Start with one useful result
For each year, add spending and a separate income-tax allowance, then subtract gross nonportfolio income. Sum the positive gaps. Compare that sum with accessible savings as a first arithmetic check.
Use the editable bridge worksheet
Download the printable worksheet and worked example (PDF)
No account or email address is required. Worksheet calculations run in your browser. Continuing into a plan requires a separate review.
A five minute walkthrough
- Write down the work-stop date, each person's Medicare date, and the benefit start dates you want to explore.
- Use one dollar-year basis throughout. Include healthcare once in spending and keep income taxes separate.
- Enter gross income from sources other than portfolio withdrawals. Do not count a withdrawal as both income and funding.
- Calculate each year's positive gap, then identify accounts available in that year. A positive total balance cannot establish timing or access.
- Open the review step to carry compatible spending inputs and all worksheet notes into a fuller scenario. Check every remaining setup input before using results.
A fictional household
This example stops work at 62 and explores five bridge years before additional benefits. All figures are invented annual 2026 dollars. Medicare changes a cost assumption at 65; it does not provide an income payment.
| Ages | Spending | Income taxes | Gross income | Annual gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62–64 (three years) | $78,000 | $6,000 | $24,000 | $60,000 |
| 65–66 (two years) | $72,000 | $6,000 | $24,000 | $54,000 |
Three × $60,000 plus two × $54,000 equals $288,000. Against fictional accessible assets of $320,000, the arithmetic difference is $32,000. That is not a determination that retirement is affordable.
Use it in a workshop or newsletter
You may print and share the unmodified worksheet with attribution to Rest of the Road and a link to this page. Please keep the example labels, calculation limits and source links. No endorsement or professional review is implied.
Suggested introduction: “This free worksheet helps organize annual funding gaps before later retirement income begins. It is a starting point for checking assumptions, not a retirement recommendation.”
Questions and corrections: contact Thomas George. For a shorter demonstration, use the fictional amounts above rather than requesting attendees' financial details.
What to verify next
The worksheet does not calculate taxes, inflation, returns, ACA assistance, benefit eligibility or account access. The full planner also has simplified assumptions, including one household Social Security stream and healthcare timing tied to the primary person's age 65.
- SSA: check your personal benefit estimate
- Medicare: check enrollment timing
- HealthCare.gov: coverage before Medicare
- Check account access questions before assigning funding
Prepared by Thomas George for Rest of the Road. Read the editorial method and AI-assisted drafting disclosure.