https://planomy.net/guides/ Plain-English guides to US retirement, taxes, Social Security, Medicare, saving and investing from Planomy. en-us Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT https://planomy.net/guides/how-capital-gains-tax-is-calculated https://planomy.net/guides/how-capital-gains-tax-is-calculated Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Long-term gains stack on top of your ordinary income. The 2026 0%, 15% and 20% breakpoints, short-term rates, the 3.8% NIIT and four worked examples. https://planomy.net/guides/how-to-calculate-401k-employer-match https://planomy.net/guides/how-to-calculate-401k-employer-match Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT The three match formulas employers use, run line by line on a real salary, plus the per-paycheck timing trap and the vesting schedule behind it. https://planomy.net/guides/hsa-contribution-limits-and-rules https://planomy.net/guides/hsa-contribution-limits-and-rules Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT The 2026 HSA contribution limits, whether employer money counts toward them, the last-month rule, the 20% withdrawal penalty, and what changes at 65. https://planomy.net/guides/retirement-planner-that-works-offline https://planomy.net/guides/retirement-planner-that-works-offline Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Most planners stop at the login screen with no connection. Planomy installs to your device, keeps your plan in local storage, and projects while offline. https://planomy.net/guides/best-retirement-planning-software https://planomy.net/guides/best-retirement-planning-software Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT A category guide to retirement planning software: the four questions that decide it, what each type of tool is best at, and where Planomy honestly fits. https://planomy.net/guides/can-i-retire-at-62 https://planomy.net/guides/can-i-retire-at-62 Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Claiming Social Security at 62 cuts it to 70% of your full benefit. What that costs in dollars, the three-year Medicare gap, and the portfolio the rest needs. https://planomy.net/guides/can-i-retire-with-500k https://planomy.net/guides/can-i-retire-with-500k Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Half a million funds about $20,000 a year at 4%. Worked examples of when that is enough with Social Security, when it is not, and four ways to close the gap. https://planomy.net/guides/free-retirement-planner-no-signup https://planomy.net/guides/free-retirement-planner-no-signup Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Planomy https://planomy.net/guides/how-long-will-my-money-last https://planomy.net/guides/how-long-will-my-money-last Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT The depletion formula behind the answer, a table showing how long a portfolio lasts at each withdrawal rate and real return, and why an average return misleads. https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-to-retire-at-55 https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-to-retire-at-55 Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Retiring at 55 means funding a 40-year retirement and bridging to Social Security. The worked math, the withdrawal rate it needs, and how to reach the money. https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-does-a-500k-annuity-pay-per-month https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-does-a-500k-annuity-pay-per-month Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT $500,000 pays about $3,300 a month over 20 years at a 5% return. Full payout table from $50,000 to $2 million, by term, rate and the age you start. https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-does-a-couple-need-to-retire https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-does-a-couple-need-to-retire Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Two Social Security benefits, one longer joint horizon, and the survivor drop that most plans ignore — the arithmetic of retiring together, worked end to end. https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-is-a-6-month-emergency-fund https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-is-a-6-month-emergency-fund Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Six months of essential expenses, not six months of income. $4,000 a month of essentials means $24,000. Table for 3, 6, 8 and 12 months, and how long it takes. https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-will-a-529-grow https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-will-a-529-grow Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT $300 a month from birth reaches about $116,000 by age 18 at a 6% return — $64,800 contributed and $51,400 of growth. Full table by amount, term and rate. https://planomy.net/guides/is-1-million-enough-to-retire https://planomy.net/guides/is-1-million-enough-to-retire Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT What a million dollars really pays each year, how your retirement age changes the safe number, the tax you still owe, and the spending level where it breaks. https://planomy.net/guides/pension-lump-sum-vs-monthly https://planomy.net/guides/pension-lump-sum-vs-monthly Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Turn the offer into a payout rate, test it against a 4% withdrawal, then price what the rate hides: no cost-of-living rises, survivor options, employer risk. https://planomy.net/guides/planomy-vs-boldin https://planomy.net/guides/planomy-vs-boldin Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT A fair comparison of Planomy and Boldin (formerly NewRetirement): on-device versus cloud account, free planner versus subscription, and which suits you. https://planomy.net/guides/planomy-vs-empower https://planomy.net/guides/planomy-vs-empower Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT One aggregates your linked accounts and is funded by a wealth manager. The other projects a plan on your device with no account. They solve different problems. https://planomy.net/guides/planomy-vs-projectionlab https://planomy.net/guides/planomy-vs-projectionlab Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Both project a retirement year by year. The differences that matter are what you pay for, whether an account is required, and how you like to work with a model. https://planomy.net/guides/retirement-planning-spreadsheet-vs-software https://planomy.net/guides/retirement-planning-spreadsheet-vs-software Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT A spreadsheet gives you total control and costs nothing. Here is exactly what you have to build yourself, and the point where dedicated software starts to win. https://planomy.net/guides/pay-off-mortgage-before-retiring https://planomy.net/guides/pay-off-mortgage-before-retiring Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT The present-value test that settles the rate-versus-return argument, the tax spike from using IRA money, and when a paid-off house is worth lost flexibility. https://planomy.net/guides/when-to-take-social-security https://planomy.net/guides/when-to-take-social-security Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT What each claiming age pays as a share of your full benefit, break-even ages worked out in dollars, and why a couple https://planomy.net/guides/401k-withdrawal-taxes https://planomy.net/guides/401k-withdrawal-taxes Fri, 17 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT How 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) withdrawals are taxed: ordinary income rates, the 10% early penalty and its exceptions, and why 20% withholding is not your bill. https://planomy.net/guides/401k-rollover-options https://planomy.net/guides/401k-rollover-options Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Leave it, roll to an IRA, move it to a new 401(k), or cash out — what each really costs, plus the 60-day and 20%-withholding traps that cost people thousands. https://planomy.net/guides/retirement-account-types https://planomy.net/guides/retirement-account-types Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT What each account costs in tax now, later or never, the 2026 contribution limits side by side, and the filling order that puts each dollar in the right place. https://planomy.net/guides/backdoor-roth-ira https://planomy.net/guides/backdoor-roth-ira Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT The exact order to contribute, convert, and file Form 8606 — plus how the pro-rata rule taxes your conversion if you still hold any traditional IRA balance. https://planomy.net/guides/bucket-strategy-retirement-income https://planomy.net/guides/bucket-strategy-retirement-income Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT How the three-bucket approach shields your stocks from a bad market, how to size and refill each bucket, and the places the strategy quietly falls short. https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-to-retire https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-to-retire Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT The 25x rule and the 4% math worked end to end, how Social Security lowers your number, and the two places the rule breaks down: inflation and taxes. https://planomy.net/guides/how-social-security-is-taxed https://planomy.net/guides/how-social-security-is-taxed Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Provisional income explained with worked examples, the thresholds where 50% and then 85% of your benefit becomes taxable, and which states still tax benefits. https://planomy.net/guides/rmd-rules-and-deadlines https://planomy.net/guides/rmd-rules-and-deadlines Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT When RMDs start, the once-only April 1 deadline that can double a year of taxable income, how the amount is calculated, QCDs, and the penalty for missing one. https://planomy.net/guides/roth-conversion-ladder https://planomy.net/guides/roth-conversion-ladder Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Why the gap years between retiring and RMDs are your conversion window, how to fill a tax bracket without tripping an IRMAA cliff, and a full worked example. https://planomy.net/guides/roth-vs-traditional-401k https://planomy.net/guides/roth-vs-traditional-401k Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT The single question that settles it, when each side actually wins, how the employer match is always taxed later, and why splitting contributions can beat both. https://planomy.net/guides/safe-withdrawal-rate https://planomy.net/guides/safe-withdrawal-rate Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Where the 4% rule came from, why researchers now argue for 3.5% to 4.5%, how sequence risk breaks the average, and the guardrails that let you spend more. https://planomy.net/guides/sequence-of-returns-risk https://planomy.net/guides/sequence-of-returns-risk Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT Two retirees, identical average returns, opposite outcomes — why the order only matters once you are withdrawing, and the defenses that actually work. https://planomy.net/guides/tax-efficient-drawdown-order https://planomy.net/guides/tax-efficient-drawdown-order Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT The taxable, then traditional, then Roth default explained — and the situations where breaking it saves more: bracket filling, RMDs, IRMAA, and what heirs get. https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-do-i-need https://planomy.net/guides/how-much-do-i-need Turn retirement spending and Social Security into a portfolio target on one screen, with the same target shown at 3%, 3.5%, 4%, and 5% withdrawal rates. https://planomy.net/guides/when-can-i-retire https://planomy.net/guides/when-can-i-retire Enter savings, annual contributions, and a real return to see the year your portfolio reaches your financial-independence number, projected year by year.