NewRefinance Check, a 12-month income calendar and more. Read what’s new →
SIGN IN
GET STARTED

Updated September 16, 2026.

After your retirement planner: closing the DIY plan→portfolio gap

You can keep a Boldin-class retirement plan current, open an investments or total-allocation view across accounts, and still stall on the next DIY question: which buys, sells, and transfers—across a 401(k), IRA(s), and taxable brokerage—move the household file toward the plan? That stall is not a failure of scenario planning. It is a different job.

This page is a job map for that handoff. It is not a rewrite of WealthFluent vs Boldin, not a clone of portfolio optimizer without an advisor, and not another “best retirement software” shortlist. Use those siblings for head-to-head tables and the general optimizer how-to. Here we answer what comes after the plan feels current and allocation is visible—without advice, custody, or a hard sell to abandon your planner.

Answer in one paragraph: Keeping a retirement plan current—updating balances, dates, and assumptions so projections stay useful—is a real DIY job that scenario planners excel at. An investments or total-allocation view across accounts answers a second question: what is my combined asset mix today, often versus a risk-profile target from an industry risk-tolerance survey. Closing the plan→portfolio gap is a third job: comparing that file to a plan-derived personalized investable benchmark and evaluating candidate buys, sells, and transfers across a 401(k), IRA(s), and taxable accounts for your review. On WealthFluent, Magpie can analyze and explain that gap on your connected file on the Essentials plan; Magpie informs and educates, and you decide. Premium adds the Portfolio Optimization Engine / AI Portfolio Optimizer and Market Analysis so you can explore candidate actions across accounts—you approve, modify, or dismiss, and you place any trades at your own institutions. Many households keep a Boldin-class planner for Social Security and Roth-path scenarios and use WealthFluent for plan→portfolio action on connected accounts. WealthFluent is not a financial advisor and does not provide investment advice.

Three jobs DIY investors often mash into one

55+ self-directed investors with mid-six to low-seven figures across employer plans, rollovers, IRAs, and taxable accounts often treat “the planner” as the whole operating system. Separating three jobs keeps Magpie, Optimizer, and scenario tools in the right lanes.

Job 1 — Keep the retirement plan current

Scenario planners earn their keep when My Plan stays honest: Social Security timing, Roth paths, spend assumptions, Chance of Success, and the dates and balances that drive projections. Public Boldin help (confirm live—features and tiers change) describes plan AI that can propose updates from plain language or a document upload, then ask you to review and apply before anything lands in My Plan. That review-and-apply loop is a valuable job. It answers: is the plan still a trustworthy model of my life?

Job 2 — See allocation across accounts

An investments or total-allocation view answers a different question: what is the combined asset-class mix today across the accounts you connected or entered? Boldin’s public Investments materials (again, confirm live) describe rolling holdings into one picture and comparing that mix to a target from a Risk Tolerance Survey profile. Visibility is real progress. A pie that matches—or misses—a survey target still is not a list of which wrappers should fund which change.

Job 3 — Close the gap with cross-account portfolio actions

Job 3 is the unfinished DIY step: candidate buys, sells, and transfers across 401(k), IRA(s), and taxable toward a plan-derived personalized investable benchmark—for your review. Custody and execution stay with you at your institutions. WealthFluent is built for that handoff as DIY software: Magpie explains the gap on Essentials; Premium Optimizer surfaces candidate actions you approve, modify, or dismiss. It does not replace feature-for-feature Social Security or Roth explorers in a Boldin-class planner.

Why “plan current + allocation visible” still leaves a gap

Honoring Jobs 1 and 2 does not insult the planner. It names why many households still open a spreadsheet, an Empower-style tracker, or a Morningstar research tab after the plan refresh feels done.

A target mix is a destination; placement is the route

The same household equity bet can hide across wrappers. One account can look “balanced” while the combined file is heavy in one sector, employer stock, or US mega-cap overlap. Which account funds a change—and what that does to taxes, available funds, and contribution rules—is the hard DIY problem. Seeing 60/40 on a total pie does not tell you whether the next dollar of rebalance belongs in the old 401(k), the Roth, or the taxable lot with a large gain.

Risk-tolerance survey targets vs plan-derived benchmarks

Industry risk-tolerance questionnaires that bucket Aggressive / Moderate / Conservative (and adjacent profiles) are common practice. Boldin’s public help describes a Risk Tolerance Survey that produces a profile and sample allocation used as a comparison target on Investments—informational, not an automatic plan rewrite. That is a legitimate visibility tool. It is a different yardstick from a personalized investable benchmark derived from lifetime goals, liabilities, and the expected wealth vs. risk tradeoffs you reveal while planning—not from a shelf label. For that critique and bridge, see personalized investable benchmark vs risk buckets and lifetime wealth planning is not a retirement calculator.

What scenario planners typically do not ship as the center of gravity

Factual framing only: planning-first products are positioned around scenarios, Chance of Success, and keeping My Plan current. An Investments-style allocation view is visibility. Public Boldin help has noted that forecasts can still lean on account-level return assumptions rather than position-level holdings, with deeper investment roadmap items described as coming or next—confirm Boldin’s live product before treating any roadmap line as permanent. DIY rebalancing explainers often send readers to trackers, research tools, or spreadsheets for the action step precisely because scenario planners are not usually positioned as cross-account trade optimizers. Prefer that soft language over inventing “Boldin cannot X forever.”

Magpie after a scenario planner (Essentials)

Once the Boldin-class (or similar) plan is current and you want the next analysis on a connected household file, Magpie is the after-planner explainer—not a Premium-only gate.

What Magpie can explore on the connected file

Magpie is WealthFluent’s AI on your connected accounts, goals, and lifetime plan. On a linked file it can analyze and explain the gap versus a personalized benchmark, allocation and exposure across connected accounts, and plan context—insights and education only. You decide what, if anything, to change. Connections are read-only. WealthFluent (Ripsaw LLC) does not take custody and does not place trades.

Magpie is not gated behind Premium Optimizer

For this after-planner job:

  • Essentials ($90/year) — Magpie, Financial Wellness / Debt / Behavioral scores, goals and transaction insights, Lifetime Planning System. Enough to connect accounts, place the mix in lifetime-plan / personalized-benchmark context, and ask Magpie about the plan→portfolio gap—even before Optimizer.
  • Premium ($180/year) — adds the Portfolio Optimization Engine / AI Portfolio Optimizer and Market & Risk Analysis, plus spouse/partner login and collaboration tools. Optimizer outputs are candidate actions for your review. Default free trial is Premium (soft-confirm on the live trial path).
  • Lifetime — $1,200 one-time (60-day money-back guarantee as stated on pricing).

Confirm current plan contents on wealthfluent.com/pricing/. Magpie is on Essentials. “Companion” describes the platform’s decision-making role; it is not a Premium feature name and not a gate. Retirement Execution is not claimed as live on this page.

Optional fee contrast (from WealthFluent’s pricing comparison table only): Premium at $180/year vs. Empower wealth management commonly shown at 0.89% AUM ≈ $4,450 on a $500K portfolio. Confirm Empower’s live fee schedule. As of Oct 2026, WealthFluent Premium is $180/yr (50% off $360 list) and Boldin PlannerPlus is $168/yr; the two do different jobs. See the vs page for the full head-to-head.

Example Magpie prompts after the planner handoff (illustrative—not a script)

Illustrative questions once accounts are linked (wording may vary in product; examples only—not advice):

  • “What’s the gap between my portfolio and my personalized benchmark?”
  • “How does my allocation look across connected 401(k), IRA, and taxable accounts?”
  • “Where might I be concentrated relative to my lifetime plan?”
  • “Help me set constraints before optimizing (positions to keep, sector limits).”
  • “Explain these suggested updates account by account.” — after a Premium Optimizer run

Magpie informs and educates. It does not manage money, trade, or give investment advice. Prefer real Magpie threads when adding visuals on publish—do not invent UI chrome or exact response copy.

Premium Optimizer: candidate actions you approve

When Job 3 is the next click, Premium’s Portfolio Optimization Engine / AI Portfolio Optimizer is the commercial wedge. The full widget walkthrough lives on portfolio optimizer without an advisor—summarized here so this page stays the after-planner moment.

From personalized benchmark to suggested updates

The engine compares current holdings to the lifetime-plan personalized benchmark across connected accounts, respects constraints and preferences you set (including conversational setup with Magpie), and surfaces candidate actions—often framed in product as suggested portfolio updates—for review. Soften any “recommendations” language you see elsewhere to candidates you still decide.

You approve, modify, or dismiss—then you trade

Read-only connections. No custody. No auto-execute. You approve, modify, or dismiss; you place any trades at your own institutions. That is what “portfolio optimizer without an advisor” means here: tools for informed decisions, not discretionary management.

Optional Market Analysis as evaluation context

Premium Market & Risk Analysis adds evaluation context for the file—rates, credit, equity factors, and related dimensions—not market-timing advice. Deeper wedge: market risk analysis for DIY.

How this differs from alternatives (factual, non-disparaging)

vs Boldin plan AI + Investments (use both is OK)

Boldin: keep My Plan current; model scenarios; see allocation vs a risk-profile / Risk Tolerance Survey target. WealthFluent: whole balance sheet → Lifetime Planning → personalized investable benchmark → Magpie on the file (Essentials) → Premium Optimizer candidate actions across accounts. Similar software prices do not mean the same job. For the full feature and fee head-to-head, use WealthFluent vs Boldin—do not expect this page to paste that table. Allowed honest close: use Boldin for scenarios; WealthFluent for plan→portfolio on connected accounts.

vs Empower-class dashboards / optional AUM

Tracking and free aggregation answer “what do I own?” Paid AUM is a different contract. Neither is the same as a cross-account optimizer aimed at a plan-derived personalized benchmark. Fee math only with the stated basis on pricing; confirm Empower’s live schedule. Related: fee drag: flat DIY vs AUM and WealthFluent vs Empower.

vs ProjectionLab / MaxiFi-class simulators

Strong at manual Monte Carlo, living-standard, and tax what-ifs; typically not a live connected-file trade list. Category context without a table dump: best retirement planning software. Simulator contrast if relevant: WealthFluent vs ProjectionLab.

vs PortfolioPilot / RIA-hybrid AI

Different contract: RIA / hybrid recommendation paths vs DIY software tools. Soft pointer only—do not invent feature parity: WealthFluent vs PortfolioPilot.

A practical plan→portfolio checklist (after the planner)

Short evaluative list—distinct from vs pages and from the longer optimizer-page checklist:

  1. Confirm the retirement plan inputs you care about are current—dates, income, spend, Social Security / Roth assumptions—in whatever planner you use.
  2. Combine every investable account into one household view (401(k), IRA(s), taxable, employer stock if relevant).
  3. Ask whether you have a plan-derived personalized benchmark—or only a risk-survey / model-mix target.
  4. Ask Magpie (or equivalent analysis) what the gap looks like on the connected file—allocation, concentration, benchmark distance.
  5. If the next job is action: on Premium, explore Optimizer candidate actions account-by-account; approve, modify, or dismiss.
  6. Place any trades at your own institutions; re-check the plan after material changes.
  7. Decide your stack honestly: scenario planner only, WealthFluent only, or both.

Before optimizing, a goals-tied diversification check helps: Am I diversified enough for my goals? Tax-aware placement across wrappers: asset location across IRA, 401(k), and taxable.

Soft next step—connect the file, see the gap, then decide

1. Start a trial and connect accounts read-only.
2. Ask Magpie the plan→portfolio gap questions on your connected file (Essentials capability; Magpie is not Premium-only).
3. On the default Premium trial path, optionally explore Optimizer candidate actions and Market Analysis as evaluation context—you review every step.

No hard sell. No “you should leave Boldin.” Soft start: https://wealthfluent.com/free-trial/ (14-day free trial; default trial Premium—confirm live). You stay in control of every decision and every trade.

For Magpie product narrative depth, see Financial Intelligence—and trust live pricing for Magpie on Essentials if any older FI copy still bundles Magpie with Premium. DIY category context: best DIY wealth planning platforms. Free calculator front door (not the hero of this page): When can I retire?

FAQ

After I keep my Boldin (or similar) retirement plan current, what do I use for the portfolio?

Keeping My Plan current finishes the scenario-planning job; it does not automatically produce cross-account buys, sells, and transfers toward a plan-derived personalized benchmark. Many DIY households keep a Boldin-class planner for scenarios and use WealthFluent Magpie (Essentials) plus Premium Optimizer for plan→portfolio analysis on connected accounts—you approve every candidate action and you trade at your own institutions. WealthFluent is not a financial advisor.

Does an investments / allocation view close the plan→portfolio gap?

No. An investments or total-allocation view answers what your combined asset mix looks like today—often versus a risk-profile or Risk Tolerance Survey target. Closing the gap is a third job: evaluating candidate actions across wrappers toward a personalized investable benchmark for your review. Visibility is necessary; it is not an execution list.

How does Magpie fit after a scenario planner—and is it Premium-only?

Magpie can analyze and explain the gap on your connected WealthFluent file—allocation, concentration, benchmark distance, plan context. Magpie is on Essentials ($90/year), not a Premium-only gate. Premium ($180/year) adds Optimizer and Market Analysis so you can explore candidate actions you approve, modify, or dismiss. Magpie informs and educates; you decide. Companion describes the platform; it is not a Premium feature.

WealthFluent is not a financial advisor and does not provide investment advice. Platform analytics are tools for informed decision-making. Magpie informs and educates; it does not provide investment advice, take custody, or place trades. Ripsaw LLC is a software company. Account connections are read-only. Competitor product descriptions paraphrase public help and marketing as of research for this page; confirm Boldin, Empower, and other live schedules and features on their sites. Fee contrasts cite figures as shown on wealthfluent.com/pricing/; confirm competitor schedules. Do your own research. Consider a qualified professional before you make financial decisions.