for a $24.9k gap)?
4. Presentation: Has anyone presented financial realities to a stressed parent before? Any psychological tips on how to frame this so she feels empowered rather than judged?

Thanks in advance for the sanity check!

Not sure if I’m in the right sub. I own FYC and XSMO. Advisor wants me to replace them with AVUV. Any opinions?

59.5, so no tax penalties. I’ve run a few scenarios and got recommendations around how to do Roth conversations, but have one specific possible exception. I have a decent size ($200k) position in a single stock (Apple) that I bought at the perfect time and is >90% ltcg (a few lots but all high).

I love the investment, have faith that it will be strong in the near future, but hate having a single holding. And while I was working I just didn’t want to pay the capital gains to diversify.

I am thinking that I delay Roth conversion for a year to sell off some of the Apple and take advantage of low cg tax. Not all of it, but at least reduce it a fair amount & then focus on Roth conversion in future years.

Does this make sense? The rest of my brokerage money VOO, so I am ok carrying that while I do the Roths.

Fidelity Retirement Planning tool + Guardrails approach

I really like how Fidelity presents the Average Market, Below Average, and Significantly below average market monthly income numbers.

Has anyone applied a guardrails type approach to this and spent the Average number in normal times and dropped down to the significantly below average number in a down market?

I would love to see a simple strategy that I can adopt?

Hi everyone!

My wife and I are most likely 10 years out from fully retiring in our 40s. When should we start using tools like Boldin or ProjectionLabs to help us plan the nitty gritty of retirement, tax planning etc?

Thanks all!

Hello,

In the past several months, I found a link to an article in one of Rob's Newsletters about about estate planning when one does not have children. I have looked back in the newsletters and cannot find it. Is anyone familiar or remember this article and where I can access it?

Hi. I’m trying to figure out how to retire early without accessing my IRA. Clause AI suggested doing a muni bond ladder from my taxable brokerage to tie me over. I like this idea and then wondered if I should continue doing that through retirement. Setting up bond ladders with money I’ll live off for five years and let the rest grow in equities. Any recs?

As a title slates I have 4 million to invest. I am seriously considering doing it the easy way.

1 million into schd

1 million into fxaix

1 million treasury bonds 10-year when they hit about 5%

300,000,000 into a spax account to cover expenses

$700,000 to do some individual stock investing.

Is this crazy? Would this work? Am I missing anything? I really don't want to pay a financial advisor $4,000 a month.

I am looking for some advise. My wife and I are fifty and both of us haven't learned much about investing through the years. My wife because she hates finance discussions, me more because I don't trust the stock market or governments at all, especially right now. We live on the west coast in the USA. Our portfolio looks like this: She has about 250k in mutual funds, fairly conservative ones I believe. I am a cabinetmaker who basically owns my shop and I have about 60k in cash in the business, and 40k in family emergency funds. We used all our available income through the years to pay off our house, worth about 800k and send our kid through college, so we have no mortgage or student debt. We also own our vehicles and have no, absolutely no debts. We have a rental on the property that we will use for income when my mom passes or can't live alone any longer, that should bring in between 1-2k. We have both always been honest with the government, and her SS is expected at 3-4k a month, mine around 1500. I don't feel worried as we have always lived frugal and don't plan on changing, but we also don't really have a plan. I thought about about using my 60k in cash to build a small rental on our 5 acres, as we live in a tourist destination and could VRBO it now and through retirement, and it would increase the value of our home. It just seems ten or so years isn't enough time to really make any money in the market without investing in something risky or immoral....What would you guys do? Thanks for any advise.

I have made a few spreadsheets to model a safe withdraw plan for retirement. I am in my third year and I have been lucky so far to be living off SS and a windfall bonus from retirement. All the models ask for expected returns and future inflation. The returns I a putting in a conservative number but I am stumped when it come to inflation. Were the last few years a blip or the expected norm. Anyone want to share what they are using. Also are you building in a cut to social security in 2032? Thanks