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Pension buyouts, RMDs, IRMAA surcharges, and drug prices in retirement.
Retirement does not end the math, it just changes the questions. Instead of how much to save, you are deciding how to take what you saved: lump sum or monthly pension checks, when to worry about Medicare surcharges, what an inherited IRA will force you to withdraw. These are one-way decisions worth getting right, and every one of them rewards ten minutes with a calculator.
The pension decision is the big one. A $250,000 lump sum offer versus $1,600 a month for life looks simple until you run the break-even: at $1,600 a month you recover the lump sum in about 13 years, and every year after that the monthly check wins. But the lump sum wins if you invest it well or if longevity is a concern. The lump sum calculator runs both scenarios with your actual numbers instead of a salesperson's numbers. Take the offer letter, plug in the figures, and decide with data.
Then there is IRMAA, the Medicare surcharge almost nobody sees coming. Cross $106,000 in modified adjusted gross income as an individual in 2026 and your Part B premium jumps by over $70 a month per person. The cruel part is the cliff structure: one dollar over the threshold costs you the full surcharge. The IRMAA calculator shows exactly where you stand relative to each cliff, and if you had a life-changing event like retirement or divorce, the appeal calculator estimates what filing Form SSA-44 could save you. I have seen appeals worth $2,000 a year for a single form.
Two more worth bookmarking: the inherited IRA calculator figures your required annual withdrawals under the 10-year rule, because the penalties for getting RMDs wrong are severe. And the NADAC drug lookup shows what pharmacies actually pay for your prescriptions, which is useful leverage when a cash price beats your copay.
Lump sum or monthly pension checks? Run the break-even math.
Open the tool →Estimate your 2026 Medicare IRMAA surcharge and plan around the cliffs.
Open the tool →Had a life-changing event? Estimate savings from an IRMAA appeal (SSA-44).
Open the tool →Look up NADAC drug prices to see what pharmacies actually pay.
Open the tool →Divide the lump sum by the monthly payment to get your break-even in months. A $250,000 lump sum versus $1,600 a month breaks even around month 156, or 13 years. If you expect to live well past that, the monthly checks usually win. If you can invest the lump sum at strong returns or have health concerns, the lump sum can win. Run both scenarios with the pension calculator.
IRMAA is an income-based surcharge on Medicare Parts B and D. In 2026 it kicks in above $106,000 MAGI for individuals and $212,000 for couples, with steep cliffs at each tier. Managing Roth conversions, capital gains timing, and the two-year lookback can keep you under a threshold. The IRMAA calculator maps your income against every cliff.
Yes, if you had a life-changing event such as retirement, divorce, or death of a spouse. File Form SSA-44 with Social Security and provide documentation of the income drop. Appeals are routinely approved and can save over $1,000 per person per year. The appeal calculator estimates your potential savings before you file.