How Fatboy Financial Planner Compares
We built Fatboy Financial Planner for people who want serious planning tools without paying every year for the privilege. Here’s how we stack up.
Pricing Comparison
| Software | Pricing Model | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Fatboy Financial Planner Free | Forever free | $0 |
| Fatboy Financial Planner Pro | One-time upgrade | $149 (limited offer)/$TBA after that |
| Boldin (NewRetirement) | Annual subscription | $120-$240/year |
| MaxiFi Planner | Annual subscription | $99-$199/year |
| Pralana Gold | One-time purchase | $295 |
Why This Pricing Model Matters
- Actually free to start - Not a 30-day trial. Use the free version forever if it meets your needs.
- One-time upgrade - Need more? $TBA once for the Pro version. No recurring fees.
- No pressure - Free version isn’t crippled. It’s legitimately useful.
- Your plan, your data - Whether you’re free or pro, your data stays yours.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Fatboy Free | Fatboy Pro | Boldin | MaxiFi | Pralana |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | ✅ Free | ✅ One-time | ❌ Annual | ❌ Annual | ✅ One-time |
| Plan Scenarios | ⚠️ 3 max | ✅ Unlimited | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Core Planning | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Cash Flow Projections | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Roth Conversion Optimizer | ❌ No | ✅ Advanced | ⚠️ Basic | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Goal Solver | ❌ No | ✅ Interactive | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Sankey Cash Flow Diagrams | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Basic | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Basic |
| Tax Optimization | ✅ Basic | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Yes | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Yes |
| Withdrawal Strategy | ✅ Yes | ✅ Customizable | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation | ✅ Yes | ✅ Multi-account | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Yes |
| Debt Management | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Basic | ⚠️ Basic |
| Monte Carlo Analysis | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Social Security Planning | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Yes |
| Data Import | ✅ CSV/Manual | ✅ CSV/Manual | ✅ Link accounts | ⚠️ Manual | ⚠️ Manual |
| Account Types Supported | ✅ All major | ✅ All major | ✅ All major | ✅ All major | ✅ All major |
| Tax Assumptions | ✅ Editable | ✅ Editable | 🔄 Auto-updated | 🔄 Auto-updated | ⚠️ Fixed |
Legend: ✅ Full support | ⚠️ Limited/Basic | ❌ Not available | 🔄 Subscription-based updates
Tax Assumptions: Planning Direction vs Tax-Filing Precision
Our Approach: You Control the Tax Assumptions
Fatboy Financial Planner lets you edit every tax parameter - both federal and state. Not just accept whatever we give you. You can customize:
- Federal tax brackets and rates (including future law changes)
- Standard deductions (by filing status)
- Social Security taxation thresholds
- Capital gains brackets
- IRMAA (Medicare surcharge) thresholds
- RMD age and factors
- State tax rates and brackets
Want to see what your plan looks like when TCJA expires in 2026? Change the brackets. Want to model a state income tax increase? Edit it. Want to see what happens if Congress changes capital gains rates? You’re in control.
Why This Matters for Planning
This is planning software, not TurboTax. We’re not trying to file your taxes - we’re helping you make smart decisions:
- Should I retire at 62 or wait until 65?
- When should I do Roth conversions?
- What withdrawal order costs me less in taxes?
- How will a $50k income change affect my Medicare premiums?
For these questions, close enough is good enough. Whether your effective tax rate is 18.3% or 18.7% doesn’t change whether retiring at 62 vs 65 makes sense.
Subscriptions vs Control: The Real Trade-off
| Subscription Services | Fatboy Financial Planner |
|---|---|
| Auto-updated tax rates (tied to ongoing payments) | You edit tax parameters yourself - federal and state |
| New rates appear automatically | You decide when and what to update |
| Can’t model future tax law changes | Model TCJA expiration, proposed tax changes, state tax scenarios |
| Locked into their assumptions | Full control - edit any tax parameter |
| One tax scenario at a time | Run multiple scenarios with different tax laws |
When Do Tax Rates Actually Change?
Less often than subscription services want you to think:
- COLA adjustments: Annual inflation bumps to brackets (~3-5%)
- Major tax law changes: Every 5-10 years (like TCJA in 2017, expiring 2026)
- Impact on your decisions: Usually minimal
What We’ll Do
- Free updates for major tax law changes (like when TCJA expires in 2026)
- Simple self-service updates for annual COLA adjustments (seriously, 2 minutes)
- Clear documentation on updating assumptions from IRS publications
- Transparent defaults - we’ll tell you what year and source we’re using
The Bottom Line
Subscription services offer automatic updates. We offer control.
For retirement planning, being able to model different tax scenarios is more valuable than having auto-updated rates. Want to see your plan under current law vs. post-TCJA? Different state tax scenarios? Proposed tax changes? You can model all of it. And you’re not paying annually for updates you control yourself.
Important: Fatboy Financial Planner is a planning tool, not a source of tax, legal, or financial advice. Always consult qualified professionals before making major financial decisions.
Who Is This For?
This is for you if:
- You’d rather pay once than pay every year
- You’re comfortable managing your own money
- You want real planning tools without paying advisor fees
- You like playing with scenarios to see what happens
- You prefer your financial data on your computer, not ours
Probably not for you if:
- You want automatic account syncing (we’re manual/CSV import only)
- You need comprehensive estate planning (that’s not us)
- You want financial advice (we’re software, not advisors)
Try It
We think you’ll like Fatboy Financial Planner. It’ll save you money and give you the tools you actually need.
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