Questions worth asking before you trust a calculator with your numbers

Is my data really not stored anywhere?

For calculator inputs, yes: Kessavo runs the calculation in your browser and does not send those calculator inputs to a Kessavo server. Feedback forms, email, billing, and future account features are separate from calculator inputs and are disclosed where collected. See the full Privacy Policy for the exact detail.

If nothing's stored, how do I come back to a plan?

Your entries are kept in your browser's own local storage, on your device, so you can close the tab and pick up where you left off. That is a copy on your machine rather than an account on ours: clearing your browser's site data erases it, and it does not follow you to a different device or browser.

How is Kessavo different from other retirement calculators?

Most retirement calculators give you a final number without showing the math behind it. If you've ever run the same numbers through two different tools and gotten two different answers, with no way to tell which assumptions changed, that's the problem Kessavo is built to solve — formulas are inspectable on the Methodology page, and anywhere the model simplifies something, it says so next to the number.

Why does Kessavo give me a different answer than another calculator I tried?

Almost always because the two tools are making different assumptions somewhere — a different RMD start age, a different capital-gains treatment, a different state tax method, different Social Security taxation thresholds. Since Kessavo shows its exact assumptions on the Methodology page, you can compare them line by line against whatever else you've used, instead of just picking whichever number you like better.

Is this financial advice?

No. Kessavo is a planning and modeling tool, not a substitute for a licensed financial planner, and it says so at the specific points where a decision depends on something the model can't fully capture — cost basis precision, state-specific credits, Roth conversion timing, couple-level claiming strategy. See the full Terms of Service for the complete disclaimer.

What if my state isn't in the curated list?

You'll get a flat-rate estimate instead of curated bracket math — enter your own estimate of your effective state tax rate, or leave the default. The Methodology page lists exactly which 13 states have full bracket support today.

I don't have my Social Security statement handy — can I still use this?

Yes. Enter a single estimated benefit at your full retirement age and Kessavo derives your reduced or increased benefit at every other claiming age from that one number. The full 62–70 table is there if you do have your statement and want to enter it directly.

Do I need to know my cost basis exactly?

No — cost-basis tracking is an optional, advanced input. Leave it at the default and Kessavo uses a reasonable estimate; refine it later if you want more precision on the capital-gains portion of your plan.

Is there a free version?

No. Kessavo is one product with everything in it — there is no cut-down tier and no feature ladder. A demo that runs the complete model on sample households is being built, so you can watch the whole thing work on someone else’s numbers before deciding whether you want it run on yours. While the public beta is running, the calculator is open to beta participants.

Why does it renew every year?

Because the rules underneath it change every year. Federal brackets move with inflation, Medicare income-surcharge tiers move, required-distribution ages depend on legislation that has changed twice in five years, and Social Security figures are restated annually. A tool whose whole claim is that you can check its arithmetic cannot let those constants go stale — the published formula would still be on the page and would no longer be true. The renewal buys current rules and whatever was built in the meantime.

What happens if I stop paying?

Nothing is taken away. A plan you already produced stays readable on the version that produced it. Renewing is how you get the new year, not how you keep the old one.

Is this useful if I'm single with a straightforward situation?

Less so, and that is a fair conclusion to reach. The modeling earns its keep hardest where a household has moving parts that interact — two people claiming at different ages, a pension with survivor terms, a health-coverage gap before Medicare, or a year where a withdrawal pushes income across a Medicare surcharge tier. If none of that describes you, a simpler tool may tell you what you need.

How much does it cost?

Pricing is announced at launch. See What you get for what is included and what is not.

I found something that looks wrong — what do I do?

Please tell us. This is a public beta specifically so real numbers from real situations can surface exactly this kind of thing. Go to Feedback or use the "tell us" link at the bottom of the calculator.