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MoneyHelper Retirement Budget Planner vs RetireGolden

Both stand on retirement planning software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

MoneyHelper Retirement Budget Planner

Free plan Web

Choose MoneyHelper Retirement Budget Planner if you want a free web-based way to estimate retirement costs and organize income and spending. Look elsewhere if you need regulated financial advice or require the accessibility issues identified for this planner to be resolved.

Visit MoneyHelper Retirement Budget Planner

RetireGolden

Free plan Web

RetireGolden provides a free way to model retirement scenarios while keeping data in the browser. Users should maintain their own backups and treat estimates as planning aids rather than individualized advice.

Visit RetireGolden

The facts

MoneyHelper Retirement Budget PlannerRetireGolden
Free planYesYes
Open sourceNot publishedNot published
Runs onWebWeb
Lowest paid planFree or on requestFree or on request
Plans published11
MakerNot publishedNot published
Websiteretirement-budget-planner.moneyhelper.org.ukretiregolden.app
On retirement planning software#10 of 26#12 of 26

MoneyHelper Retirement Budget Planner: what it does well

  • Free online tool for retirement cost estimates
  • Totals income and outgoings, showing what remains
  • Breaks down spending to help identify potential savings
  • Converts yearly variable costs into monthly averages
  • Budget support is available through webchat and guides

What to know first

  • Accessibility statement identifies issues with expandable menu buttons and tab-panel structure
  • The service says its tools are general information, not advice to rely on
  • The Money and Pensions Service says it is not FCA-regulated and provides no regulated service

RetireGolden: what it does well

  • Models income, savings, spending, withdrawals, and taxes.
  • Includes Social Security and Roth conversion modeling.
  • Imports several file types with on-device parsing.
  • Plans can be backed up as JSON.

What to know first

  • Plans cannot be recovered after browser data is cleared.
  • Tax estimates are for planning, not filing.
  • Monte Carlo outputs use a simplified model.
  • Support cannot inspect a plan unless details are shared.

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