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THE LIBRARY · GROWRetirement shelf

Retirement

Your number, the accounts, turning savings into income, and retiring early.

Three books, read in order: the foundations, then the strategies, then a deep dive. Each chapter works its numbers out with the calculators and cites its sources.

Volumes3
Chapters23
Reading time2.2 h
Calculators8
READ IN THIS ORDERFoundations → Strategies → Deep dive
01
VOL 1 · FOUNDATIONSRetirement Planning Fundamentals7 chapters · 39 min
  1. 01Why Starting Early Matters
  2. 02Deciding What Retirement Means for You
  3. 03Your Retirement Number
  4. 04401(k), IRA and Roth: How the Accounts Differ
  5. 05The Employer Match, the Order to Save In, and Fees
  6. 06A Retirement Timeline by Age
  7. 07Turning Savings into Income
02
VOL 2 · STRATEGIESRetirement Income & Implementation8 chapters · 51 min
  1. 01Roth Conversions: When Paying Tax Early Pays Off
  2. 02The Backdoor Roth and the Mega Backdoor Roth
  3. 03Retirement Plans for the Self-Employed: SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA and Solo 401(k)
  4. 04The HSA as a Retirement Account
  5. 05Social Security Claiming for Singles and Couples
  6. 06Health Insurance Before Medicare
  7. 07Medicare: The Four Parts, Enrollment and Premiums
  8. 08Long-Term Care: Costs, Insurance and Medicaid
03
VOL 3 · DEEP DIVEFIRE: Financial Independence Retire Early8 chapters · 43 min
  1. 01What FIRE Is, and Its Flavours
  2. 02The FIRE Math: Your Number and Timeline
  3. 03Savings Rate: The Lever That Sets Your Date
  4. 04The Simple FIRE Portfolio and Where to Hold It
  5. 05Taxes and Reaching Your Money Before 59½
  6. 06Health Insurance for Early Retirees: Your Income Sets the Price
  7. 07The Transition: Leaving Work Well
  8. 08Life After FI: Making the Money Last
CALCULATORS FOR THIS SHELF
Barista FIRE →How much do I need if part-time income covers some spending?Coast FIRE →How much must I have invested today to stop contributing?FIRE Calculator →Given savings and spending, when can I stop working?Lean FIRE →What is my FIRE number on a frugal essentials-only budget?Savings Rate Optimizer →What is my savings rate and how many years to FI at this rate?Geo-arbitrage FIRE →What salary do I need in city B, and does a remote move speed up my FI date?72(t) SEPP →How much can I take before 59½ without the 10% penalty?Monte Carlo retirement success →What is the probability my plan survives volatility?
TERMS ON THIS SHELF
FIRE (financial independence, retire early)FIRE numberLean FIRECoast FIREBarista FIRESavings rateGeographic arbitrageReal returnCompound growthWithdrawal rate4% ruleSequence of returns riskMonte Carlo simulationRoth conversion ladder72(t) substantially equal periodic payments (SEPP)10% early-withdrawal taxWithdrawal orderACA premium tax creditSocial Security break-even ageFull retirement ageCost-sharing reductions (CSR)