Free calculator

What’s your retirement income gap?

Three numbers, ten seconds: how much of the retirement you’re planning is covered by income that’s guaranteed — and how much is riding on the market? The gap is the number every income plan starts from.

Monthly spending you expect in retirement Housing, food, insurance, travel — the life you actually plan to live.

Monthly Social Security (you + spouse) Your estimate from ssa.gov, or your current benefit.

Other guaranteed monthly income Pension, existing annuity income, rental you count on. Not investment withdrawals — that’s the point of this exercise.

Your monthly income gap

See What Would Close This Gap

This calculator runs entirely in your browser — nothing is sent unless you choose to share it. Educational tool only, not advice: it doesn’t account for inflation, taxes, or your full financial picture. A licensed advisor can — free, with zero pressure.

Tell us your gap number and your state

One licensed advisor will show you what it would take to close it — starting with your goals, not a product. Free, no pressure.

More than one way to close the gap

Once you know the gap, there’s more than one tool to close it. Each does something different — and each has trade-offs.

Social Security timing

Often the highest-value decision — and it costs nothing.

A bond ladder

Predictable income you control.

Dividends

Income that can grow over time.

An annuity

Income you can’t outlive — subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Good at that one job. Not good at everything.

An annuity is one piece of the plan, not the whole plan. You still need liquidity and money positioned for growth. If any part of your savings goes to guaranteed income, it’s typically no more than half — how much, if any, depends on the job it has to do.

Why the gap matters

Markets don’t owe you groceries.

Anything the market pays for — withdrawals from a 401(k) or IRA — can shrink exactly when you need it most. The classic income-planning move is simple: cover your essential spending with income that arrives no matter what (Social Security, pension, and if there’s a gap, a “personal pension” built from part of your savings), and let the market handle the wants, not the needs.

Curious how that’s built? Read How Income Riders Work — ten honest minutes, including the fine print most pitches skip. Or see today’s published rate ranges.

Turn the gap into a plan.

Tell us your gap number and your state — one licensed advisor will show you exactly what it would take to close it with guaranteed lifetime income, from A-rated and B++/B+ carriers only. Free, and nobody will pressure you. Ever.

Educational tool only — not tax, legal, or investment advice. Annuity guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

How much can your savings produce?

See the income picture by amount: $500k · $750k · $1M · $2M · $3M · $5M

Own an annuity already? Can you “refinance” it? (1035 exchange)