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Chapter Seven · Plan for Your Money

Freedom & Legacy
Calculator

Ask your 65-year-old self how much he wants to live on each year. Ask your 55-year-old self whether he wants the option to step away early. Once you choose those two numbers, everything else is math.

The future you're funding

Choose the income you want in each phase. The math tells you what it costs.

$

The decade where work becomes optional instead of necessary.

$

Ideally tax-free, funded through Roth accounts.

7.5% is the figure used throughout Chapter 7.

To fund that future, invest

$20,444 / year

That's $1,704 a month, starting now.

Freedom bucket
$8,474
per year, ages 23–55
Legacy bucket
$11,970
per year, ages 23–65
Your account balance across the accumulation and drawdown years.
Freedom bucket Legacy bucket

What waiting costs

Same future. Same target income. You just start later.

If you can't start at the number your future requires, start at a number you can sustain — then increase it every time your income increases. The goal is not to start big. The goal is to start now, then keep leveling up.

Email me my numbers

We'll send this to you so you can come back to it.

The three phases behind these numbers

Income creates opportunity. A plan creates freedom. Your working years are what make the other two possible.

Your money, your future, your legacy. Phase one, Working Years, roughly ages 25 to 55: build your foundation — earn with purpose, save and invest consistently. Phase two, Freedom Years, roughly ages 55 to 65: work becomes optional and your investments create flexibility and choice. Phase three, Legacy Years, roughly age 65 and up: use your resources to support your lifestyle, bless your family, and fund causes you care about. Where every paycheck goes: the Lifestyle bucket funds your life today, the Freedom bucket builds wealth for future freedom, and the Legacy bucket invests in what matters beyond your lifetime.
Chapter 7 · Every paycheck should support all three phases
These are educational illustrations, not guarantees. They demonstrate long-term financial principles using simplified annual contributions and withdrawals. Real investing happens monthly, through payroll deductions and automated transfers, and results vary with timing, compounding frequency, investment performance, taxes, inflation, fees, and other factors. This calculator does not account for inflation, taxes, or fees, and assumes each account is drawn down to zero over the period shown.

Every figure here is shown in estimated future dollars and is not adjusted for inflation. They should not be read as having the same purchasing power as those amounts today. Before investing, confirm current eligibility and contribution rules. Ben Roberts is not a licensed financial advisor and nothing here is personalized investment advice. Talk to a licensed professional who knows your actual situation before making significant financial decisions.