The challenges to plan for, from taxes and inflation to health care and longevity, plus an income worksheet, account basics and a printable checklist.
Explore Retirement PlanningResources
Free guides, calculators and trusted links
Everything on the site, mapped to the four GRIP pillars. Find your path by topic, or jump straight to a tool. All free, all educational.
Educational only. This page explains general concepts. It is not advice or a recommendation for your situation. Tax rules, limits and benefit rules change, so confirm current figures with the official sources linked here and a qualified professional.
Tools at a glance
Quick, private calculators and self-checks. Nothing you type is collected. All self-checks →
- CalculatorFuture Value“How much could my money grow?”
- CalculatorInvestment Returns“What did my investment actually earn?”
- CalculatorLife Insurance Needs“How much coverage might my family need?”
- WorksheetRetirement Income Worksheet“How big is my retirement income gap?”
- Self-checkInvestor Risk“How much investment risk fits me?”
- Self-checkOptions Readiness“Am I ready to learn options, and what comes first?”
Topics
Multi-page deep dives on one subject. Each also appears under its pillar below.
Options explained as Income and Protection tools, with a made-up Stock XYZ, payoff charts and what can go wrong. Education only.
Explore Options BlueprintFind your path
Resources by GRIP pillar
Growth • Retention • Income • Protection
Growth
Growing what you have, by putting money to work over time.
In the Financial House: Accumulation floor
- GuideHow to open a brokerage accountAccount types, what you need, funding, first steps and fees to compare.
- Guide + calculatorHow to calculate investment returnsSimple return, CAGR, real return and fees, with a calculator.
- CalculatorFuture Value CalculatorHow a starting amount plus regular saving could grow over time.
- Self-checkInvestor Risk Self-CheckEight private questions on how much investment risk fits you.
- Life stageStarting to investSaving vs. investing, the building blocks, risk and time horizon.
- Life stageInvesting for retirementWorkplace plans, IRAs, savings rate and the employer match.
- Life stageSaving for college529 plans and other ways to save and pay for school.
- GlossaryGlossary: money and investing termsPlain-English definitions, from compound growth to the Rule of 72.
- Official linksInvesting tools and brokerage firmsOfficial calculators, plus a neutral, alphabetical list of firms.
Retention
Keeping what you have, by managing cash flow, debt and taxes.
In the Financial House: Foundation and Tax efficiency floors
- Financial HouseThe GRIP Financial HouseThe six-floor framework that shows how the pieces of a financial life fit together.
- Financial HouseFoundation: cash flow and budgetingWhere money comes from and goes, budgeting, credit and paying down debt.
- Financial HouseTax efficiency: the roofRoth vs. traditional, capital gains, HSAs and asset location.
- Life stageStarting your first jobGross vs. net pay, withholding, benefits and a first budget.
- Life stageThe tax buckets strategyPay tax now, later or never: taxable, tax-deferred and tax-free accounts.
Income
Turning savings into income you can live on, and making it last.
In the Financial House: Distribution floor
- Topic hubRetirement PlanningThe challenges to plan for, from taxes and inflation to health care and longevity.
- GuideRetirement challenges to plan forEleven challenges: what each is, why it matters and what to plan for.
- WorksheetBuild a retirement income planEssential vs. discretionary spending, income sources and an income-gap worksheet.
- GuideRetirement accounts and limits401(k), IRA, Roth, 403(b), 457(b) and TSP basics, this year’s limits and RMD ages.
- ChecklistRetirement planning checklistA printable tick-box checklist. Nothing is saved or sent.
- EpisodeHow Much You Need to RetireA simple 3-step estimate, with the 25x and 4% rules and their limits.
- Life stagePlanning for retirementEstimating spending, income sources and the gap savings must fill.
- Life stageChallenges in retirementWithdrawals, inflation and turning savings into income that lasts.
- Official linksSocial Security and government toolsYour own Social Security account, benefit estimates and planning pages.
Lesson series
Options Blueprint: options as Income tools
Education-only lessons with a made-up Stock XYZ, payoff charts and what can go wrong.
Options involve significant risk and are not suitable for all investors.
Lessons, in order
Advanced, after the basics
Protection
Protecting what you have from loss of life or income, and from large market losses.
In the Financial House: Protection floor
- Guide + calculatorLife insurance needsHuman life value, income replacement and DIME, with a calculator.
- Life stageEmergency fund and safety netWhy a cash cushion comes first (in Starting your first job).
- Life stageInvestment challengesVolatility, loss math and the behavior mistakes that cost the most.
- Official linksChecking professionals and protectionFINRA BrokerCheck, SIPC and FDIC: what is and is not covered.
- Official linksInsurance guidesAn official consumer guide to life insurance and annuities.
Lesson series
Options Blueprint: options as Protection tools
How some investors limit the downside on shares they own, and what that costs.
Options involve significant risk and are not suitable for all investors.
Lessons, in order
More tools may be added
Ideas we’re considering:
- Retirement Number Calculator Estimate a target with the 25x and 4% rules (companion to the How Much You Need to Retire episode and the Retirement Planning topic).
- Emergency Fund Planner Work out a target from your own expenses.
- 50/30/20 Budget Worksheet A worksheet for the 50/30/20 framework.
- GRIP Financial House Checklist See which floors of your own house need attention.
More ways to explore
Have a request? Tell us what you would like to see.