Privacy
Retirement calculator privacy: what tools can see your data
Before you type your savings into a calculator, it's worth knowing where those numbers go. Some tools store them on a server. Some link directly to your bank. And some — like Reckon Wealth — never receive them at all.
The three ways calculators handle your data
Broadly, retirement tools fall into three buckets. The first connects to your accounts through a service like Plaid, pulling real balances — convenient, but it means a third party and the tool both have access to your live financial data. The second asks you to create an account and stores your figures on its servers, which is where most "free" tools sit. The third keeps everything on your own device and sends nothing anywhere.
How to tell which kind you're using
Ask three questions. Does it require a login or email? If so, your data is almost certainly stored server-side. Does it ask to connect a bank or import accounts? Then it has access to live financial data. Does it work instantly with no signup? That's a sign it may be browser-only. When in doubt, the privacy policy will say whether data is stored and shared.
| Approach | Who can see your numbers | Reckon Wealth |
|---|---|---|
| Bank connection (Plaid) | The tool and the linking service | Not used |
| Account + server storage | The company, and anyone who breaches it | Not used |
| Browser-only storage | Only you, on your device | This is how it works |
Why browser-only is safer
Reckon Wealth stores your numbers in your browser's local storage. They stay on your device, aren't transmitted to a server, and aren't collected as personal information. There's no account database to breach and no profile of your finances to sell, because none is ever created. The trade-off is simple and worth naming: because your data lives only in your browser, clearing your browser data clears your figures, and they don't sync across devices.