Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48979674

Points: 5

# Comments: 2

Then, after several more months of utilizing it for my own modelling/analysis, I realized this thing might actually be good enough for others as well, so I turned it into a full-on desktop app.

The Retirology app was built with a few things in mind:

1. Be adaptable to as many retirement scenarios as possible.

2. Include all the pro-level tools competitors lock behind subscriptions.

3. No account or connections to external services.

4. No subscriptions ever.

What Retirology is capable of:

- Multi-bucket accumulation modelling covering over two dozen account types, with custom growth rates, employer match, and bond tent capabilities.

- Drawdown engine that runs year-by-year analysis and includes features such as Roth conversion ladders, ACA premium subsidy optimization, SEPP 72(t), RMD modelling, and Social Security planning.

- Full state and select locality tax modelling (NYC, Detroit, Maryland counties).

- Robust Monte Carlo stress testing.

- Income and budget tracking.

- A Sankey diagram that models full accumulation and drawdown phases into an easily understood cash flow visual.

- Side-by-side comparison table to see how multiple planning scenarios stack up.

As for the technical details, if you’re so inclined:

- Available on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

- All data stays local, saved in a SQLite file on your machine.

- No account, logic, or cloud sync.

- A single network call the app makes at launch to a version.json to check for updates.

- Backend is Python, FastAPI, Pydantic v2, SQLite, reportlab, and PyInstaller.

- Frontend is React 19, TypeScript, Electron 33, electron-vite + Vite 6, Tailwind CSS 4, Radix UI, and Recharts 3.

Happy to answer questions about any of it, and thank you in advance for checking it out!

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48804367

Points: 2

# Comments: 1

Then, after several more months of utilizing it for my own modelling/analysis, I realized this thing might actually be good enough for others as well, so I turned it into a full-on desktop app.

The Retirology app was built with a few things in mind:

1. Be adaptable to as many retirement scenarios as possible.

2. Include all the pro-level tools competitors lock behind subscriptions.

3. No account or connections to external services.

4. No subscriptions ever.

Retirology is available via a one-time pay-what-you-want model, with a base price of $19. No matter what you pay, you will get indefinite in-year updates with the usual fixes and enhancements. The app is yours, forever, and will never stop working, ever.

Every year, a new standalone version of the app will be released as a separate purchase, which includes updated local and federal rules and regulations, such as the latest tax brackets. All current customers will automatically receive 100% off the 2027 version of the app.

I want to be clear, I am not releasing this app with plans to turn this into a business. Instead, my goal is to save people money by cancelling subscriptions for competing apps, with the added bonus of making a little cash on the side. So apologies if any of this sounds a bit unprofessional, but that's because it kind of is.

What Retirology is capable of:

- Multi-bucket accumulation modelling covering over two dozen account types, with custom growth rates, employer match, and bond tent capabilities.

- Drawdown engine that runs year-by-year analysis and includes features such as Roth conversion ladders, ACA premium subsidy optimization, SEPP 72(t), RMD modelling, and Social Security planning.

- Full state and select locality tax modelling (NYC, Detroit, Maryland counties).

- Robust Monte Carlo stress testing.

- Income and budget tracking.

- A Sankey diagram that models full accumulation and drawdown phases into an easily understood cash flow visual.

- Side-by-side comparison table to see how multiple planning scenarios stack up.

As for the technical details, if you’re so inclined:

- Available on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

- All data stays local, saved in a SQLite file on your machine.

- No account, logic, or cloud sync.

- A single network call the app makes at launch to a version.json to check for updates.

- Backend is Python, FastAPI, Pydantic v2, SQLite, reportlab, and PyInstaller.

- Frontend is React 19, TypeScript, Electron 33, electron-vite + Vite 6, Tailwind CSS 4, Radix UI, and Recharts 3.

Happy to answer questions about any of it, and thank you in advance for checking it out!

https://retirology.app

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48673780

Points: 2

# Comments: 1

Just out of curiousity, did you attempt the traditional agent and publisher route and if so any learnings you'd be willing to share with someone who'd like to go down that route?

Any future enhancements planned around financial analysis or are you focused on interactive education?