Frequently asked questions

Yes — there’s a free interactive demo: the real planner pre‑loaded with a sample plan, running in your browser with no signup or download. Editing is disabled (it’s a restricted sandbox, not a functional planner), but every tab, chart and analysis tool is the genuine article, so you can judge the depth and clarity for yourself before spending anything.

No. Every product is a one‑time purchase. You download the file and own it outright — there are no recurring fees, no renewals and no account to manage.

Yes, at no extra cost, for as long as you own it — and you do not have to go looking. The planner checks on its own, about once a day, whether a newer version is out, and shows an Update available button at the top when there is one. Open the ? menu, choose Updates, type the email address you bought with, and your files come straight back — no receipt to dig out. The check sends nothing about you or your plan, and the planner still works entirely offline. See Updates & Fixes for what has changed lately and how the planner has grown.

As an instant digital download. Checkout is handled securely by Stripe, and the moment you pay you land on your personal download page (Stripe also emails you a receipt). You download a ZIP containing the self‑contained HTML planner and its user guide — there’s nothing to install and nothing shipped.

The Planner v7 is the complete retirement income tool. The Roth Conversion Optimizer is a focused companion for minimizing lifetime tax through Roth conversions. The Bundle includes both — for a couple of dollars more than the planner alone. See the Products page for a full comparison.

Yes. Export your plan as JSON from your current version and import it into a newer one to carry your numbers forward.

No. Your plan stays in your browser’s local storage unless you choose to export a backup file. Nothing is sent to a server, and there are no bank connections.

And you can check that for yourself, which matters more than us saying it. Open the planner, press F12, and watch the Network tab while you build a whole plan — nothing goes out. Or simply disconnect from the internet and carry on working. Every request the planner is capable of making is listed here, including the one exception: if you switch on the AI co‑pilot with a cloud provider, a summary of your plan goes to that provider under your own API key.

Yes. Once the file is loaded, the planner works offline. (An internet connection is only needed if you choose to use the optional AI features or refresh tax‑rate research.)

No account, ever. You open the file and start planning.

No, and there is no mechanism by which we could. There is no account to look up, no server holding your plan, and nothing in the file that reports your figures back — no crash reporting, no behavior tracking, no profiling of any kind.

Two small things do leave your computer, once a day each, and neither concerns you. The first asks whether a newer version exists and sends nothing whatsoever. The second sends a single number — the version you are running, such as 370 — so we can tell how quickly an update reaches people. That is the whole of it: no name, no email, no identifier, nothing about your plan, and nothing that could link one day’s message to another or to you. Every request the planner can make is listed here, and you can watch it yourself in the Network tab. If you turn on the AI co‑pilot with a cloud provider, that provider sees the plan summary you send it, but we never do.

No — they are two different things and it is worth keeping them apart. The assistant on this website answers questions about the software: it runs on our key, it only knows what is published on these pages, and it never sees anything from the planner. The co‑pilot inside the planner is the one described below: it runs on your API key and can see the plan you are working on, and only if you switch it on. The website assistant is optional, clearly labelled as an AI, and gives general information rather than advice — see the privacy policy for what it stores.

No — the AI is entirely optional. The full planner works without it. If you do use it, it runs under your own API key, called directly from your browser.

The AI proposes specific numeric changes, then the planner runs them through its own deterministic simulator and shows you the verified result. You always approve a change before it’s applied — the math is never taken on faith.

You can choose from several: Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI, Google Gemini, OpenRouter, a local Ollama model, or any OpenAI‑compatible custom endpoint. You bring your own key (Ollama needs none and runs free on your own computer), and the planner remembers a separate key per provider. Anthropic (Claude) is recommended for the best results.

Yes. The quality of the AI’s answers — especially the specific, simulated plan‑editing proposals — depends on the model you choose. A more capable model gives more accurate, reliable analysis, so an Anthropic (Claude) key is recommended for serious strategy work. Smaller local models (via Ollama) are free and private but best suited to the “Learn the planner” how‑to mode. The planner auto‑detects each provider’s current models, so your list stays current without app updates.

Yes. It models the US, UK, Canada and Australia — including local taxes, state pensions and healthcare — plus expatriate residency modes and seven currencies (USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, AUD, PHP, THB).

Yes. Export a multi‑page PDF to share a readable report, or a JSON file that someone can import into their own copy of the planner.

Yes. The planner keeps three named save slots so you can hold several versions — say a "retire at 62" plan beside a "retire at 65" one — and compare them side by side. Your work autosaves as you go, and undo/redo lets you experiment freely. For longer‑term archiving you can also export an unlimited number of JSON backups.

Any modern desktop or laptop browser. It’s a data‑rich dashboard, so a larger screen gives the most comfortable experience; an adjustable text size and high‑contrast theme help with readability.

A private, online, screen-share hour where I walk you through the planner and the concepts behind it, so you can set it up and read the results with confidence. It's educational instruction — not financial advice and no personalized recommendations. At the end of your first session you're given a code for 50% off every future session. See the 1-on-1 Sessions page and the session terms.

You pay securely through Stripe first, then pick a time — the session is confirmed once you choose your slot, and a Google Meet link is added automatically. If you don't book straight away, we email you the scheduling link so you can book later. Reschedule or cancel with at least 24 hours' notice for a full refund of the session fee (full details in the session terms).

Tax brackets, deductions and thresholds are inflation‑adjusted for each phase of your plan. You can refresh current‑year figures with the built‑in AI tax‑rate research prompt, and the in‑app help and educational content is AI fact‑checked and stamped with a "Last verified" date so you can see how recent it is. As always, confirm anything material with a qualified professional.

No. It is an educational planning tool that helps you model scenarios and understand your options. It does not provide personalized investment, tax or legal advice. Every figure is an estimate based on the values you enter — always consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

If something isn’t working, contact us or email Email us and we’ll put it right. Payments are processed by Stripe, and refunds — including any consumer‑law cooling‑off rights that apply where you live — are honored through the same checkout. The full detail is in our Software Terms.