Compare
How we compare
Honest comparisons with the other ways people plan for retirement: what each one does well, what it costs, and who should pick which.
Some people leave reassured. Some go deeper into specialized software. Some book a CFP appointment. All three are wins.
Side by side
The same three plans in Boldin, ProjectionLab and our engine
We entered three realistic plans by hand into two other leading planners and compared every year. The three land close together; the article says where they differ and why.
Want every input and every year? Read the full study.
Planning software
Boldin →The deepest consumer planner, with detailed tax and Roth planning. Where it shines, and who should pick it.
ProjectionLab →The FIRE community’s favorite, with the best charts and scenario flexibility.
Empower →A genuinely good free planner, and what it asks for in return.
Free calculators and FIRE tools
Fidelity, Vanguard and the big-firm calculators →What the free calculators actually model, where each one stops, and which question each answers.
FIRECalc, cFIREsim and the FIRE tools →What each FIRE calculator does well, its real costs and gaps.
A human advisor
Why tools give different answers
Most of the gap between two planners comes from assumptions, not math: how fast money grows, inflation, how long the plan runs. Why retirement calculators disagree walks through each one and the five questions to ask any tool.
Run your own plan free in about five minutes. No account, nothing leaves your browser.
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