How each number is calculated

Press any small ? button next to a number to see its formula with your own figures.

Each month, the plan follows a fixed order:

1. Apply raises and inflation on your plan's anniversary; reset IRS limit counters each January.
2. Working months: 401(k) deferrals and match (up to the IRS limit), take-home pay, budget, savings pool, then deposits by your rules. Accounts that deposit every few months wait in a "pending" bucket earning the cash rate.
3. Retirement months: spending need (plus healthcare before 65), Social Security and other income, then withdrawals in your chosen order with taxes and penalties.
4. Growth is applied at the end of the month to every balance.

Deposits and withdrawals happen at the start of the month. Every amount that changes a balance has its own column in the year-by-year table.