What's the Best Retirement Planning Software in 2026?

Which Capabilities Separate Good Retirement Software from Adequate?

In retirement planning software, the gap between what appears comprehensive and what actually is comprehensive often comes down to these specific capabilities:

1. Monte Carlo depth: does the simulation use actual historical return distributions (not just average returns), and does it model the correlation between stocks, bonds, and inflation?

2. Social Security current law compliance: are file-and-suspend and restricted applications correctly disabled for those born after relevant cutoff dates? Is the earnings test modeled correctly?

3. RMD accuracy: does the tool use SECURE 2.0 RMD ages (73/75, not 72) and include the Roth 401(k) RMD elimination effective 2024?

4. IRMAA awareness: Roth conversion analysis is meaningless without modeling the Medicare premium surcharges that conversions can trigger 2 years later.

Tools that get these details wrong produce inaccurate results — sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars.

How Do You Evaluate Any Retirement Planning Tool Before You Commit?

When evaluating retirement planning software, run this test: input a 64-year-old married couple with a defined benefit pension, a traditional IRA, and Social Security for both spouses. Request Roth conversion analysis and Social Security optimization.

A good tool will: - Show the pension offset effect on asset allocation (pension acts as bond-equivalent) - Display Social Security strategies for both spouses with survivor benefit consideration - Model the Roth conversion window between retirement and SS/RMD start - Flag IRMAA thresholds in the conversion analysis

A basic tool will give a Monte Carlo success rate and a Social Security claiming suggestion without integrating these factors.

Want to See What Professional-Grade Analysis Looks Like?

AI Financial Plan runs all four of the capabilities above: 10,000-scenario Monte Carlo with historical distributions, Social Security optimization under current law (including survivor coordination), IRMAA-aware Roth conversion analysis, and LTC self-insurance modeling.

Not AI guessing. Deterministic engines — the same calculations CFPs use, at $89 vs. $2,600-$10,000 from a human advisor. Start free at myaifinancialplan.com.