Framer · Retire in 365 days
How a Framer Retires in 365 Days
Framers don't retire from carpentry — they retire from ladders. Joe's shoulders are done; his plan gets him to the ground with a paycheck.
Joe, 57 — single, 35 years of top plates
Episode in production — the written drill below is the full story.
The income
$58k in a good year (1099) — a good month is 3+ framing draws
The savings
$310k — SEP-IRA heavy, plus a truck that still owes him work
The outcome
In the episode: money lasts to 92
The countdown
12 months out
Real Social Security number entered, and a 15-month cash target built from good-month surpluses. Lumpy income means the buffer IS the plan.
6 months out
Shoulder scope while the work plan's deductible is met. The trades pay in cartilage — spend the insurance while you have it.
4 months out
A tract builder offers punch-out and warranty work — ground-level finish carpentry, $1,400 a month, no ladders. That one income line moves the runs-out age three years.
1 month out
Marketplace enrollment, and the 59½ date circled — the early-withdrawal penalty is real at this savings level. Not one SEP dollar before it.
The twist
The punch-out contract turns out to be the whole retirement: steady, ground-level, and it keeps his hands in the work without his knees on a roofline.
The verdict
Out at 59½ exactly, Social Security at 64, punch-out income to 63. Same playbook as the electrician — completely different body, completely different exits.
Now run it with YOUR numbers.
The same tool from the episode — drag the levers, watch the money-runs-out age move, make the plan yours.
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Educational estimates only — not financial, tax, or investment advice.