Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center vs RetireGolden

Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center9.3Visit RetireGolden8.7Visit

Higher score Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center #2 in Retirement Planning Software 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Fidelity

vs

RetireGolden #7 in Retirement Planning Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit RetireGolden

• Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center fits best

  Fidelity customers wanting free, connected planning

• RetireGolden fits best

  Free users wanting detailed tax and Social Security models

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Side by side

Feature	Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center 9.3/10 Visit ↗	RetireGolden 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.7
Ranking	#2 in Retirement Planning Software	#7 in Retirement Planning Software
Best for	Fidelity customers wanting free, connected planning	Free users wanting detailed tax and Social Security models
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Features Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center 5/5 · RetireGolden 5/5
Income projection	✓	✓
Savings growth projection	✓	✓
Withdrawal planning	✓	✓
Social Security modeling	✓	✓
Scenario analysis	✓	✓
Specs
Tax modeling	Detailed	Detailed
Account synchronization	Read_only	None
Our review
Pros	Models retirement income, savings growth and withdrawal strategies Estimates federal, state and local taxes and Social Security benefits Connects Fidelity and external accounts through Full View	Models Social Security claiming and spousal or survivor benefits Estimates federal and state taxes, RMDs, Roth conversions, and ACA premiums Compares scenarios and runs Monte Carlo risk analysis
Cons	Plans are informational and hypothetical, not actual tax calculations External account data is read-only; manually entered accounts do not update Investment expenses and trading or transaction fees may still apply	No account syncing or integrations Tax estimates are for planning, not tax-return preparation Not personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice
Our verdict	Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center gives Fidelity customers and workplace-plan participants a free way to assess retirement readiness and plan other financial goals. It considers savings, future contributions, income sources, expenses,… Read the review →	RetireGolden is a browser-based retirement planning calculator for people evaluating savings, income, spending, taxes, withdrawals, and retirement timing. It builds year-by-year household projections and is aimed at users who want to… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center — where it wins

  • Models retirement income, savings growth and withdrawal strategies
  • Estimates federal, state and local taxes and Social Security benefits
  • Connects Fidelity and external accounts through Full View

  Where it doesn't

  • Plans are informational and hypothetical, not actual tax calculations
  • External account data is read-only; manually entered accounts do not update
  • Investment expenses and trading or transaction fees may still apply

• RetireGolden — where it wins

  • Models Social Security claiming and spousal or survivor benefits
  • Estimates federal and state taxes, RMDs, Roth conversions, and ACA premiums
  • Compares scenarios and runs Monte Carlo risk analysis

  Where it doesn't

  • No account syncing or integrations
  • Tax estimates are for planning, not tax-return preparation
  • Not personalized financial, tax, legal, or investment advice

• Fidelity Planning & Guidance Center9.3/10 · Free plan

  A free planner with tax, Social Security, withdrawal and what-if analysis.

  Visit FidelityFull verdict →
• RetireGolden8.7/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source browser tool for detailed retirement and tax scenario modeling.

  Visit RetireGoldenFull verdict →