Three IRAs, one timeline: Sam's withdrawal map

Sam had IRAs from two old employers, a rollover IRA, and a taxable brokerage. The question was which account to draw first once work stopped. A single average return in a spreadsheet could not show the tax shape.

What went on the timeline

On Free, Sam typed the four balances and cost basis estimates, set spending, and saved nothing yet. After upgrading to Core, two plans stayed side by side: IRA-first and brokerage-first.

What the two plans showed

• Brokerage-first kept estimated ordinary income lower in the early years of the sample.
• IRA-first filled brackets sooner.
• The dollar gap in year one was large enough that Sam took both exports to a CPA.

Bought without a call

Sam bought Core online after the Free run. No demo. No sales thread. Support stayed on email when a figure needed clarifying.

Illustrative story. Projections are estimates. Not tax advice. The product's job was the range and the order experiment, not the filing.