Retirement planning, without the noise.
Use simple calculators, practical planning tools, and straightforward guides to understand your options and prepare for retirement with more confidence.
Free to use. No account needed. Results first, email optional.
Updated for 2026Based on IRS, SSA, and CMS figuresYour calculator inputs stay on your device
Start your retirement plan
Free · No accountThree quick answers open your plan — the full picture takes about 10 minutes.
Your answers stay on this device unless you choose to save.
Popular tools
Start with the question on your mind
Each tool takes a few minutes, explains its assumptions, and gives you complete results immediately.
Retirement
Retirement Income
See how much monthly income your savings could support in retirement, and how it compares with what you plan to spend.
Taxes
Roth Conversion
See which federal brackets a proposed Roth conversion would fill, the estimated extra tax, and how much room remains in your target bracket.
Social Security
Social Security Timing
Compare claiming at every age from 62 to 70 and see monthly amounts, lifetime totals, and break-even ages.
Healthcare
Medicare IRMAA
See whether your income triggers Medicare premium surcharges — and how close you are to the next cliff.
Retirement
RMD Calculator
Estimate this year's required minimum distribution and see projected RMDs for the years ahead.
Retirement
How Long Will Savings Last?
See how long your savings could last at a given monthly withdrawal, with inflation and returns included.
Planning by life stage
Meet your money where you are
The right next step depends on how close retirement is. Pick your stage for the tools and reading that matter most right now.
Preparing for Retirement
Ten or more years out. The job now: save steadily, let compounding work, and avoid unforced errors.
Within Five Years of Retirement
Decision season: claiming ages, conversion windows, healthcare, and turning a nest egg into a plan.
Living in Retirement
Make the money last and the taxes small: withdrawal pacing, RMDs, and keeping premiums in check.
Featured guides
Free guides, written to be finished
Short, practical PDFs — each one takes on a single decision and walks it through in plain English.
Retirement accounts · Free PDF · 8 pages
The 401(k) Rollover Guide
What to do with an old employer plan — your four options, compared calmly.
Get the guide →Social Security · Free PDF · 8 pages
When Should You Claim Social Security?
The claiming-age decision, explained with the rules and the trade-offs.
Get the guide →Taxes · Free PDF · 8 pages
The Roth Conversion Planning Guide
Filling brackets, dodging cliffs, and deciding whether conversions fit your plan.
Get the guide →Retirement income · Free PDF · 8 pages
The Retirement Income Checklist
Turn a pile of accounts into a monthly paycheck — one step at a time.
Get the guide →Medicare · Free PDF · 8 pages
Medicare and IRMAA Basics
Parts, premiums, enrollment windows, and the income cliffs that raise them.
Get the guide →Lifestyle planning · Free PDF · 8 pages
Preparing for Your First Year of Retirement
The twelve-month runway: money moves, paperwork, and the parts nobody mentions.
Get the guide →Beyond retirement
Everyday money decisions, made clearer.
The same calm math for the rest of life's finances — mortgages, cars, cards, student loans, budgets, and savings goals.
How Downshift works
Three steps, repeated for every decision
Enter your information
A handful of inputs with sensible defaults — never a questionnaire, never an email gate in front of your answers.
Understand the tradeoffs
See the result, the breakdown behind it, and what moves it — with every assumption stated in plain English.
Build your next-step plan
Save or print your scenario, grab the matching guide, and — if you want a human in the loop — schedule a conversation.
Make your next retirement decision with more clarity.
About once a month: one planning idea explained well, any new calculators or guides, and the updated figures that matter (tax brackets, limits, premiums). No hot takes, no product pitches, unsubscribe anytime.
Questions
Fair questions, straight answers
Are the calculators really free?
Yes — every calculator shows complete results immediately, with no account and no email address required. Email only comes in if you want results sent to you or a PDF guide delivered.
How are the calculations created?
Each tool uses standard financial formulas and published government figures — IRS brackets, SSA rules, CMS premiums — with the tax year labeled and every assumption listed right under the results. The methodology section on each calculator page spells out exactly what is and isn't modeled.
Does Downshift provide financial advice?
No. Everything here is educational: estimates to help you understand your options and ask better questions. Nothing on this site is individualized investment, tax, or legal advice — for decisions, work with qualified professionals.
What happens with my information?
Numbers you type into calculators stay in your browser — they're not sent to us unless you explicitly ask us to email you your results. If you share your email for a guide or newsletter, we use it for exactly what you requested and you can unsubscribe anytime. We never sell visitor data.
Can I save my results?
Yes, three ways: save scenarios in your browser (nothing leaves your device), print any results page to paper or PDF, or have a summary emailed to you.
How current are the tax and retirement figures?
Calculators currently use official 2026 figures (with 2025 selectable where it matters), and each page shows a last-updated date. We review the data when the IRS, SSA, and CMS publish their annual updates.