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The Freelance Retirement Planner projects retirement nest-egg value for self-employed workers who lack the employer 401(k) match that's central to traditional retirement math. Standard W-2 retirement assumes employee contribution + employer match (typically 3–6% of salary in 'free money'); freelancers must contribute the full amount themselves, but get access to higher contribution limits via SEP-IRA (up to 25% of net self-employment income, capped at $69,000 in 2024) or Solo 401(k) (employee $23,000 + employer-side 25% of net SE income, total cap $69,000, plus $7,500 catch-up if 50+). The calculator uses standard compound interest with annual contributions: FV = P × (1+r)^n + PMT × ((1+r)^n − 1) / r, where P is current savings, r is annual return, n is years to retirement, and PMT is annual contribution. Default 7% real return matches long-term US equity market average after inflation; 5% is conservative. Output projects total ending balance, breaks down contributions vs compound growth, and applies the 4% safe withdrawal rule (Trinity Study) to estimate sustainable retirement income. The biggest freelancer retirement risk is income irregularity. Salaried workers contribute on autopilot via payroll deduction; freelancers must remember to contribute, which is psychologically harder during lean months. Best practice: set up automatic monthly transfers (e.g., $1,000/month to SEP-IRA) treated like a fixed bill rather than waiting for year-end. This smooths the income-variability problem and dramatically improves long-term outcomes. Most freelance financial advisors target 20% of gross income for retirement (higher than W-2 norms because no employer match). SEP-IRA vs Solo 401(k) decision: SEP is simpler (1-page IRS Form 5305-SEP setup, no annual filings until $250k+ balance), 25% of net SE income limit. Solo 401(k) allows higher total contribution ($23k employee + 25% employer = potentially $69k vs SEP's ~$40k for typical incomes), plus Roth option, plus loan provisions, but requires annual Form 5500-EZ filing after $250k balance. Use SEP for simplicity and lower income; Solo 401(k) for high earners who want to maximize tax-advantaged space or want Roth flexibility.

1. 1Step 1 — Enter current age, target retirement age, and existing retirement savings
2. 2Step 2 — Enter annual freelance income (use average over last 3 years to smooth irregularity)
3. 3Step 3 — Set contribution percentage (10% minimum, 20% strong, 25% if SEP-IRA max)
4. 4Step 4 — Set expected return (7% historical equity average, 5% conservative)
5. 5Step 5 — Calculator applies future value formula: FV = P(1+r)^n + PMT × ((1+r)^n−1)/r
6. 6Step 6 — Outputs projected balance, split into contributions vs growth from compounding
7. 7Step 7 — Applies 4% safe withdrawal rate to estimate sustainable annual retirement income