KEEP Bridge · Free Calculator
Can you bridge to 59.5?
Retiring early means living off the money you can actually reach. KEEP Bridge estimates how long your cash, taxable brokerage, and Roth contributions can fund your life before your retirement accounts unlock, and what you'd draw from first.
Runs in your browser. No login. No account linking. Your numbers never leave your device.
Six numbers. About five minutes. Estimates are fine; you can refine later.
About you
Decimals are fine (52.5 works).
When penalty-free retirement-account withdrawals typically begin. Leave at 59.5 unless you have a specific plan.
What your life costs per month, in today's dollars.
Accessible before 59.5
Money you could spend without touching retirement accounts.
Checking, savings, HYSA.
Regular investment accounts, not IRAs or 401(k)s.
The total you've contributed to Roth accounts, not today's market value. Contributions can generally be withdrawn anytime without tax or penalty.
Treasuries, I-bonds, CDs: cash-like money you could spend before 59.5.
Context (optional)
Pre-tax accounts plus Roth earnings. Not used in the runway math. This is what's waiting on the other side.
Part-time work, rental income, anything steady. Leave at 0 if none.
Adjust assumptions
Applied to your taxable brokerage. 0–12%.
Applied to cash and reserves. 0–8%.
Applied to your monthly spending over time. 0–8%.
Your bridge result appears here.
Enter your numbers on the left; nothing is uploaded, nothing is saved. When you're ready, hit Show my bridge.
Bridge status
Fully bridged to
Margin
Sustainable monthly spending
The most you could spend and still reach your bridge age.
First bucket depleted
Retirement accounts before 59.5
Simplified model: no taxes or market volatility modeled. Educational estimate, not advice.
Your accessible money over time
Each band is one bucket. The vertical line is your bridge age. If the bands reach it, you're bridged.
Show the month-by-month detail
The same math as the cards above, month by month. If a number surprises you, this is where to check it.
| Month | Age | Spending | Income | Drawn from | Cash | Reserves | Taxable | Roth basis | Total accessible |
|---|
An illustrative bridge sequence
This is a commonly discussed order, not a recommendation; your tax situation may change it.
- 1. Cash and bank savings
- 2. Cash-like reserves (treasuries, CDs)
- 3. Taxable brokerage
- 4. Roth contribution basis
- 5. Retirement accounts, only after 59.5
Want the bridge planning notes?
Get the free bridge-planning worksheet, worked examples from a real early retirement, and early updates as I build KEEP's private planning tools: deeper bridge scenarios, Roth conversion ladders, and the local-first system behind this calculator.
You're on the list.
I'll send the bridge planning notes soon. I also read replies personally. If you're trying to model a specific bridge question, just reply when the note arrives.
Why I built this
I'm Mark, a software architect. As I started seriously evaluating early retirement, I realized that net worth was not the number I actually needed.
Most retirement calculators could tell me whether my portfolio might last for decades. But they did not answer the question that still mattered in practical terms:
Which account do I draw from first, and can my accessible money (the part not locked behind age 59.5) actually carry me through the bridge years?
So I built the tool I wanted: a simple monthly model for the years before traditional retirement-account access. This free calculator is the public version of that idea.
It's part of KEEP, a local-first financial intelligence system for self-directed individuals and investors: private by design, with no account linking and no data harvesting.
Common questions
What is a bridge runway?
It's how long your accessible money (cash, taxable investments, Roth contributions) can cover your spending before you can withdraw from retirement accounts without penalty, typically at age 59.5. Early retirees live on the bridge; the runway is how far it reaches.
Why does age 59.5 matter?
Most withdrawals from pre-tax retirement accounts (401(k)s, traditional IRAs) before age 59.5 incur a 10% early-withdrawal penalty on top of ordinary income tax. Exceptions exist, like 72(t) plans and the Rule of 55, but they come with constraints. This calculator models the simpler question: can you avoid needing those accounts at all until 59.5?
What assets are accessible before 59.5?
Generally: cash and bank savings, taxable brokerage accounts, cash-like reserves (treasuries, I-bonds, CDs), and the contributions you've made to Roth accounts. What's generally not accessible without penalty: pre-tax retirement accounts and the earnings inside Roth accounts.
Can Roth contributions really be used before 59.5?
Direct Roth IRA contributions can generally be withdrawn at any time, tax- and penalty-free; you already paid tax on that money. Earnings and converted amounts follow different rules (including five-year waiting periods), which is why this calculator asks for your contribution basis, not your Roth balance.
Does this calculator model taxes?
No. Selling taxable investments can trigger capital gains tax, and your state may tax withdrawals too. This calculator deliberately excludes tax modeling to stay simple and honest about what it knows. Treat the result as a starting estimate, not a tax plan.
Does this calculator store my numbers?
No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser; your numbers never leave your device. We use minimal first-party analytics to count visits and calculator usage, but we do not collect the numbers you enter. The only thing we ever receive is your email address, and only if you choose to give it.
What does "locked until 59.5" mean?
Money you own but generally can't spend before 59.5 without penalties: pre-tax retirement accounts and Roth earnings. The calculator never uses it to fund your bridge. It shows you what unlocks when you get there.
Is this financial advice?
No. KEEP Bridge is an educational tool for self-directed investors. It uses a simplified model, and the drawdown sequence shown is illustrative, not a recommendation. It does not account for your full tax, investment, healthcare, or personal situation. Before acting, consult a qualified professional.
Educational tool: not financial, tax, or investment advice.
KEEP Bridge uses a simplified model: it applies steady growth and inflation assumptions, does not model taxes on withdrawals (capital gains on taxable sales, state taxes, ACA or Medicare effects), market volatility, or sequence-of-returns risk, and treats Roth contribution basis under general IRS rules that may not match your situation (five-year rules, conversions, and plan specifics vary). The drawdown sequence shown is illustrative, not a recommendation. Numbers you enter are estimates; results are estimates. Before acting on any withdrawal, conversion, or retirement decision, consult a qualified tax or financial professional.
Your numbers stay in your browser.
This calculator runs entirely on your device. There is no login, no account linking, and your financial inputs are never transmitted or stored by us. Your calculator numbers never leave your browser. We use minimal first-party analytics to count visits and calculator usage, but we do not collect the numbers you enter. The only thing we ever receive is your email address, and only if you choose to give it.