How Exityear Compares
See how Exityear stacks up against Boldin, Empower, and spreadsheets for FIRE and retirement planning
| Feature | Exityear | Boldin | Empower | Spreadsheets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scenario Modeling | Life Branches (unlimited on Pro) | What-if scenarios | Limited | Manual |
| Monte Carlo Simulation | Yes (Pro) | Yes | Yes (5,000 runs) | No |
| Roth Conversion Optimization | Yes (Roth Lab) | Yes | No | Manual |
| Market Stress Testing | Yes | No | No | No |
| Plan vs. Reality Tracking | Yes | Limited | Portfolio only | Manual |
| FIRE-Specific Features | Built for FIRE | Retirement focus | Investment focus | DIY |
| Account Linking Required | No | Optional | Yes | No |
| Pricing | Free / $49/yr | Free / $144/yr | Free / 0.89% AUM | Free |
Scenario Modeling
Monte Carlo Simulation
Roth Conversion Optimization
Market Stress Testing
Plan vs. Reality Tracking
FIRE-Specific Features
Account Linking Required
Pricing
Exityear vs Boldin
Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) is a comprehensive retirement planning platform with a strong feature set including Roth conversion analysis, tax planning, and Social Security optimization. Their PlannerPlus tier costs $144/year, and they also offer a $2,800/year tier with access to CFP professionals.
Where Exityear differs is in its FIRE-first approach. While Boldin targets traditional retirees, Exityear is built for people pursuing financial independence and early retirement. Exityear's unique Life Branches feature lets you model entirely separate financial futures side-by-side — not just tweak individual variables like Boldin's what-if scenarios.
Exityear also offers market stress testing that Boldin lacks, and costs $49/year — less than half the price of Boldin PlannerPlus. Both tools offer Monte Carlo simulations and Roth conversion analysis.
Exityear vs Empower
Empower (formerly Personal Capital) excels at portfolio tracking and investment analysis. Their free dashboard aggregates all your financial accounts and provides valuable insights like fee analysis and asset allocation review. Their retirement planner runs 5,000 Monte Carlo simulations.
However, Empower requires you to link your bank and investment accounts, which raises privacy concerns for many users. Their free tools also serve as a funnel to their advisory services, which charge 0.49%–0.89% of assets under management with a $100,000 minimum. Users report receiving frequent sales calls after signing up.
Exityear takes a fundamentally different approach: no account linking required. You maintain full control of your data. Exityear also offers deeper scenario modeling with Life Branches, Roth conversion optimization, and market stress testing — features Empower doesn't provide. If you want portfolio tracking, Empower is great for that; for FIRE planning and scenario modeling, Exityear is the better choice.
Exityear vs Spreadsheets
Many FIRE enthusiasts start with a spreadsheet — and for good reason. Spreadsheets offer total customization, no vendor lock-in, and you control every formula. They're free and you can model anything you want.
The problem is what spreadsheets can't do easily: Monte Carlo simulations to understand sequence-of-returns risk, market stress testing against historical crashes, or maintaining multiple parallel scenarios without an unwieldy mess of tabs. Spreadsheets are also error-prone — a single wrong cell reference can silently corrupt your entire projection.
Exityear gives you the sophistication of professional tools with the simplicity of a focused interface. You get Monte Carlo analysis, market stress testing, Life Branches for scenario comparison, Roth conversion optimization, and plan-vs-reality tracking — all without needing to build and maintain complex formulas. Start free and see how it compares to your spreadsheet.
Common Questions
What is the best FIRE calculator?
The best FIRE calculator depends on your needs. Exityear is ideal if you want purpose-built FIRE planning with scenario modeling (Life Branches), Monte Carlo simulations, and market stress testing — all without linking bank accounts. Boldin is a strong choice for traditional retirement planning with comprehensive tax modeling. Empower is best for portfolio tracking and investment analysis. Exityear stands out for its FIRE-first design, privacy focus, and price ($49/year vs Boldin's $144/year).
Is Exityear better than Boldin for retirement planning?
It depends on your situation. Exityear is better if you're pursuing FIRE (financial independence, retire early), want to model multiple life scenarios side-by-side, and prefer not to link your financial accounts. Boldin may be better if you need detailed Social Security optimization, comprehensive tax planning, or access to CFP professionals. Exityear costs $49/year for Pro vs Boldin's $144/year for PlannerPlus.
Do I need to link my bank accounts to use Exityear?
No. Exityear never asks you to link your bank, brokerage, or retirement accounts. You enter your financial data manually, which means your sensitive credentials are never shared with any third-party service. This is a deliberate design choice to protect your privacy. Empower, by contrast, requires account linking for its core features.
How much does retirement planning software cost?
Costs vary widely across tools. Exityear offers a free tier and Pro at $49/year. Boldin's free tier is basic, with PlannerPlus at $144/year and advisor access at $2,800/year. Empower's dashboard is free, but their advisory services charge 0.49%–0.89% of assets under management with a $100,000 minimum. Spreadsheets are free but require significant expertise and manual maintenance.
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