Freedom251 › Retirement Planning Software

Retireator

Free plan Open source WebWindows

What Retireator is

Retireator is a free, open-source retirement simulator written in Microsoft Excel and available on the web and Windows. It focuses on short- and medium-term planning, letting users build and test drawdown strategies across years using different income sources. It models income and savings growth, withdrawals, and scenarios, including Social Security benefits and federal and state income taxes. Listed Social Security calculations include spousal and survivor benefits, early-retirement reductions, and delayed-retirement credits. Other modeled factors include wage and consumer price inflation, stocks and bonds, market conditions, employer, self-employment and passive income, defined benefit pensions, debt, and net worth. Portfolio options include target date funds and 401(k), 403(b), and IRA accounts. Housing calculations cover mortgage payments and amortization, reverse mortgages, and scheduled one-time expenses. The simulator also lists immediate, deferred, fixed, variable, indexed, and joint and survivor annuities, among other types. Tax features include payroll, self-employment, long-term capital gains, annuity, and Social Security taxes. Account synchronization is not included.

Who it suits

Retireator suits people planning short- or medium-term retirement withdrawals who want to model income sources, taxes, Social Security, and portfolio choices. It may also suit users comfortable working with an Excel-based, open-source simulator.

What it does well

Models retirement drawdowns across years and income sources.
Includes Social Security and federal and state tax calculations.
Accounts for inflation, stocks, bonds, debt, and net worth.
Covers 401(k), 403(b), and IRA accounts.
Free and open source.

What to know first

Account synchronization is not included.
The simulator is written in Microsoft Excel.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free	free software · Windows Excel workbook · Excel Online limited functionality	Free

As retireator.org lists them, read 20 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Open the Retireator website.
Use the web or Windows version.
Start with the free plan.
Build retirement drawdown strategies using income sources and planning assumptions.

Verdict

Retireator covers a wide range of retirement income, tax, Social Security, and housing factors in a free Excel-based simulator. Its lack of account synchronization is worth noting when choosing how to manage planning inputs.

Questions

How much does Retireator cost?

The Free plan costs nothing.

Which platforms does Retireator support?

Retireator is available on the web and Windows.

Is Retireator open source?

Yes. The simulator is open source and written in Microsoft Excel.

What can I model with Retireator?

Listed capabilities include income and savings growth projections, withdrawals, scenario analysis, taxes, Social Security, portfolios, mortgages, expenses, and annuities.

Does Retireator synchronize accounts?

No. Account synchronization is listed as none.

Facts from Retireator's own pages

Annuities: Annuity modeling covers life, period-certain, immediate, deferred, fixed, variable, indexed, inflation-adjusted, and joint-survivor arrangements. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Annuity parameters: Advanced annuity inputs include participation rates, rate ceilings and floors, fees, guaranteed terms, survivor benefits, and cost basis. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Creator: The project credits Larry Blumer, Jr. as its creator. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Current download: The download page identifies Retireator v2026.0909 as a 1.31 MB XLSM file and reports 12 downloads. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Dashboard: The dashboard displays simulation results, lets users set or solve for a retirement date, and records comparisons between successive runs. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Developer adaptability: The README says the Excel format is intended to remain open and adaptable for developers and non-developers. · github.com, 20 Oct 2026
Documentation: The documentation section provides a User’s Guide and a Simulation Parameter Reference. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Drawdown planning: Users can construct and test multi-year retirement drawdown strategies using multiple income sources. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Economy: Listed economic features include wage and consumer price inflation, stocks and bonds, and past and future market conditions. · retireator.org, 30 Sept 2026
Economy inputs: The simulator models wage inflation, consumer-price inflation, stocks, bonds, and historical or future market conditions. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Excel Online: Excel Online is supported with limited functionality. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Expense scheduling: Users can schedule lump-sum and other one-time expenses in the simulation. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Format: The simulator is written in Microsoft Excel and is open source. · retireator.org, 30 Sept 2026
GitHub license metadata: The repository page identifies the project as AGPL-3.0 licensed. · github.com, 20 Oct 2026
Housing and expenses: Listed expense features include mortgage payment and amortization calculations, reverse mortgage calculations, and lump-sum and one-time expense scheduling. · retireator.org, 30 Sept 2026
Income and finances: Listed income and finance features include employer, self-employment and passive income, defined benefit pensions, debt, and net worth calculation. · retireator.org, 30 Sept 2026
Income sources: Income modeling includes employer, self-employment, passive income, defined-benefit pensions, debt, and net-worth calculations. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Investment strategies: Portfolio settings include investment strategies such as target-date funds and cost-basis tracking. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
License: The download page distributes Retireator under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 or later. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Limit: Excel Online: The browser-based Excel option has limited functionality compared with desktop Excel. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Limit: macro dependency: The workbook requires macros for initial setup, which adds an Excel security and compatibility dependency. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Mortgage tools: Housing tools include mortgage payments, amortization schedules, principal curtailment, home-value present value, and reverse-mortgage calculations. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Parameter reference depth: The parameter reference documents simulation inputs across setup, economy, income, portfolio, annuity, expenses, debt, and Social Security categories. · retireator.org, 20 Oct 2026
Planning scenarios: Users can build and test retirement drawdown strategies using different retirement income sources over a period of years. · retireator.org, 30 Sept 2026

Where Retireator stands on Freedom251

Retirement Planning Software#2 of 26