Example plan · Pay less tax
Pay less tax over retirement
Marcus, 59, is a single high earner retiring at 62 with a large pre-tax balance. Without action, required withdrawals detonate a tax bomb in his 70s — filling the low brackets early defuses it.
Tax paid each year: Current vs Optimized
$171,199 less tax over retirement
The current plan's tax bill balloons once required withdrawals (RMDs) begin at 73; the optimized plan pays a little more early to convert, then far less later. Illustrative figures from the NestVida engine.
About this plan
- Who
- Marcus
- Filing status
- Single
- Current age
- 59
- Retire at
- 62
- Plan through age
- 92
- Taxable / brokerage
- $700,000
- Traditional (pre-tax)
- $2,900,000
- Roth
- $260,000
- Monthly spending goal
- $8,000/mo
- Social Security (monthly)
- $3,800
At a glance
Lower tax and higher net worth are better. Success = share of 1,000 Monte Carlo market paths the plan survives.
Before vs after
The Current plan draws accounts as-is. The Optimized plan adds Roth conversions in the low-income years before Social Security and required withdrawals begin — everything else is identical.
| Metric | Current | Optimized |
|---|---|---|
| Probability of success | 1% | 92% |
| Money lasts to age | Runs out at 85 | Lasts to 92 |
| Lifetime taxes | $1,293,310 | $1,122,112 |
| Lifetime taxes saved | — | $171,199 |
| Final net worth (after-tax) | $3,620,992 | $5,572,534 |
| Lifetime Social Security | $1,185,600 | $1,185,600 |
What changed and why
- •The optimized plan converts $924,990 from pre-tax to Roth during the low-income years between retiring at 62 and required withdrawals beginning at 73.
- •Final after-tax net worth ends near $5,572,534 — about $1,951,542 more than the current plan — because Roth dollars carry no future tax bill.
- •Monte Carlo success rises from 1% to 92% across 1,000 randomized market simulations.
- •Filling the low brackets early trims projected lifetime taxes by $171,199 ($1,293,310 down to $1,122,112) and shrinks the survivor's future tax bill.
How to get there
The specific moves behind this result — the same ones you'd make in the planner with your own numbers.
- 1Retire at 62 and keep your first years' taxable income low.
- 2Delay Social Security to 67 to lock in a larger, inflation-protected benefit.
- 3Each year from 62 to 72, convert about $84,090 from your pre-tax 401(k)/IRA to Roth — filling the 24% bracket, no higher.
- 4Spend from taxable savings (and the converted Roth) first, so the pre-tax balance shrinks before required withdrawals begin at 73.
- 5Re-check yearly and adjust — do this in the planner with your own numbers.
Make it yours
These are starting numbers. Load this plan into the live app and swap in your own balances, spending, and Social Security — everything recalculates instantly, and nothing leaves your browser.