Set to $0 if not currently contributing. Any amount compounds from the start age through retirement and updates every section of the dashboard.
Social Security
Update these any time your SS.gov estimate changes. Your estimate is based on past income -- as that changes, update each age. SS cannot be claimed before 62. CA does not tax SS.
Retirement Expenses (today's $)
Everything except the home payment: food, gas, utilities, HOA dues, personal. Grows at the inflation rate below. The home payment lives in its own boxes so each piece behaves correctly.
P&I (incl. escrow cushion) drops to $0 when the mortgage pays off, or when the HECM opens if earlier. Property tax and condo insurance continue forever. Edit property tax directly if an assessment or bond changes it.
Medicare starts at 65 and covers Part B, Part D, a Medigap policy, and dental/vision (Part A is $0 with 40 work quarters). Enter your all-in monthly total. It rises faster than general inflation, so it has its own rate above -- update the total whenever your premiums change.
Income Toggles
off
Enter the after-tax net figure from your salary needs calculator (the "net after deductions & tax" line). In retirement with no W-2 income, this is ~$1,200/mo.
off
SS Cut Stress Test
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Simulates the projected cut if Congress takes no action before the OASI trust fund depletes in 2033. Reduces your benefit by 23%.
Reverse Mortgage (HECM)
off
When on, the HECM pays off your remaining mortgage at the start age below: your P&I stops then, and the line of credit is reduced by the balance paid off. Toggle to compare against never opening one.
"Available before payoff" is the principal limit (~40% of home value at the start age) minus upfront fees, before the mortgage payoff is subtracted. The net spendable line shows above. LOC grows on the unused portion at the HECM rate.
Part-Time Work After Retirement
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no
Earnings limit 2026: $24,480/yr. $1 withheld per $2 over limit. Withheld benefits are NOT lost — they are added back as a higher monthly amount once you hit FRA (age 67).
Adds earned income to your monthly picture for the years you work after claiming. If claiming before FRA and earning over the limit, shows the actual net after withholding.
Showing today's dollars. All figures use current purchasing power — the numbers you already know. Toggle to "2038 $" to see what everything inflates to by the time you retire. Both views inflate income AND expenses together so nothing is shown out of context.
Retirement Age Comparison
Click an age to see your monthly cash flow at that retirement date. All four ages shown in the summary table below.
All Ages at a Glance
Monthly surplus or shortfall at each retirement age, with your current toggle settings applied.
Line Item
Age 62 (2030)
Age 63 (2031)
Age 64 (2032)
Age 65 (2033)
Age 66 (2034)
Age 67 (2035)
Age 68 (2036)
Age 69 (2037)
Age 70 (2038)
Reverse Mortgage Decision
HECM line of credit at age 70 vs. never opening one. Toggle "Open HECM LOC at 70" on the left to see the side-by-side comparison update live.
Social Security Cut Impact
What a 23% SS cut starting in 2033 does to your monthly picture at each retirement age. Toggle the cut on the left to apply it across all views, or read this section for the side-by-side comparison.
HECM Gap Coverage Tool
For each year from retirement to 104 where your income (SS + IRA at SWR + roommate + gift) falls short of expenses, enter how much to draw from the HECM line of credit that year. The IRA draw is fixed at your SWR amount and never changes -- the HECM is the only lever here.
If You Need Care — HECM vs. No HECM
All four scenarios below show what happens to your money if care becomes necessary, comparing opening the HECM at 70 vs. never opening it. All figures in today's dollars unless toggled otherwise. Care assumed to start at age 80.
Age care starts
Part-time aide hrs/day (in-home)
Home care rate ($/hr, OC 2026)
Assisted living/mo (OC 2026)
OC 2026 data: licensed home care agencies charge $38-$45/hr. Assisted living in Orange County runs ~$6,000-$6,500/mo (Genworth/CareScout), default $6,200. Default home-care rate $41/hr is midpoint. Full-time care (8hrs/day) = ~$10,004/mo at that rate. Care costs inflate at 4%/yr.
Lifetime Projection — Age to 104
Uses your selected retirement age and all current dashboard settings. Shows income, expenses, surplus or shortfall, and running IRA and HECM balances every year from retirement to 104. Everything updates when you change any input or toggle.
IRA Withdrawal Range — RMD Floor to Max Sustainable
For every year from your selected retirement age to 104: your projected IRA balance, the RMD you are forced to take (starts at age 75), the most you could draw that year and still have money last to 104, and where your current fixed SWR draw sits in that range. All of it recomputes when you change your IRA balance, growth rate, or SWR.
IRA Contribution Impact
Set a monthly contribution amount and start age in the left panel. This shows how contributions change your IRA balance at each retirement age and ripples through to SWR income and surplus at every age.