2025 users are entitled to free updates to the latest 2025 version, which is v3.4g. 2025 users will need to purchase the 2026 version separately to get access to those versions.
Verified 2026 buyers are entitled to free updates until the next year’s version (2027) is released with updated tax brackets. The update link is included in the deliverables at purchase. You can also message the Etsy shop owner for the link to download the latest version for your tax year.
v4.6 9/2/26:
- v4.6a
- New Estate Tax and IRD calculation (Commercial only).
- Changed “Adj Income Target” to “Retirement Income”.
- Hid “72t”, “DAF / QCD” and “NIIT” columns. These will be commercial-only features starting in 2027.
- Moved Widow Tax, IRA Basis, and SS stress testing to Commercial-only (starting in 2027).
- Added Roth ladder example to Scenario 3 of Default Scenario Set.
- Updated Scenario Set wording on RCO worksheet.
- Removed (disabled) Monte Carlo and FIRE from Commercial versions (for compliance).
- v4.6b
- Improved performance on v4.6a features.
- v4.6c
- Added rate of return sensitivity analysis to RCO worksheet. Commercial versions only.
- Added horizon time sensitivity analysis to RCO worksheet. Commercial versions only.
- Added additional conditional formatting to highlight the max value in the RCO chart in addition to top 10.
- Added “Last Year’s Taxes” as input on Settings worksheet. This prevents having to estimate it and improves the accuracy of the Optimizer function.
- v4.6d (in development)
- Added configurable RCO income target increment to Settings.
v4.5 8/2/26:
- v4.5a:
- New Bracket Filling Modes.
- Modified Scenario Sets to align with case study.
- Added compliance footer to all commercial PDFs.
- Removed LTCG from Marginal Fed % calculation.
- Switched “Standard Deduction” to bracket inflation rate.
- Switched “Adj Income Target” to bracket inflation rate.
- Minor adjustments to “Adj Income Target” formula
- v4.5b
- Fixed Mac Excel errors with Refresh Charts and state change.
v4.4 7/18/26
- v4.4a: New Widow Tax Functionality
- Added “Widow Tax Year” to Settings
- Added Widow Tax Scenario Set example
- v4.4b:
- Added “Baseline mode” which disables Roth conversions.
- Modified Total Expenses formula to use taxes from previous, instead of current, year.
- Added standard deduction to Widow Tax functionality.
- Added WidowTaxYear to IRMAA scratchpad.
- v4.4c:
- Fixed issue with Roth Conversion not iterating in Baseline mode.
- Fixed up/down Scenario Set buttons selection reset issue.
- Fixed tool-tip text on Control Panel.
- Updated message box notes for the Optimizer and Monte Carlo.
- Added warning if current year not set to tool year (2026).
- Added version year (2026) to filename.
v4.3 5/15/26
- v4.3a: New Editable Columns
- Added column for charitable giving from IRA (DAF/QCD).
- Added contribution columns for Roth and T-IRA.
- Replaced “Starting” with “Current” in first column of Scenario Sets worksheet (for better clarity).
- v4.3b
- Enhanced import script to automatically load 1st Scenario and Scenario Set.
- Added “blue column” import option to the Import script.
- Removed inflation multiplier from Taxable SS income calculation.
- Fixed Scenario Set loading error in Mac version.
- Added Mac logic to blue-column import script.
- v4.3c
- Added table to Roth Optimization PDF.
- Refactored blue column code and sheet protection code.
- Modified Scenario Set load to stay on current worksheet.
- v4.3d
- Eliminated “shaking” on Control Panel functions.
- Removed Control Panel position from import.
- Additional release automation enhancements.
- v4.3e
- Fixed formatting of percentages on the Charts worksheet.
- Added tax bracket lookup to Tax Bracket worksheet. See blog post for more info.
- v4.3f
- Added info icon hyperlinks to go directly to relevant documentation.
- v4.3g
- Added Federal marginal tax rate column to the Main worksheet. See blog post for more info.
- v4.3h
- Increased width of Scenario Set listbox in Control Panel.
- Added logo to Control Panel.
- v4.3i
- Added free trial sku.
- Added toggle to show/hide saved scenario sets.
- Fixed row 1 description on Scenario Sets sheet.
- v4.3j
- Updated Medicare formula to use LET().
- Updated help icons to point to new editable columns blog post.
- Added IRMAA lookup and scratchpad.
- v4.3k
- Fixed MFJ Detail refresh issue (cosmetic).
- Fixed saved scenario set display/toggle issue (cosmetic).
v4.2 5/5/26
- v4.2a: New Tabbed Contol Panel
- Added Control Panel tabs & active Scenario tab/info.
- Added Control Panel tab to show/hide/select worksheets.
- Changed spreadsheet base name to “Roth Optimizer”
- Fixed “Show Instruction at Startup” checkbox error.
- Fixed runtime error caused by moving control panel to 2nd monitor
- Changed 12% column on Optimizer tab to 11%.
- Added example LET statements to blue columns.
- Added Social Security lookup brackets
- Improved performance of import macros
- Created Enterprise sku for large firms
- v4.2b
- Made charts on charts worksheet floating so they won’t resize with the grid.
- Made Scenario Set import/export default the same directory as the Optimizer spreadsheet.
- Modified “Load Scenario” function so it doesn’t change worksheets
- Import function copies show/hide state of imported spreadsheet.
- v4.2c
- Changed Charts worksheet architecture to to fix display scaling issues.
- Added error checking to prevent selecting the active spreadsheet on imports.
- v4.2d
- Moved license agreement link to bottom of Control Panel.
- Fixed formatting on FIRE worksheet.
v4.1 2/23/26
- v4.1a: Updated with 2026 State Tax brackets. All tax calculations are now updated for 2026!
- v4.1b
- Added separate spouse IRA, RMD and Social Security columns for MFJ filers.
- Consolidated Settings into new worksheet.
- Improved watermark formatting and compatibility.
- Updated architecture to improve performance.
- v4.1c: Minor formatting updates to the Charts worksheet.
- v4.1d: Added ability to model Social Security reductions in future years via the Settings worksheet.
- v4.1e
- Additional performance improvements.
- Added setting to disable tax bracket refresh.
v4.0 1/20/26
- v4.0a: Updated for 2026 tax brackets and thresholds
- v4.0b
- Changed IRMAA to “Medicare Premiums” for clarity.
- Changed Net Income to Net Cash Flow for clarity.
- Added 10% penalty for early withdrawal from IRA.
- Added support for 72t and Rule of 55 withdrawals.
- v4.0c
- Enhanced testbench automation.
- Added 72t example to Default Scenario Set.
- Added a FIRE Dashboard.
- v4.0d
- Added FIRE Dashboard Feature Guide.
- Changed default setting for Instructions at startup to “Off”.
- Added “Disable Warning” to Experimental Features.
- Updated Social Security taxable amount calculation to support 2026 brackets and all filing statuses.
v3.4 12/28/25
- v3.4a: Commercial and Extended Commercial versions now available!
- v3.4b
- Renamed Full version to Personal version.
- Limited # of saved Scenario Sets on Basic/Personal.
- Disabled exporting on Basic/Personal.
- Added persistent watermarks to all pages & PDFs.
- v3.4c
- Added blank-cell formatting to clean-up routine
- Additional release automation
- Includes Additional Features and Experimental Features when importing from previous version.
- v3.4d
- Added base tax years as input for each tax calc.
- Changed “Adj Income Target” to use “Start Year” as the basis instead of “Roth Conv Start Year”.
- Added support for after-tax IRA contributions.
- Improved Roth Optimizer algorithm performance.
- Improved Monte Carlo algorithm performance.
- v3.4e
- Made watermarks a clickable link to license web page.
- Added PDF Directory to bypass user dialog.
- Added File Directory for import/export dialog default.
- Added version to Control Panel caption.
- Fixed IRMAA calc for head of household filers.
- Enhanced release automation.
- v3.4f:
- Added button for commercial macros.
- Grayed out disabled buttons based on version type.
- v3.4g
- Added subdirectories to commercial macros.
- Clarified error message on file import.
- Moved Roth Optimization text to Feature Guide.
- Moved Monte Carlo text to Feature Guide.
v3.3 12/21/25
- v3.3a: Now supports Mac Excel in addition to Windows Excel!
- Added support for the latest version of Excel for Mac (Microsoft 365)
- Added ability to import Scenario Sets directly from previous versions in addition to previously exported files.
- Improved performance of import and export functions.
- v3.3b: Fixed minor cosmetic errors discovered in v3.3a.
- v3.3c
- Added message boxes to the Load and Save buttons.
- Added logic to unhide hidden sheets to PDF buttons.
- Added settings for Experimental Features.
- Added named formulas for previous row references.
- v3.3d
- Created BaseTaxYear global variable.
- Fixed spelling and grammar errors.
- Added Experimental Features to Scenario Sets page.
- Made Control Panel’s position persistent across sessions.
- Added macro for copying blue columns from previous version. Only visible via macro menu (Alt+F8).
- Added licensing watermark to worksheets and PDFs.
v3.2 12/13/25
- v3.2a: Now supports Long-Term Capital Gains!
- Changed Social Security benefit so the value is based on 2025 instead of the SS Start Age
- Split the Investment income bucket into Fixed and Equities
- Added a capital gains tax bracket and calculation for the Equities bucket
- Created an NIIT column so people can easily see the NIIT impact.
- v3.2b: Added NIIT to Total Tax on Main worksheet.
- v3.2c
- Cleaned up formulas for readability.
- Added the dividends from equities to taxable income.
v3.1 12/2/25
- v3.1a: Launched Roth IRA Conversion Optimizer Community Site!
- Added link to Community Site on Control Panel
- Moved Instructions and Release Notes to Community Site.
- Added error checking to the import function.
- Enabled loading and saving scenario sets for Basic version.
- Changed column K on Main sheet to Adj Income Target.
- v3.1b: Updated notes on Optimizer page for clarity.
- v3.1b: Added “Head of Household” as filing status option.
- v3.1c: Added “Probability of Success” to Monte Carlo worksheet.
v3.0 9/30/25
- v3.0a
- Added Monte Carlo simulation
- Added more PDF buttons.
- Minor modifications to the button functionality to improve user experience.
- v3.0b: Updated Monte Carlo to scale for Roth RoR and Savings RoR. Added additional metrics to Monte Carlo worksheet.
- v3.0c: Updated Monte Carlo to target CAGR as default instead of arithmetic mean.
- v3.0d: Updated formatting and explanations.
- v3.0e: Changed “Roth Conv Amount” to “Taxable Income Target” to improve clarity.
- v3.0f: Added “tool tips” to Control Panel and buttons to import and export the saved Scenario Sets.
- v3.0g
- Fixed minor issue with the first year of conversions when there is still large income.
- Changed “Taxable Income Target” to “Income Target” since it isn’t decremented by the standard deduction.
- v3.0h
- Added error checking to the import function.
- Moved Instructions and Release Notes to Community Site.
- Enabled loading and saving scenario sets for Basic version.
v2.2 9/13/25
- v2.2a
- Made enhancements to the userform to improve usability and performance.
- Updated code for supportabilty and maintainability.
- Added check for start/end year changes to Refresh and Load buttons.
- Updated taxable income to 85% of Social Security instead of 100%
- v2.2b
- Removed IRA withdrawal column and Improved formulas to optimize automatic IRA withdrawal calculations.
- Added background section to clarify IRA withdrawal methodology in the Instructions.
- Renamed column headers and added cell notes on Main sheet to better describe IRA withdrawal methodolgy.
- v2.2c
- Added a hidden information field (column K on Main worksheet) to show the Roth Conversion portion and IRA distribution portion of column J.
- Added additional documentation on Roth Conversion Optimizer worksheet and adjusted field naming for consistency.
- v2.2d: Updated Roth Conv Amount formula to take IRA all the way to zero where appropriate.
- v2.2e: Added toggle button to show/hide columns K and L on the Main worksheet.
- v2.2f: Fixed issue with state pulldown in Scenario Set worksheet.
- v2.2g: Added validation to check for blanks in Scenarios before loading.
v2.1 9/3/25
- Added ability to disable premium features for a “Basic” version so it can be sold at a lower price point.
v2.0 8/13/25
- Modifed the editing of Scenarios and Scenario Sets so it’s done directly in the “Scenario Sets” worksheet.
- Added a Roth Conversion Optimization worksheet that checks all coversion values for a particular scenario to graphically show the optimal Roth IRA conversion amount
- Added protection logic to prevent deleting all the Scenario Sets.
- Modified the PDF button to only PDF the current Charts screen. The “PDF all” is still available via the Macros menu (Alt F8) for legacy purposes.
- Added the ability to import and export saved Scenario Sets via the Macros menu (Alt F8).
- Locked the sheets to prevent accidental editing. Password to unlock is “unlock”.
- v2.0k: Added a button to allow users to unprotect the sheets if desired (at their own risk).
v1.6 8/6/25
- Added a customizable state tax bracket
- Updated the standard deduction to 2025 values and made it editable from the user form
- Swapped the instructions so they matched the userforms.
- Add new column on “Main” worksheet with automated IRMAA adjustments.
- Changed the RMDs to start at age 75 instead of 72.
- Fixed the label on SVM userform to show “Social Security Start Age” instead of year. Also put error check in to prevent this from being smaller than the Starting Age.
v1.5 8/2/25
- Fixed the switching between State brackets and Filing status
- Fixed the issue with the charts being off by one year
- Updated the savings formula to better model the investment income
v1.4 7/29/25
- Updated to support how the newest version of Excel handles Power Query naming
v1.3 Date 7/8/25
- Added Release Notes
- Added ability to move saved Scenario Sets up and down
- Changed “Startup Values” worksheet to “Scenario Sets” for clarity
- Added licensing info to message box on worksheet open
- Cosmetic enhancements and instructions updates
- Updated “Roth Cont / Withdrawl” formula to better handle negative amounts in savings.
v1.2 Original Release – 6/28/25