Step 1 of 8
Let's start with the basics
Tell us the basics and we'll show you if your retirement plan holds up.
Enter what you spend today — we'll adjust for inflation automatically each year. Do not include healthcare costs — we'll estimate those separately in Step 6.
Used to calculate your federal income tax during retirement.
Step 2 of 8
Pre-retirement contributions
How much will you save each year until retirement, and where will it go?
Include 401k, IRA contributions, and brokerage deposits — all the money you'll add to investments this year
Percentages must total 100%
Step 3 of 8
Your investment accounts
Add each account. Give it a name you'll recognize, pick its type, and enter the current balance.
Select type to add an account
New account
e.g. "My 401k", "Roth IRA", "Brokerage Account"
Step 4 of 8
Your income in retirement
Tell us about money coming in during retirement — Social Security, pension, part-time work. This reduces how much you'll draw from savings.
New income source
Step 5 of 8
Windfalls & Financial Events
Add windfalls or recurring cash flows you expect — home sales, inheritances, business sales, rental proceeds, or any lump sum. These are separate from recurring retirement income.
Select event type to add
New event
e.g. "Home sale proceeds", "Inheritance from estate"
Step 6 of 8
Healthcare & Planned Expenses
Tell us about your healthcare coverage and any major planned expenses. We use this to model your full retirement cost picture.
Children up to age 26 affect your household size (used for ACA subsidy calculations) and premium costs. We automatically remove them from your plan the year they turn 27.
Traditional Medicare has unlimited OOP exposure. Medicare Advantage plans cap annual OOP but vary by insurer.
Used to estimate out-of-pocket costs. Conservative plans for higher utilization, chronic conditions, or cautious planning.
Enter the unsubsidized Silver plan premium for your area. If you use ACA marketplace, we still calculate and apply your income-based subsidy on top of this — so enter the full sticker price, not your net cost. Leave blank to use our state-adjusted estimate.
HSA funds are used first to cover your healthcare costs — tax-free. Any excess after healthcare is covered acts as a supplemental retirement account post-65.
Do you have an HSA?
New expense
Step 7 of 8
Market assumptions
These drive the Monte Carlo simulation. The defaults are reasonable — most people can skip this step.
NestCalc uses a two-model approach: normal years use the inputs below, while crash years are handled by a separate distribution. Volatility here applies to normal years only — crash years are modeled separately. Historical S&P 500 CAGR is ~10%; set your expected return target accordingly.
Annual market return target
Normal year variability only
Annual cost-of-living increase
Keeps returns near target (0–1)
Estimated annual dividends/distributions from taxable holdings. Counts toward ACA MAGI even if not withdrawn. Default: 1.5%
Return earned on windfall proceeds kept as cash. Default: 0% (conservative). Use 4–5% to model a high-yield savings account. Cash acts as a market downturn buffer — drawn more heavily when annual returns are negative.
Normal years
Maximum single-year return. Historically only ~4 years in 95 exceeded 35%.
Crash years
These three parameters define what a "crash year" looks like. Each year has a probability of being a crash year. If it is, the return is drawn from a distribution centered at the mean, but capped at the ceiling — ensuring crash years always hurt.
Methodology (fixed)
Standard deduction
$29,200 MFJ
Tax brackets
2026 IRS
RMD table
IRS Uniform
Cap gains rates
0% / 15% / 20%
Step 8 of 8
Review your inputs
Everything look right? We'll run 1,000 Monte Carlo simulations to estimate your retirement success rate.