A fictional walkthrough · Follow the money
See how your retirement plan works, year by year.
Follow money into your accounts while working, then see how savings fund retirement spending, taxes and Roth conversions.
Meet Alex and Sam
Our fictional household plans to retire in 2028. They have workplace retirement accounts, Roth savings, cash and taxable investments. Their plan includes Social Security later and required withdrawals when applicable.
Illustrative amounts—not calculated results. These invented numbers teach account movements, not what you should contribute or withdraw.
What this illustration leaves out
This is not contribution-limit guidance, a complete cash-flow projection or a recommended strategy. Taxes, balances, returns and household eligibility have not been calculated for these invented amounts.
While working: where new savings go
| Year | Account movements | What to inspect in a calculated plan |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $24,000 to workplace retirement savings; $6,000 to taxable investments. | Contribution eligibility, available cash and projected taxes. |
| 2027 | Repeat $24,000 and $6,000 contributions if still affordable and eligible. | How contributions and projected taxes change before retirement. |
Early retirement: where spending comes from
| Year | Account movements | What to inspect in a calculated plan |
|---|---|---|
| 2028 | $50,000 from cash and taxable investments, plus $20,000 from pre-tax savings, toward $70,000 of spending. | Access rules, taxable gains, taxes and whether additional withdrawals are needed to cover costs. |
| 2029 | Illustrate the same $70,000 spending sources; separately explore a $20,000 transfer from pre-tax savings to Roth savings. | Conversion taxes, tax-bracket room, healthcare costs and the effect on future balances. |
A conversion is a separate account movement. The hypothetical $20,000 conversion is not part of the $70,000 available for spending. A calculated plan must also fund taxes and other costs.
Later retirement: the mix changes
Social Security and required retirement-account withdrawals change where spending money comes from. Check every year—not just these milestones.
Connect your strategy to the outcome
- The strategy: compare contribution choices, withdrawal sources, conversion policies or Social Security timing.
- The account movements: see money entering and leaving each account, with conversions separated from spendable withdrawals.
- The projected outcome: review spending funded, taxes, balances, funding gaps and downside scenarios together.
A strategy with lower lifetime taxes may require more tax now, change healthcare costs or leave less accessible cash. The balance depends on your priorities and assumptions.
Walk through your own plan
- Open the planner and review your inputs, including spending, accounts and retirement timing.
- On the Dashboard, find The path ahead, choose Explore a year, then open See this year’s details.
- Follow the selected year's contributions, withdrawals and conversions. Review the tax details and income against tax ceilings alongside those account movements.
- Repeat for the next year and for major transitions. Compare scenarios using the same spending assumptions, and inspect funding gaps and market simulations before relying on a result.
Explore a calculated example
Open the existing Conversion Window demo at its first retirement year, then expand the details you need.
Different household and numbers. The demo uses calculated results, not Alex and Sam’s invented amounts above. You’ll confirm before loading; your current plan is saved for Return to my plan.
Explore a calculated example →Published by Decision Continuum LLC. Educational illustration; not an independent professional review.