Cash deployment

Cash hit the account. Now what?

Pick a target allocation and a deployment pace. The tool distributes the cash across the portfolio mix you choose, then shows whether the deployment happens all at once or in scheduled tranches. The full Ironlake workbench layers in tax context and saves the memo to your decision journal.

Cash amount

Source of this cash

Windfalls can land in your highest tax bracket. If the year is already high-tax, charitable bunching may be worth reviewing with your tax professional.

Target allocation

60% equity, 40% income.

Deployment pace

Lump-sum (deploy all at once)Spread over 3 months (dollar-cost averaging)Spread over 6 months (dollar-cost averaging)Spread over 12 months (dollar-cost averaging)

Tax context

Optional, but useful for estimating additional tax and flagging possible Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) exposure.

Estimated taxable income

Federal filing status

State of residence

State marginal rate

Tax already withheld (optional)

Federal marginal rate: 32% — based on $500,000 of taxable income, married filing jointly, using the 2026 schedule. NIIT threshold for this status: $250,000.

Allocation distribution

Deploying $145,375 (after $104,625 estimated tax set-aside).

Sleeve / Class	Target	Cash
Equity	60%	$87,225
US Total Market	—	$61,057
International Developed	—	$17,445
Emerging Markets	—	$8,723
Income	40%	$58,150
US Aggregate Bond	—	$40,705
Munis	—	$17,445

Tax context

Approximate additional tax

$104,625

Approximate net cash to deploy

$145,375

NIIT exposure flagged.

Investment income on the deployed cash is subject to an additional 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax. Review whether taxable bonds and REITs belong in tax-deferred accounts under your IPS; municipal bond interest is NIIT-exempt.

Charitable bunching flagged.

A cash inflow in a high-income year may make charitable bunching worth reviewing: one larger charitable contribution now, with standard deductions in lower-giving years.

Tranche schedule

Tranche	When	Amount
#1	Today	$145,375

The full Cash-Deployment Workbench in Ironlake adds tax-context analysis (NIIT exposure, charitable bunching flags, withholding gap) and saves the resulting memo to your decision journal as a versioned record.

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How this is computed

Allocation distributions assume the rest of your portfolio is already at target, then divide the new cash across the selected model's sleeves and asset classes. Lump-sum deployment schedules one tranche; dollar-cost averaging spreads equal tranches over 3, 6, or 12 months.

The tool does not choose between lump-sum investing and dollar-cost averaging. Academic and industry research often favors lump-sum investing on expected return when markets rise over time; dollar-cost averaging can still be useful for timing risk, behavioral comfort, or policy reasons.

The additional-tax estimate uses the 2026 federal bracket schedule plus the single state marginal rate you provide. Ordinary-income sources are reduced by the estimated tax set-aside before deployment. Inheritances and business sales deploy gross because the simplified ordinary-income estimate can overstate their tax cost.

This does not model AMT, IRMAA, deduction phase-outs, basis, capital gains, depreciation recapture, state-specific exceptions, or market timing. The NIIT flag uses statutory modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) thresholds ($200k single/HoH, $250k MFJ, $125k MFS, not inflation-indexed). Consult your investment and tax professionals.