Retirement Income Brief
A big 401(k) balance is not a monthly paycheck.
The real question isn't what you've saved. It's what has to land in your account every month after the paychecks stop. Answer that, and the rest of the plan gets a whole lot simpler.
Monthly life minus reliable monthly income equals your Income Gap.
"Start with the gap. Every strategy comes after."
— Andrew Gaines, Lifetime Income Institute
One useful outcome
Your monthly Income Gap, in writing.
Fixed costs, lifestyle costs, Social Security, and any pension. Nothing hidden, no product pitch — just the number your plan has to solve.
Four numbers, one monthly problem.
Slide each one to your best estimate. The result updates as you go — and nothing leaves this browser until you ask for your summary.
Housing, food, healthcare, utilities
Travel, family, dining out, hobbies
Both checks combined — a guess is fine
Leave at $0 if you don't have one
Your Income Gap — Estimate
$2,400/mo
$28,800/yr
That's the monthly problem your retirement-income plan has to solve. No product talk yet. Just the number.
Saving and spending down are different jobs.
Growing a balance takes decades of discipline. Turning it into dependable monthly income takes a different skill set entirely — coordinating withdrawals, Social Security timing, taxes, and longevity so the money lasts as long as you do.
ANDREW GAINES
Lifetime Income Institute
Andrew helps everyday savers turn what they've built into dependable monthly income — structured, tax-efficient, and designed to last.
Most retirement-income decisions are one-time decisions.
Get these right once and they pay you for decades. Get them wrong and there's usually no redo.
DECISION 1
When you claim Social Security
Your claiming age sets your household and survivor benefit for life. There's no do-over once the checks start.
DECISION 2
Your pension election
Lump sum or lifetime income? Single life or joint? Once you sign, that choice is usually permanent.
DECISION 3
Your first withdrawals
Pulling from investments during an early market drop can permanently shrink what your balance can produce.
DECISION 4
Your income before Medicare
Medicare surcharges are based on your income from two years earlier. A little planning avoids years of overpaying.
DECISION 5
Which accounts you tap first
The order you draw from taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts sets the tax bill on every single check.
Know your gap before these decisions get made for you.
Your gap, carried forward
$2,400/mo
Get your Income Gap summary
How soon do you want to close your gap? *
Your numbers stay private. No spam, no pressure — just the plan.
