Frequently asked questions
What Frugalist is, what it costs, and how it works. If your question is not here, write me.
About Frugalist
What is Frugalist.Club?
A set of free financial planning tools you run in the browser, built by one person: retirement simulators, debt and mortgage calculators, an emergency fund planner, and a reading library.
One free membership, every tool. No downloads, no installation, just sign in from any browser.
Do I need to download or install anything?
No. Everything runs in the browser, on any device: computer, tablet, or phone. Join the club and start.
What does it cost?
Nothing. There is no paid plan and I am not planning one. Membership is free and gives you:
- Unlimited use of every calculator and simulator
- Your saved simulations, kept for you
- New tools as I build them
- The reading library
- Me, answering your emails
How do you pay for it, then?
Out of my own pocket. The servers, the domain, the email service: I cover them, and I build Frugalist in my spare time. Right now it is a side project I care about, not a business.
If a tool here helped you and you want to help me keep it running and growing, you can contribute below. If enough people do, one day I could work on this full time. Either way, the tools stay free.
Do you provide financial advice or consulting?
No. Frugalist is software tools only, not a financial advisory service. The tools show you the numbers. The decisions are yours.
How is this different from hiring a financial advisor?
| Feature | Frugalist.Club | Financial Advisor |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | Software tools | Personalized advice |
| Cost | Free | $2,000-10,000/year |
| Who decides | You | Advisor recommends |
| Access | 24/7 from anywhere | Scheduled appointments |
| Best for | People who want to run their own numbers | People who want someone else to manage it |
Membership and support
What is free?
Everything built so far:
- Trinity Study Retirement Planner
- Monte Carlo Retirement Simulator
- International Retirement Simulator
- Coast FIRE Calculator
- Debt Payoff Calculator
- Mortgage & Purchase Simulator
- Multi-Scenario Comparator
- Unlimited Simulation History
- Emergency Fund Calculator
No card, no paywall. Membership is free and keeps your simulations.
What is coming?
The tools still in progress. They will be free too, when they are ready:
- Expense Analyzer
- PDF Reports
- Finances Distilled
How can I help?
Three ways, and all of them matter to me. Tell me what helped and what got in the way, and if you have an idea, I want to hear it. Tell a friend who could use the tools. And if you can, contribute to the costs of running this.
ContributeBuy me a coffeeIs a contribution a purchase?
No. It buys nothing and unlocks nothing: the tools are the same for everyone. It is a gift toward the infrastructure and my time. If you contributed by mistake, write me and I will return it.
Technical and security
Where is my data stored?
On AWS (Amazon Web Services), encrypted at rest and in transit.
Do you sell my data?
Never. Frugalist is paid for by me and by members who choose to contribute, not by your data. Your numbers stay private and are not shared with third parties.
What browsers are supported?
Any modern browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge. It works on phones and tablets too.
Can I use this on my phone?
Yes. There is no app to download. Open frugalist.club in your phone’s browser.
How do I get support?
Write to [email protected], or to me at [email protected]. It is one person answering, so give me 24-48 hours.