FI Calc vs Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center

FI Calc is a free web calculator for evaluating retirement plans and withdrawal strategies with historical market data. It runs simulations from annual figures covering 1871 through 2024, compiled from Robert Shiller’s data set, while warning that historical results do not guarantee future performance. Users can model equities, bonds and cash, set rebalancing and changing allocations, and add wages, Social Security or extra withdrawals for future expenses. The calculator provides income projection, savings growth projection, withdrawal planning, Social Security modeling and scenario analysis. Simulations can be exported as CSV files for spreadsheet analysis. Inputs are processed in the browser; saved or shared calculations are encoded in URLs that may reach the hosting provider, services and recipients. Google Analytics may receive page URLs containing saved inputs. FI Calc does not automatically model taxes or required minimum distributions and currently has no Monte Carlo simulations. The free plan costs nothing.

Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center is a free web tool for reviewing retirement readiness, investment strategies, and possible next steps. Retirement Analysis lets users explore hypothetical scenarios based on current savings and estimated future contributions, while multiple independent financial goals can be created and monitored. The analysis uses historical returns, market volatility, and correlations to estimate potential retirement income. Fidelity says Probability of Success replaced the Fidelity Retirement Score as a holistic measure of financial plan strength and supports planning beyond retirement. Information may carry into other Fidelity tools, including Guided Portfolio Summary and Fidelity Income Strategy Evaluator. The tool may use financial details previously provided to Fidelity, a workplace plan sponsor, or a third party, so users should check them for accuracy. Its projections are hypothetical, do not represent actual investment results, and are not guarantees. The analysis is informational and nondiscretionary, not personalized advice. Generating a plan has no fee, though investment expenses and account transaction fees may still apply.