Kevin, 34 — California

The data shows Kevin crossing financial independence around age 46 — after the age-45 target. RunwayFI reports that gap instead of rounding it away: a plan that flatters its owner fails exactly when it matters.

What closes a gap like this is visible in the same chart: the FI number is a direct function of spending, so the spending lever moves both the target line and the year the portfolio crosses it. The live demo lets anyone drag that lever and watch the crossing recompute.

From the actual rules: gross $335,000 → a $11,742 pre-tax 401(k) deferral → the $16,100 standard deduction → federal taxable income of $307,158. Federal tax $76,275, FICA $17,512, California $26,605 — total $120,392, leaving $214,608 post-tax (35.9% effective).

At this income the state line and the FICA line are both material, and the effective rate is the honest single number — not the top marginal bracket, which overstates, and not the meme “half your paycheck,” which is checkable against the stack above.

The FI number is a direct function of spending: at $8,000/month, the plan needs $2,635,983 to sustain itself. Income determines how fast the line is approached; spending determines where the line is. That distinction is why a 54% savings rate on a large income still meets a large target.

The verdict line on Kevin’s briefing reads: “Financial Independence at ≈46 — the day work becomes optional” — and the same numbers render live in the app, recomputing as inputs change.