Retirement planning clarity, without the advisor markup
ThunderHarbor runs the same math your financial advisor uses: tax brackets, RMD projections, Social Security optimization, and Roth conversion windows. It puts that math directly in your hands, updated in real time as you adjust your numbers.
Why we built this
Most Americans don't get professional retirement advice. A qualified financial planner costs $2,000–5,000 for a comprehensive plan, and ongoing advisory fees eat 0.5–1% of your portfolio every year, often $5,000–15,000 annually for someone approaching retirement. Yet the decisions that matter most are largely mathematical: when to claim Social Security, how aggressively to convert to Roth, and how to sequence withdrawals. They can be modeled precisely.
ThunderHarbor models them for you. Not estimates or rough guides, but year-by-year projections calibrated to current IRS data, your state's tax rules, actual IRMAA thresholds, and your specific account balances and income sources. The same calculation engine a CPA uses, minus the billing rate.
Most planning tools stop at a chart or a number, and leave you to guess why it looks that way. ThunderHarbor explains it. Every tab pairs the numbers with plain-English context: why your Roth conversion stops where it does, why a withdrawal triggers IRMAA, or why claiming Social Security a year later changes your tax picture a decade from now. The math is precise, but you shouldn't need to be an actuary to understand what it's telling you.
What makes it different
Calculation accuracy
Every projection is verified against actual IRS publications, not rounded rules of thumb. Correct IRMAA lookback logic, state-specific pension exemptions, SECURE Act 2.0 RMD tables, SS survivor benefit math.
Plain English, not just charts
Every number comes with an explanation of where it came from and why it matters, written in plain language. You should understand the reasoning behind your plan, not just stare at a chart and trust it.
Privacy by design
Your financial data is yours. We don't sell it, share it, or train models on it. You can export an encrypted backup at any time and delete your account with one click.
What-If modeling
Retire 2 years earlier. Move to Florida. Convert aggressively for 5 years. Every scenario runs the full projection instantly, so you see exactly what each decision costs or saves over a lifetime.
Modeled person by person
For couples, each spouse has their own accounts, income, Social Security claiming age, and Roth conversion strategy, and the projection tracks them separately all the way through, including what happens to the survivor's taxes and RMDs after one spouse passes. Most tools blend everything into one household number and lose that detail.
Built for before and after retirement
Whether you're years from retiring or already drawing down your accounts, the decisions that matter most are the same: Roth conversion windows, RMD planning, Social Security timing, and healthcare costs. That's exactly what this tool is built around, for the years leading up to retirement and every year after.
Who it's for
ThunderHarbor is built for people who are serious about their retirement, whether that's still years away or already underway. If you're 10–20 years out and starting to think hard about the decisions that will matter when you stop working, or if you're already retired and managing Social Security, RMDs, Roth conversions, and Medicare costs year to year, this tool was built for you. If you have a 401k, an IRA, and questions about how those pieces fit together, the projection runs the same either way.
It's not a replacement for a financial advisor in complex situations like estate planning, business ownership, or unusual income structures. But for the core retirement math that most working Americans face? You don't need to pay someone thousands of dollars a year to run these numbers for you.
Not financial advice
ThunderHarbor provides financial planning tools and projections for informational purposes only. Nothing on this site constitutes financial, tax, investment, or legal advice. Calculations are based on inputs you provide and publicly available IRS data. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making significant financial decisions.
Contact
Questions, feedback, or data requests: [email protected]
ThunderSecurity LLC · United States