Caregivers managing children and aging parents — the "sandwich generation" — face compounding income losses that compound over decades. Quantify the true financial cost first. Then model the reentry timeline, salary recovery curve, and whether a credential closes the gap.
The income cost of a caregiving career break is larger than most people realize — it's not just the years of lost salary. This tool compounds four layers: direct foregone income during the break, salary setback on return (BLS data shows 8–20% for 2+ year breaks), Social Security benefit reduction from missing contribution years, and retirement account growth foregone due to interrupted contributions. The output presents total lifetime income impact in both nominal and NPV terms, with a breakdown of each component. This number becomes the anchor for the reentry ROI calculation in Step 2.
Open Caregiver Income Impact & Lost Earnings Estimator →Given the total income cost from Step 1, the Reentry Engine models whether accelerating reentry by 6/12/18 months offsets credential investment. It also evaluates whether a targeted credential (bootcamp, certification, associate degree) closes more of the salary gap than returning without one. Key outputs: salary recovery curve (years to reach pre-break salary at different reentry dates), credential ROI against salary setback, and break-even date for credential investment. For many caregivers, a 6-month targeted credential reduces the salary gap by 40–60% — making it cost-neutral within 2–3 years of reentry.
Open Career Break & Reentry Engine →