Frequently Asked Questions
How does The Best Third get paid?
Right now, we don’t. The Best Third is completely free to use, and we don’t receive compensation of any kind—from users, advisors, or anyone else.
We’re still in the early stages, testing and refining the service based on real feedback from retirees and advisors. Our priority is to make The Best Third as helpful, accurate, and easy to use as possible before we think about charging for it.
In the future, we may explore different ways to support the service sustainably. But for now, our focus is simple: learn from users and keep improving.
What kind of personal data do you collect and what do you do with it?
We ask for data about your financial situation solely for the purpose of helping you craft a retirement income plan. We do not share any personally identifiable data with any outside party. All data is stored in a secure encrypted Amazon Web Services database.
What fees will I need to pay to implement my plan?
The costs of implementing this type of plan are very low. TIPS can bought and held at many brokerages, including at some major online brokerages for no fees or commissions. To implement the stock portion of the plan you can invest in a stock index ETF. At some brokerages these ETFs can be bought commission-free and have expense ratios of 0.05% or less -- these are among the least expensive stock funds available.
If you engage a financial advisor to implement this plan for you the fees would be between you and the advisor.
Why is it called The Best Third?
Think of life as having three stages: youth and school years, working years, and retirement.
We're dedicated to helping people to have the best retirement third of their life.
What is the methodology for estimating after-tax income?
The methodology is described in detail in this article
How is The Best Third different from a traditional retirement income calculator?
Most retirement calculators focus on portfolio growth projections and simple withdrawal assumptions. The Best Third takes a more comprehensive approach by incorporating Social Security benefits, taxes, account withdrawal sequencing, inflation protection, and legacy goals into a personalized retirement income plan designed for the spending phase of retirement.
Is The Best Third an alternative to the 4% rule?
Yes. The Best Third was developed as a research-based alternative to traditional retirement withdrawal rules such as the 4% rule. Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all percentage, the platform creates a spending strategy based on your specific assets, income sources, tax situation, and historical market outcomes.
Does The Best Third account for Social Security and taxes?
Yes. Social Security claiming strategies and tax-aware withdrawal planning are integrated into the retirement income modeling process. This allows users to evaluate how different claiming ages, account withdrawal sequences, and tax scenarios may impact long-term retirement spending.
Who is The Best Third designed for?
The Best Third is built for self-directed investors who want to understand their retirement spending strategy — not just accept it. Users include engineers, executives, physicians, scientists, software developers, attorneys, CFPs, CPAs, and other experienced investors who manage their own retirement assets. Most are at or near conventional retirement age or already retired; a meaningful number are planning for early retirement."
If your question isn’t answered above, ask it in our feedback form.