Retirement

Why I track this

Having a target - even a moving one - is better than not having one. The goal is to stop working when I want to, not when I have to. Watching the number move is its own kind of motivation.

The math

The calculation targets an income at retirement that matches my current take-home pay - not a reduced lifestyle, just the same number of dollars landing each month. That income comes from three places: savings and investments drawn down at a sustainable rate, secondary income I expect to continue in some form, and Social Security claimed at 62. The base scenario assumes my current savings rate holds and markets return roughly what history suggests. The projected age is where those three lines converge.

Projected retirement age over time

Tracking since May 2026 — this chart fills in daily.

Note: the step down in late June 2026 is a refinement to how this is calculated, not a change in plan. The projection now targets take-home pay directly, matching the method described above. The math moved, not the goal.