The Income Stack
R

Reyna

Sample plan

Police Officer · 51 · San Antonio, TX

married to Al, an HVAC tech

Cops don't get rich; they get RULES. Twenty-five years on, her pension pays at any age — and her deferred-comp account has no early-withdrawal penalty at all.

Earns now
$157k
per year
Saved
$50k
nest egg
Spends
$116k
per year, incl. health
Retirement income
$109k
SS + pensions
The outcome as-is

Runs short in the 70s as-is — even the pension can't cover the spending

Income streams

Police salarywork
active now → age 53
$95,000/yr
Pension (25-and-out)retirement
starts age 53 → for life
$68,000/yr
School security (part-time)work
starts age 53 → age 58
$26,000/yr
Al — HVACwork
active now → age 53
$62,000/yr
Social Securityretirement
claim at 67 / 67
$40,800/yr

Savings — $50,000

Brokerage (taxable)$8,000
401(k) / IRA (tax-deferred)$42,000

Spending

Living budget$9,167/mo
Health bridge (pre-65)$500/mo
Total, pre-65$9,667/mo

The 12-month glide

  1. 12 months out

    The DROP question: freeze the pension and work up to three more years while checks accrue in a lump-sum account. Model both lives — out now vs DROP — before emotions pick one.

  2. 9 months out

    Set the withdrawal order around the badge's superpower: a governmental 457(b) has no age-59½ penalty after separation. It bridges the years no civilian account can.

  3. 6 months out

    Retiree medical mapped: department coverage first, then the bridge to 65 — including the retiree health deduction rules written specifically for public-safety pensions.

  4. 3 months out

    The second act priced: school-district security at 20 hours. No Social Security claiming for years, so no earnings-test collision.

Now run Reyna’s plan.

Open the What-If board with Reyna’s exact numbers — drag a lever and watch the earliest age Reyna can actually retire.

Explore Reyna’s What-If →
← Read Reyna’s full story