retirement planning software comparison
An Empower alternative for testing retirement assumptions
Meridary helps you explore when retirement may be possible by comparing savings, spending, and income assumptions. It uses manual account entry and does not replace Empower's connected financial dashboard.
By Steven, Founder · Updated October 14, 2026
Short answer
- Empower's dashboard is free and designed to connect financial accounts.
- Meridary is paid software for comparing estimated retirement timing across scenarios, not a human advisory service.
- Leaving Empower means losing automatic net-worth, spending, and transaction views.
What Empower already gives you
The Empower Personal Dashboard brings connected investments, cash, credit, retirement accounts, budgeting, cash flow, and net worth into one free interface. Its retirement tools support scenario testing, while separate Empower services provide portfolio management and ongoing planning for eligible clients.
What planning with manual data involves
Meridary does not request a connection to financial institutions. You enter supported account values and planning assumptions directly, which avoids maintaining account links but also means balances do not update automatically.
The software is paid: $149–$199 for a founding lifetime license or $12 per month. It does not use a free dashboard as its entry point.
What you give up by leaving the dashboard
You lose Empower's automatic financial overview, transaction and spending tools, investment allocation views, connected net worth, and access to its broader product ecosystem. Meridary is not a daily financial dashboard.
When Meridary is the closer fit
Meridary fits when you want to understand how changes in saving, spending, or retirement age affect a modeled retirement outlook—not monitor every account and transaction. Its model includes federal tax plus a flat state rate, RMDs, one Social Security benefit, Roth conversions, healthcare, and uncertain returns. These are educational estimates, not financial advice or guarantees. Empower details reflect the cited source access dates.
Meridary vs Empower, at a glance
| Feature | Meridary | Empower |
|---|---|---|
| What you leave | No aggregation or daily dashboard | Connected net worth, spending, and investments |
| What you gain | Retirement-timing scenarios with published model scope and validation | Broad free financial tools |
| Data maintenance | Update values yourself | Connections can update account information |
| Advisory relationship | None | Available separately through Empower |
| Cost change | $149–$199 lifetime or $12/month | Dashboard remains free |
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Frequently asked
- Is Meridary a replacement for Empower's budgeting tools?
- No. Meridary does not categorize transactions or maintain a connected cash-flow dashboard. It is a long-range retirement-planning application.
- Does using Meridary require sharing bank credentials?
- No. Meridary uses manual account entry and has no bank aggregation feature.
Read next
Methodology
See how Meridary checks calculator figures, tests the planning engine, states model limits, and records corrections on the validation methodology page.
Sources
- Financial tools — Empower
The free Personal Dashboard, connected accounts, and planning tools.
Accessed October 14, 2026
- Personal Strategy — Empower
Empower's separate advisory and wealth-management offering.
Accessed October 14, 2026
This is an educational estimate, not tax or financial advice. Figures reflect the law year shown and the inputs you provide. Consult a qualified professional before acting.