Taxable vs. Tax-deferred Calculator
The Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Calculator shows you vividly and dynamically that it is better to put your qualified investments in a tax-deferred instrument than in a taxable one. The calculator outputs your cumulative savings, showing the amount you have accumulated when you begin to withdraw you funds. It uses 4 input variables: Years until Withdrawal, Investment Amount, Annual Yield and Tax Bracket.

Investment Amount  Slide this diamond to reflect the one-time, lump-sum amount your want to invest.
  For example, you may want to know, 'If I can invest more money now in my account, how much sooner will I meet my investment goal?'
  Or, 'How much more do I need to invest up front to offset a possible 1-point loss in my annual yield?'
Annual Yield  Slide this diamond to the annual yield you would expect to get on your investment until you begin withdrawing from it.
  For example, you may want to know, 'How much more money will I be able to withdraw if I can get just one more point in interest?'
  Or, 'Is it better to get one more point in interest, or to drop to the next lower tax bracket?'
  Or, 'How much sooner will I be able to meet my investment goal if I can get one more point in interest?'
Tax Bracket  Click on the appropriate radio button to tell the calculator your tax bracket.
  For example, you may want to know, 'How much less money will I be able to withdraw from a taxable instrument if my tax bracket goes up a notch?'
  Or, 'How safe is the amount I can withdraw from a tax-deferred instrument if my tax bracket goes up a notch?'
  Note: If you leave your withdrawal year, your investment amount and your annual yield alone and explore only different tax brackets, you will note that the amount you can withdraw from a taxable instrument falls as your tax bracket increases. However, the amount you withdraw from a tax-deferred instrument remains constant through changing tax brackets.
Years until Withdrawal  Slide this diamond (bottom of graph) to the year (from now) at which you will begin withdrawing your money. As you drag the diamond, the current value of your investment reads out in the graph.
  For example, you may want to know, 'What will my investment be worth if I begin to withdraw funds in 20 years?'
  Or, 'How much more will be in my investment account if I invest in a tax-deferred vs. a taxable instrument?'
  Or, 'I need $200,000. When will I have that much money in my account?'
 
You can then click the diamond shaped sliders and drag them to the left or to the right to an appropriate value. You will get immediate answers for any number of "What If" questions. If you want to enter an exact value that the sliders are unable to provide, click in the edit field and type in the exact value.

   'What if I need to have $200,000 when I begin to withdraw in 20 years?'
'What if I don't get the annual yield I hope for?',
'What if I qualify to invest only part of my investment amount in a tax-deferred instrument?',
and more...
 
The answers are only a mouse click or a mouse drag away. Answers appear in the graph curves and in the numerical readout windows up in the graph.