I received an email last week from Bryan Link who requested I take a look at a start-up he runs called SimpliFi. The site contains an automated financial goals planner. A Flash-based application bases its evaluation on an interview designed to determine the user’s financial status and goals, adjustable assumptions, and its internal forumlas.
Most people who are interested in forecasting their personal financial future have likely inserted the same information into Microsoft Money, Intuit Quicken, or have even spoken to a financial planner in person.
There are some advtantages to SimpliFi. Since the information is web-based, you can access your projections and plans from any location connected to the internet. The site is geared towards middle-income people like “them” rather than the wealthy. Signing up for the service costs $24.95 per quarter or $74.95 for a full year.
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11:51 pm (reply)
I received the request from Bryan also. Haven’t had time to play with it yet, though. It IS an interesting idea.
12:25 am (reply)
I hate sites that have sound. I also hate inflated rhetoric like “advice of this kind has been available only to the very wealth.”
1:42 pm (reply)
Ditto on the e-mail from Bryan. The sound on the front page CANNOT be turned off, which is a bit annoying. I also haven’t gotten the chance to do much with it, too much data entry. Did it offer anything unexpected?
9:17 pm (reply)
Nothing unexpected. It asks for pretty basic information, though the interview process seemed to be pretty long. Despite all the information the service collects, the generate reports are pretty basic.
9:53 pm (reply)
I’ve used Financial Engines for a quarter..
Type in your portfolio and contributions and goals and it returns a forecast with a percentage chance of you reaching your goal.
Limited to investments only…no tax planning stuff.