Account Comparison Calculator
Taxable vs. tax-deferred
See what happens to each account if your tax bracket changes when you retire. Accumulation uses your current bracket; a retirement-bracket selector applies any federal bracket to the withdrawal years. The tax-deferred account can be qualified (IRA/401k — withdrawals fully taxed) or non-qualified (annuity — only gains taxed, basis tax-free). Uses state & federal brackets, a blended “Investment Tax,” and RMDs. No inflation. All math runs in your browser; nothing is saved or transmitted.
How it works
An Investment Tax rate is built from your allocation:
- Bonds → taxed at your ordinary rate (federal + state)
- Equity & alternatives → taxed at long-term capital gains (federal + state)
Applied annually to the taxable account and deferred to withdrawal for tax-deferred. Your current bracket applies while saving; the retirement-bracket selector applies to the withdrawal years.
The tax-deferred account has two types:
- Qualified (IRA / 401k) — the entire withdrawal is taxed as ordinary income; RMDs apply from age 75.
- Non-qualified (e.g. annuity) — contributions are after-tax basis; withdrawals are LIFO, so gains come out first (taxed as ordinary income) and basis returns tax-free. No RMDs.
Your contribution is entered pre-tax. The qualified account invests the full pre-tax dollars; the taxable and non-qualified accounts are funded with after-tax money, so their contribution is reduced by your current ordinary rate (federal + state). That upfront difference is the core trade-off the comparison surfaces.
Desired withdrawal is your net spending need; tax-deferred grosses up so the account covers its own withdrawal tax.
Your tax picture
2025 estimateFederal bracket
Cap-gains rate
federal LTCG
State marginal
Investment Tax
blended · current bracket
Total accumulated at retirement
same at every bracketRetirement bracket
While you’re saving, your current bracket applies to every account. Pick the federal bracket you expect in retirement — it’s applied to withdrawals and to the taxable account’s drag after you retire. Your current bracket is highlighted; the chart and account detail below update to match.
Withdrawal basis
Manual amount drives the chart and ledger from your Desired withdrawal input above. Solve to age instead finds the largest net annual withdrawal each account can sustain so the money lasts to a target age — solved separately for the taxable and tax-deferred accounts at the retirement bracket selected above. The chart and ledger update to match, and re-solve when you change the bracket.
Taxable
max net withdrawal
Tax-deferred
max net withdrawal
Balance by age
Account detail
Accumulated at retirement
Total invested
Total withdrawn (net)
Money lasts
| Age | Contribution | Pre-tax growth | Tax | Net withdrawal | Year-end balance |
|---|
A branded PDF summary — findings, growth chart, your inputs, and the tax assumptions.