Frequently Asked Questions

Dean Financials is a comprehensive financial planning platform that helps you make confident money decisions. We provide powerful tools for debt payoff planning, retirement modeling, and market analysis—all in one place.

Yes! All our core tools including the Debt Payoff Planner, Retirement Planner, and Market Breadth Dashboard are currently free to use. We're committed to making financial planning accessible to everyone.

Currently, no account is required. All calculations happen in your browser, and your data stays private on your device. We're working on optional account features for saving scenarios and accessing them across devices.

The Avalanche method pays off debts with the highest interest rates first, saving you the most money over time. The Snowball method targets the smallest balances first, providing quick psychological wins. Our calculator shows you the exact difference in interest paid and time to debt-freedom for both strategies.

Our calculations use standard compound interest formulas and account for monthly compounding. Results are highly accurate assuming your interest rates and payment amounts remain constant. Real-world results may vary if rates change or you make irregular payments.

Absolutely! You can edit any debt details, adjust your extra payment amount, or switch between strategies at any time. The timeline recalculates instantly to show how changes affect your debt-free date.

A common rule of thumb is to aim for 25-30 times your desired annual retirement income. For example, if you want $60,000/year in retirement, you'd need $1.5M-$1.8M. Our tool lets you model different scenarios to find what works for your lifestyle.

Historical stock market returns average around 10% annually, but a conservative estimate of 5-7% is often recommended for retirement planning to account for market volatility and inflation. Our tool lets you model different return scenarios to see how they affect your outcome.

Yes! You can create and compare multiple scenarios with different contribution amounts, retirement ages, or expected returns. This helps you see how various life decisions impact your retirement readiness.

The current version shows nominal (non-inflation-adjusted) values. When setting your retirement goal and expected returns, consider using real (inflation-adjusted) rates. For example, if you expect 7% returns and 3% inflation, use 4% as your expected return.

Market breadth measures how many stocks are participating in a market move. When most stocks are rising (high breadth), it signals broad market strength. When only a few stocks drive the index higher (low breadth), it can signal weakness and potential reversal.

Our market breadth data refreshes during market hours, giving you near real-time insight into market health and participation.

Overbought conditions (breadth >70%) suggest the market may be due for a pullback, while oversold conditions (breadth <30%) may indicate a potential bounce. These aren't exact timing signals but help you understand market extremes.

Yes! All calculations happen locally in your browser. We don't store, transmit, or have access to any financial data you enter. Your information never leaves your device.

No, never. We don't collect personal financial data in the first place. Our business model is based on providing valuable tools, not selling user data.