Most retirement plans fail for boring reasons: contributions set too low, accounts in the wrong order, and a drawdown strategy invented on the day work stops. A plan that survives contact with retirement is built backwards — from the income you need to the savings that fund it.
Start from spending, not savings
We begin with your actual cost of the life you want after work, subtract pensions and other income, and close the gap with your own capital. The resulting number — your funded target — decides everything else.
A retirement plan is a spending plan first and an investment plan second.
Order matters twice
While saving, tax-advantaged accounts usually come first; employer matches are free money no plan should refuse. While spending, the withdrawal order across taxable, tax-deferred and tax-free accounts can add years to a portfolio's life. We sequence both.
Review before you retire, not after
The five years before retirement decide more than the twenty before them. We stress-test your plan against poor markets, late-career surprises and longer lives — then adjust while there is still time to adjust.
Download the overview
Account types, limits and drawdown order in one PDF.
