How the Carters tested retiring at 58 without linking a single account

Alex and Morgan Carter had about $1.1M across IRAs and a brokerage, a paid-off house, and a strong opinion that 58 sounded right. Spreadsheets kept returning one number that felt optimistic. Neither wanted to connect brokerage credentials just to try planning software.

They opened Free, typed every balance they could document, set spending at $78k, and ran the plan twice: retire at 58 and retire at 60. No account linking. Estimates only.

At 58, the left tail of the thousand futures failed often enough that they stopped arguing. At 60, with two more years of contributions and delayed draws, the survival band widened.

They upgraded to Core to keep both ages saved side by side. The software did not tell them what to do. It removed the fake precision of a single runway number.

Why no linking mattered

They were willing to spend an evening with statements. They were not willing to connect brokerage credentials to try software. Jeme matched that constraint. Buy online. No sales call.

Projections are estimates. Jeme is software, not investment, tax, or legal advice. The Carters' story is illustrative.