Welcome to ModernRetire
ModernRetire helps you model your retirement — from first dollar saved to last year of life. This tutorial walks you through building a complete plan in about 15 minutes. Optionally start from a sample plan (signed-in, blank local plan) to explore features before entering your own numbers. New signed-in users may also see an 8-chapter guided setup — it covers the same Profile inputs and lands on Profile → Summary when finished.
Open ModernRetire →Sample plans load illustrative household data so you can click around Projections and Plan analysis before typing your own numbers. They only appear when your local plan is empty — if you already have balances or spending entered, you will not see the sample buttons.
Loading a sample replaces the blank local plan with demo data. It does not merge with your existing inputs. Clear the local plan first if the button is missing.
- Open ModernRetire and sign in (samples are not offered to guests).
- If you already have a plan on this device: open Cloud ▾ in the top bar (near Save) → choose Clear plan → confirm Clear local plan.
- Wait until the header finishes any “restoring / loading plan” message (cloud check). Samples stay hidden until that settles.
- Go to Dashboard. In Plan setup, under Start Basics →, click Not sure yet? Explore a sample plan. (If guided setup is open, you can also use Explore a sample plan under the Guided / Full cards.)
- Pick a scenario (14 stories: FIRE, pensions, Roth runway, LTC, inherited IRA, and more).
- After reload, a sticky Sample data banner shows. Use Keep & customize to treat it as your working plan, or Start blank to clear and return to Dashboard.
Clear plan erases local data (including compare snapshots on this device). If you are signed in, your cloud backup is not overwritten until you resume sync or edit — use Cloud ▾ → Use cloud backup to restore afterward.
Prefer to enter your own numbers? Start with Profile → Basics (or finish guided setup if prompted). Completing Basics (including state of residence) unlocks Dashboard KPIs. The app uses birth date (not current age) so projections stay accurate as time passes. Check Profile → Summary anytime for completion status and next-step links.
- Birth year & monthUsed to compute your current age and all future milestone ages automatically.
- Retirement year & monthWhen you plan to stop working. The earlier in the year, the more you potentially save on that year's income tax.
- Life expectancyHow far to project. Default is 95. A longer horizon is more conservative.
- Filing statusSingle or Married Filing Jointly. Affects every tax calculation in the app.
- StateDetermines state income tax rules — all 50 states + DC are supported.
- FRA (Full Retirement Age)Set to 67 if born 1960 or later; 66 for earlier birth years. Affects Social Security benefit calculations.
Toggle Has Spouse to unlock spouse fields. You can model separate retirement dates, account balances, Social Security claims, and survival scenarios.
If you retire before December, the app notes how much you save in income tax compared to retiring at year-end — retiring in June can save thousands.
Income and spending are the two levers that determine how long your money lasts. Profile → Income holds salary, growth, inflation, and post-retirement cash flow; Profile → Expenses holds your retirement spending target and debt.
- Annual incomeYour current gross salary or W-2 wages. Used to compute contributions, employer match, and accumulation-phase taxes.
- Income growth rateExpected annual raise %. Use 2–3% for conservative planning.
- Inflation assumptionLong-run rate for how retirement spending grows (default 3%). Edited on Income; Expenses shows the same value.
Add up to three income phases after you stop full-time work — part-time W-2, consulting, or severance — each with its own amount and start/end ages. Married households can add spouse bridge income on the same page.
- Retirement spendingAnnual target in today's dollars. The app inflates this each year using your inflation assumption.
- Spending strategyChoose Fixed (constant real), Guardrails (adjusts with portfolio), or % of Portfolio. Guardrails (Guyton-Klinger) is recommended for most people.
- Support obligationsOptional alimony or child support rows: monthly amount, pay vs receive, start/end ages (yours), inflate with plan. Separate from Budget Builder line items.
On Profile → Expenses, turn on Budget Builder and total 12 categories in today's dollars. The annual sum fills your retirement spending target so you are not guessing at one large number.
If you have a mortgage, toggle it on and enter the monthly payment and the age when it'll be paid off. Add car loans, student loans, or other debts with the + Add debt button.
This is the most important section. Accurate balances, realistic contribution rates, and a smart withdrawal strategy are the foundation of every projection. Profile → Accounts groups holdings into three buckets — Taxable, Tax-deferred, and Roth / tax-free — with an explainer at the top of the page.
- 401(k) / 403(b) / 457(b)Your current pre-tax employer retirement account. Grows tax-deferred; taxable on withdrawal.
- Traditional IRAPre-tax IRA. RMD start age depends on your birth year (e.g. 73 for 1951–1959, 75 if born 1960 or later).
- Roth IRA / Roth 401(k)After-tax contributions with tax-free growth. No RMDs in your lifetime.
- Taxable brokerageRegular investment account. Subject to capital gains tax when you sell.
- HSAHealth Savings Account. Triple tax-advantaged — pre-tax in, tax-free growth, tax-free out for medical.
- 401(k) deferralYour annual employee contribution. 2026 limit: $23,500 (or $31,000 at age 50+, $34,750 at 60–63).
- Employer matchMatch percentage (e.g., 4%). The app models full match up to this % of income.
- IRA contributionAnnual IRA contribution. Limit is $7,000 ($8,000 at 50+).
- HSA contributionRequires an HDHP health plan. 2026 limits: $4,300 (self) / $8,550 (family) + $1,000 catch-up at 55+.
Advanced tax levers (optional — expand when ready)
- Roth ConversionsConvert pre-tax money to Roth each year. Set the annual amount and target tax bracket to avoid bracket creep.
- Roth Conversion Tax SourceChoose whether conversion taxes come from your taxable account, proportionally from all accounts, or from bridge income when bridge mode is on.
- Mega Backdoor RothIf your 401(k) allows after-tax contributions with in-plan conversion, you can contribute up to $70K/yr total.
- QCD (Qualified Charitable Distribution)At age 70½+, donate directly from your IRA to charity — up to $105K/yr, tax-free.
- Catch-Up / Super Catch-Up50+ adds $1K to IRA and $7,500 to 401(k). Ages 60–63 get an enhanced 'super catch-up' of $11,250 to 401(k).
- Withdrawal orderRecommended order is RMDs → Taxable → Pre-tax → Roth, deferring Roth as long as possible.
If you're age 50+ and earn over $150,000, SECURE 2.0 requires catch-up contributions to go into a Roth account. The app warns you if this applies.
Social Security is often the largest single income source in retirement — small claiming decisions can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Claiming age (62–70)You can claim as early as 62 (reduced benefit) or delay up to 70 (8%/yr delayed credits after FRA). Each year of delay adds ~6–8% permanently.
- Monthly benefit at FRAFind this on your Social Security statement at ssa.gov/myaccount. Enter your benefit at full retirement age.
- Break-even analysisAutomatically calculated — shows the age at which delaying pays off vs. claiming at 62. Typical break-even is ~78–82.
If you're in good health, delaying to 70 is often the optimal strategy — it's the highest guaranteed return available. Run Optimizer from Plan analysis (Step 6) to confirm for your situation.
If you retire before Medicare eligibility at 65, open Healthcare / ACA (separate from Benefits). Choose your coverage mode:
- ACA MarketplaceSubsidized if your MAGI is between 100%–400% FPL. The app calculates your subsidy automatically based on household size and state.
- COBRAContinues employer coverage for up to 18 months. More expensive but no network change.
- Retiree PlanIf your employer offers post-retirement coverage, enter the monthly premium.
- Spouse's Employer PlanIf your spouse is still working, you can stay on their plan — often the cheapest option.
Roth conversions increase your MAGI, which can reduce or eliminate ACA subsidies. The app shows a warning when ACA mode is active.
- PensionEnter annual amount, start age, COLA, and survivor benefit percentage.
- Gov pension (non-SS)Pension from work not covered by Social Security. Enter SSA statement amounts at full value — WEP/GPO no longer apply (Fairness Act).
- Long-Term Care (LTC)On Healthcare / ACA — model insurance premiums and potential care costs.
- SPIA / QLACAnnuity products — SPIA provides immediate income; QLAC defers income from your IRA to reduce RMDs and longevity risk.
With your profile complete, explore the Projections section to see your plan visualized over time. Each view answers a different question.
Use the age slider to move through your life year by year. See every account's balance, growth formula, tax detail, and any notable events (home sale, RMD start, SS claiming).
A stacked area chart of all account balances from now to life expectancy. Toggle between Portfolio Balances and Cash Flow. Hover to see exact values at any age.
An animated flow diagram showing exactly where money comes from and where it goes each retirement year. Ribbons are sized proportionally to dollar amounts.
Runs 1,000+ simulations with randomized market returns to show the probability your plan succeeds. A success rate above 80% is generally considered robust.
Open Projections → Monte Carlo and turn on Monte Carlo on at the top of that page (optional trial count). It takes a few seconds but is the most meaningful single metric in the app.
Stress one deterministic crash during drawdown — set shock age, portfolio loss %, and recovery years. Useful for a single vivid bad sequence alongside Monte Carlo.
Tests your plan against actual historical market sequences (1970s inflation, 2000 dot-com crash, 2008 crisis). See which decades would have stressed your plan most.
The optimizer searches thousands of strategy combinations to find the one that lets you retire earliest with the lowest lifetime tax burden. It tests different retirement ages, Social Security claiming ages, and Roth conversion amounts simultaneously.
Open the top nav Plan analysis group, then Run Optimizer. When it finishes, open Review for a summary before applying changes.
Lock your SS claiming age before optimizing if you've already decided — the optimizer will then only vary the other parameters.
A 5×5 sensitivity grid testing your plan across 25 combinations of market return offsets (−4% to +4%) and inflation offsets (0% to +4%). Green cells survive to life expectancy; red cells run out early.
Tax Plan is an interactive timeline: edit per-year conversions, lock years, and model federal and state LTCG harvesting. Year detail splits Federal vs State LTCG when applicable. Tax Brackets shows marginal room. Married users: Survivor Tax Impact models bracket collapse, SS taxability, and IRMAA after the first death.
→ Open Tax Plan in ModernRetire→ Open Survivor Tax Impact in ModernRetireCompare (Premium) combines Roth strategy variants (four archetypes, scored on after-tax wealth) and saved plan snapshots (3 named saves on free signed-in, unlimited on Premium) on one screen — use snapshots to compare different states of residence after duplicating a plan.
A dedicated grid for lifetime Social Security income at every claiming age from 62 to 70 for primary and spouse.
The Legacy section helps you understand what you'll leave behind and how heirs will be taxed on it.
- InheritanceBar chart of your estimated estate at ages 75, 80, 85, and 90 — broken down by account type and heir tax burden.
- Heir TaxModels the income tax your heirs will owe on inherited pre-tax accounts. The 10-year rule (SECURE 2.0) means they must distribute the entire IRA within 10 years.
- TCJA / Estate TaxThe OBBBA (2025) permanently extended the higher estate tax exemption (~$15M per person, inflation-adjusted).
- Estate ChecklistA practical checklist of legal documents, beneficiary designations, and planning tasks for your heirs.
ModernRetire is a planning tool, not financial advice. All projections are estimates based on your inputs and simplified models. Tax rules shown are 2026. Consult a qualified financial advisor before making retirement decisions.