Choosing the right retirement planning tool is essential. The Retirement Budget Calculator (RBC) offers a highly customizable and accurate approach, with features like detailed budgeting, inflation adjustments, and AI assistance, making it ideal for those seeking in-depth planning within the next five years. In contrast, Dave Ramsey's Retirement Calculator focuses on helping users determine how much they need to save for retirement, offering a straightforward, simple approach. Your choice depends on your retirement planning needs and your comfort level with financial details.

Recent research has demonstrated the potential advantages of using a bucket strategy for retirement withdrawals. This approach divides funds into time-segmented "buckets" with distinct asset allocations, each regularly rebalanced to maintain its intended strategy. When compared to a traditional 60/40 portfolio, which is also rebalanced annually, the bucket strategy showed significantly better outcomes over a 30-year period. The findings suggest that incorporating both time-segmented investing and regular rebalancing can lead to more effective retirement planning.