How do I configure the Retirement Planner with my retirement age, monthly budget, and Social Security?
Here's how to set up the key inputs in the Retirement Planner:
- Go to Plan → Retirement Planning
- In the left panel ("Scenario settings"), set your Current age, Retirement age, Monthly retirement contribution, and Monthly retirement budget
- In the "Advanced settings" tab (bottom section), enter your Social security benefits (annual amount, $/yr) and Social security benefits start age
Finding your Social Security benefit amount:
If you're unsure of your expected benefit, you can look it up using the official SSA calculator:
SSA Benefits Calculator → ssa.gov/benefits/calculators
Modeling your spouse's Social Security:
Go to the "Spouse / partner" tab (bottom section) → set "Include spouse/partner separately" to Yes → enter your spouse's age, retirement age, life expectancy, and SS start age. Their Social Security benefit can be modeled separately in the same Advanced settings section.
Note: The "Monthly retirement budget" field is shown in today's dollars - the planner automatically adjusts for inflation in its projections.