Can I Retire

User Guide

This guide walks through the full planning workflow in Can I Retire, from first profile setup to running plans, reviewing results, using cloud sync, and keeping your assumptions realistic.

Inputs Plans Graphs Settings Cloud Link Profiles

1. Quick Start

Set up your first profile and run your baseline projection.

  1. Create or select a profile.
  2. Complete your timeline, income floor, and risk preference in Inputs.
  3. Add retirement accounts, holdings, contributions, and withdrawals.
  4. Open Plans and run the default plan.
  5. Review probability of success and key milestone outcomes in Graphs.

Start with realistic assumptions before testing aggressive scenarios. A stable baseline makes every what-if comparison more useful.

2. Inputs Page

Define your profile assumptions in one place.

Profile at a glance

  • Profile Timeline: target retirement age, planning horizon, and key date anchors.
  • Income Floor: essential spending target that your plan should protect first.
  • Risk Preference: guides scenario interpretation and downside tolerance.

Income and tax inputs

  • Social Security: expected start age and benefit assumptions.
  • Tax Offsets: credits and adjustments that affect net withdrawal impact.

Retirement accounts

  • Holdings: current positions and allocation mix.
  • Contributions: recurring additions before and during retirement.
  • Withdrawals: distribution strategy and spending drawdown structure.

Contextual help icons

The small help icon beside section titles explains what each input controls. Use these descriptions to keep assumptions consistent across profiles.

3. Plans Page

Build and compare planning scenarios.

  • Create multiple plan variations (for example conservative, base, and optimistic).
  • Adjust key assumptions and keep one change per scenario when possible.
  • Use plan labels that describe the assumption difference clearly.
  • Re-run plans after input changes so outputs stay current.

4. Graphs Page

Interpret outcomes, not just one number.

Primary result cards

  • Probability of success
  • Monte Carlo balance range
  • Assumptions summary

Trend charts

  • Balance over time
  • Withdrawals over time
  • Key milestones, including capped-year diagnostics

Use ranges and milestone years together. A single end balance can hide mid-retirement stress. When caps reduce contributions, the milestones card highlights capped years and clipped amounts.

5. Calculator and Business Tools

Use the calculator for quick checks while adjusting assumptions.

  • The memory line (M1/M2) tracks stored values for multi-step calculations.
  • Use it to validate spending rates, percentage shifts, and contribution step-ups.
  • Keep quick scratch calculations here instead of changing core profile values prematurely.

6. Settings

Control model assumptions and application behavior.

Model and policy sections

  • Inflation assumptions
  • Tax assumptions
  • Monte Carlo settings

Application and account sections

  • Profile navigation preferences
  • Appearance options
  • Security controls
  • Cloud Sync behavior

Review settings before final comparisons. Small policy changes can shift outcomes materially.

7. Contribution Limits

Model payroll-style contributions with realistic annual caps.

Cap modes

  • IRS Combined: 401(k) and 401(k) Roth employee deferrals share one annual cap.
  • Separate Plan Caps: model plans that enforce separate pre-tax and Roth source limits.

DOB-based split behavior

  • In catch-up years (age 50+), projections force split cap mode based on date of birth.
  • Users still control contribution amounts directly in account contribution plans.
  • The engine only enforces annual caps and stops once a cap is reached.

Why projected contributions can be lower than your percentage

  • Annual caps can be reached mid-year.
  • Your date of birth may switch enforcement to split cap mode.
  • Cap mode may constrain one source before the other.
  • The app now reports planned vs allowed yearly contributions so clipping is visible.

Help icons and guidance in-app

Use the help icons in Settings and Account Contributions to confirm how your current cap mode and annual cap limits are being applied.

Where to see clipped contributions

  • Graphs: Key milestones show how many years were capped and the total clipped amount.
  • Graphs: Capped-years detail rows list planned, allowed, and clipped values by year.
  • Summary PDF: Contribution Caps and Annual Projection tables include planned, allowed, and clipped columns.

Contribution limits are assumptions used for planning projections and can differ from your exact payroll implementation. Match your provider behavior by choosing the cap mode that best reflects your plan.

8. Profiles and Cloud Link

Manage multiple profiles and sync safely between devices.

  1. Create profile variants when planning for different retirement ages or spending targets.
  2. Use Cloud Link to pair profiles across devices using your lookup code and shared key.
  3. Sync regularly after meaningful input updates.
  4. Keep your shared key private because it is required to access linked profile data.

9. Modeling Tips

Best practices for stronger planning outcomes.

  • Change one major assumption at a time when comparing plans.
  • Document why each scenario exists so future updates remain interpretable.
  • Revisit inflation and tax assumptions periodically.
  • Focus on downside resilience, not only highest projected balance.

10. FAQ and Troubleshooting

Common questions

Why do my graph results look unchanged after editing inputs?

Re-run your active plan after saving changes so calculations and graph cards refresh.

What if cloud sync cannot find my profile?

Verify the lookup code and shared key exactly. Mismatches are treated as not found.

Can I compare more than one retirement strategy?

Yes. Create multiple plans and/or profiles, then compare success probability and milestone behavior.

Why are my configured contributions higher than what the projection uses?

Your planned contributions can be clipped by annual cap enforcement. Check Graphs milestones and the summary PDF for planned, allowed, and clipped totals.

Where can I get additional help?

Email support at contact@interphaze.com.