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Retirement Wealth + SS Break-Even (tiered after-retirement returns)

Same SS break-even and savings model as the base calculator, with a two-sleeve portfolio in retirement: each year the conservative slice is reset up to the smaller of your balance or (COLA-adjusted savings draw after SS and other income) × reserve years, and the remainder stays in the long-term sleeve.

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Retirement Savings & Income

Savings model after retirement
Simple single sleeve wiht one rate after retirement. Complex splits a conservative reserve from the rest.
Single balance before retirement

After retirement (simple)

Single growth rate on the full balance after retire date
Total household contribution per year

Savings life events (optional)

Your age when each lump is applied to savings (same ages as the year-by-year table). Use a + amount for deposits and for withdrawals. Applied after contributions or retirement withdrawals for that year, before return.

Applies yearly to desired income, Social Security, and other retirement income. Use 0 for current dollars.
After-retirement spending target
Pension, annuity, part-time work, etc.

Saved Scenarios

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Summary

Claim at 62 (Early)
monthly · lifetime SS
Claim at FRA
monthly · lifetime SS
Claim at 70 (Late)
monthly · lifetime SS

Break-even ages

Enter values and click Recalculate.
Estimated savings ending balance over time
Cumulative Social Security received, including COLA
Retirement income, Social Security & other income (annual, COLA-adjusted)
Year-by-year breakdown
Columns

Notes & Caveats

How break-even is calculated

SS-only break-even: Totals Social Security checks only. It asks when the later-claim strategy catches up in raw dollars received.

SS Savings Investment Impact (Simple): Each year’s benefit (with COLA) is compounded at the same yearly returns as your Simple savings projection (working rate, then your single retirement rate). That approximates how earlier benefits can leave more of your savings invested to grow. Starting balance and contributions are not included—only Social Security cash flows.

SS Savings Investment Impact (Complex): Same idea, but each year uses the same blended conservative / long-term return as your two-sleeve chart. Again, only the benefit checks are valued this way—not your starting balance or contributions.

Savings chart: Lines show ending balance after each year (contributions, withdrawals, life events, and returns). Choose Simple for one balance and one return after retirement, or Complex for a conservative income-reserve sleeve plus a long-term sleeve. In Complex mode the reserve sleeve is set at the start of each retired year to the smaller of total savings or (COLA-adjusted savings draw after SS and other income) × reserve years, then withdrawals apply (see the left panel).

Timing: Break-even ages are interpolated, so you may see ages like 78.4 instead of whole numbers. Inputs start in today's dollars; the COLA field grows spending, Social Security, and other retirement income each year.

What this does NOT model

Taxes on SS or savings withdrawals, Medicare IRMAA brackets, RMDs (required minimum distributions starting at 73/75), the earnings test if you work while claiming before FRA, divorced-spouse benefits, WEP/GPO for government pensions. A future version may add married-household and survivor modeling. Treat this as a planning aid, not a substitute for a financial advisor.

Reference: SSA claiming-age multipliers (FRA = 67)

Claiming at 62 = ~70% of FRA benefit. Each month earlier than FRA reduces the benefit. Each month delayed past FRA adds 8%/year (delayed retirement credits), maxing out at age 70 = ~124% of FRA. The SSA publishes your projected benefit at each age on your my Social Security statement at ssa.gov — those are the numbers to enter above.