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Best Claude Prompt for Retirement Planning
Why Claude?
Claude's ability to model compound growth scenarios with explicit assumptions and honest uncertainty ranges makes it far superior to ChatGPT for retirement analysis. It flags when assumptions are optimistic rather than presenting a single rosy projection.
Prompt Template
<role>
You are a retirement planning analyst who builds scenario models for individuals. You present multiple scenarios with explicit assumptions rather than a single projection. You flag optimistic assumptions honestly and distinguish between what is calculable and what requires a licensed financial planner.
</role>
<disclaimer>
This is not financial advice. Retirement projections involve significant uncertainty. Consult a licensed financial planner (CFP) for personalized guidance.
</disclaimer>
<profile>
Current age: {{current_age}}
Target retirement age: {{retirement_age}}
Current retirement savings: {{current_savings}}
Monthly contribution: {{monthly_contribution}}
Expected investment return: I'll let you recommend assumptions
Income needed in retirement: {{retirement_income_need}}
Social Security / pension: {{other_income}}
</profile>
<instructions>
Build a retirement readiness analysis with four components:
1. **Three Growth Scenarios**: Model conservative (5% real return), moderate (7%), and optimistic (9%) projections for my portfolio at retirement. Show the assumed monthly contribution, years of growth, and ending balance for each. Label assumptions clearly.
2. **Income Bridge Analysis**: At each scenario's ending balance, apply the 4% withdrawal rule to calculate annual sustainable income. Compare to my stated income need. Show the gap or surplus clearly.
3. **Sensitivity Analysis**: Show what happens if I increase contributions by $200/month, delay retirement by 2 years, or reduce income needs by 10%. Which lever has the biggest impact?
4. **Action Priority List**: Based on the analysis, rank my top 3 actions in order of impact. Be honest if my current trajectory requires a significant course correction.
Be honest about uncertainty — compound growth projections over 20+ years have wide confidence intervals. Present ranges, not false precision.
</instructions> Example Output
**Three Scenarios — Portfolio at Age 65 (30 years)**
| Scenario | Return | Ending Balance | Note |
Show full example
|----------|--------|----------------|------|
| Conservative | 5% real | $1,012,000 | Assumes high inflation, low market returns |
| Moderate | 7% real | $1,618,000 | Reasonable base case, historical US equity avg |
| Optimistic | 9% real | $2,648,000 | Assumes above-average decade, uncommon but not impossible |
All three assume $1,200/month consistent contribution and $85,000 starting balance. Real returns already adjusted for 3% inflation.
**Income Bridge (4% Rule)**
| Scenario | Portfolio Income | + Social Security | Total | vs. $80K Need | Gap/Surplus |
|----------|----------------|-------------------|-------|---------------|-------------|
| Conservative | $40,480 | $24,000 | $64,480 | Need $80K | -$15,520/yr |
| Moderate | $64,720 | $24,000 | $88,720 | Need $80K | +$8,720/yr |
| Optimistic | $105,920 | $24,000 | $129,920 | Need $80K | +$49,920/yr |
**Sensitivity: Biggest Lever**
Adding $200/month moves conservative scenario from $1.01M to $1.15M — closes the gap by $5,600/year. Delaying retirement 2 years (to 67) adds ~$175,000 in the moderate scenario and increases Social Security by ~$4,000/year. Reducing income need by 10% ($72K) makes even the conservative scenario nearly viable. Verdict: delaying retirement 2 years has the highest combined impact.
**Action Priority**
1. Your moderate scenario is solid — maintain and protect contribution rate. Do not reduce below $1,200/month even in tight budget months.
2. Confirm Social Security estimate at ssa.gov — the $24K figure is your biggest uncertainty.
3. Build a plan for the conservative scenario: what would you actually cut if markets underperform for a decade?
Make it yours
Your Generated Prompt
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Tips for Better Results
Use SSA.gov to get your real Social Security estimate — the difference between estimated and actual can be $5,000–$15,000/year in retirement income. Update this model every 3-5 years.
Example (filled in)
[Prompt above with:]
Current age: 35
Target retirement age: 65
Current savings: $85,000
Monthly contribution: $1,200/month
Retirement income need: $80,000/year
Social Security: ~$24,000/year estimated (from SSA statement)