ModernRetire — Privacy Policy
Effective Date: 05/01/2026 Last Updated: 06/07/2026 Operated by: ModernRetire LLC
Your privacy is fundamental to how ModernRetire is built. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. This policy applies to all users of modernretire.com and the ModernRetire planner at app.modernretire.com (together, the "Service").
This Privacy Policy is part of a set of legal documents that govern your use of the Service. Please also review our Terms of Service, Disclaimers, and Security & Cookie Settings.
1. Our Privacy Principles
ModernRetire is designed with a privacy-first architecture. Our core principles are:
- Your financial calculations run entirely in your browser. The calculation engine, including Monte Carlo simulations, historical backtests, stress tests, and all optimization logic, executes client-side. We do not receive, process, or store your calculation results on our servers.
- We collect the minimum information necessary to provide the Service.
- We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.
- We do not connect to your financial accounts, brokerage accounts, bank accounts, or any third-party financial institution.
- We do not serve advertisements or share data with advertising networks.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
Early access / waitlist (closed beta): If you join our waitlist at /beta or related forms, we collect your email address and optional intake answers (for example retirement timeline, household type, and planning concerns). We use this to prioritize beta invitations and improve the product. When double opt-in is enabled, we do not store your waitlist row until you confirm via the link in our email. Intake data is stored in our database (PostgreSQL on Neon) and may be visible to authorized ModernRetire operators in our admin tools. We do not sell waitlist data.
Account Information (signed-in users): If you create an account — including free accounts and beta testers invited via email — we collect your email address and name. This information is collected and managed by our authentication provider, Clerk (clerk.com), and is used to authenticate your identity and deliver access to the planner.
Payment Information (Premium purchasers): If you purchase Premium access, payment is processed by Stripe, Inc. (stripe.com). We receive a confirmation of payment and your Stripe customer ID. We do not receive, store, or have access to your credit card number, bank account number, or other payment instrument details. Beta testers who receive time-limited access via invitation grant are not required to provide payment information to us.
Plan Data (signed-in users with cloud sync): If you sign in and enable cloud sync in Settings → Plan Data, we store your plan configurations (inputs, assumptions, and settings) in an encrypted database. Tier limits apply: free signed-in accounts may store continuous backup of the active plan plus up to three named manual scenario snapshots; Premium and Beta accounts may store unlimited named manual scenario snapshots. This data is associated with your account and is accessible only to you unless you explicitly share access in a future product feature. Plan Data is stored as structured data (JSON) and contains the financial parameters you entered — not calculation results, projections, or personal identification numbers.
Support Communications: If you contact us at support@modernretire.com, we retain the content of your communications to provide support and improve the Service.
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
Analytics Data: We use Vercel Web Analytics, a privacy-focused analytics service that does not use cookies and does not track individual users. We collect aggregate, anonymized data about page views, device types, and general geographic regions (country level). We do not collect IP addresses for analytics purposes.
Technical Data: Our hosting provider (Vercel) may collect standard server logs including IP address, browser type, and request timestamps for security and infrastructure purposes. These logs are retained for a limited period and are not used for user tracking or profiling.
2.3 Information We Do NOT Collect
We want to be explicit about what we do not collect:
- Social Security numbers or government identification numbers
- Bank account numbers, credit card numbers, or financial account credentials
- Brokerage or investment account data (we have no Plaid or account-linking integration)
- Calculation results, projections, or optimization outputs (these exist only in your browser)
- Browsing history outside of modernretire.com
- Location data beyond country-level geographic region
- Biometric data
- Health information
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes only:
To provide and operate the Service: Account authentication, optional plan data storage and retrieval for signed-in users who enable cloud sync, and delivery of Premium or Beta access.
To process payments: Coordinating with Stripe to complete Premium purchases and deliver paid access.
To communicate with you: Responding to support requests. Sending transactional emails related to your request — for example waitlist email confirmation, beta invitation links, and newsletter subscription confirmations. We do not send unsolicited marketing email blasts without your consent. Optional product update emails, if introduced later, will be opt-in only.
To improve the Service: Using anonymized, aggregate analytics data to understand usage patterns and prioritize feature development. This data cannot be traced back to any individual user.
To ensure security: Detecting and preventing fraud, abuse, and unauthorized access to the Service.
4. Plan Data Handling by Access Type
How your retirement plan inputs are stored depends on whether you have an account and which access tier you use. In all cases, calculations run in your browser; our servers store inputs only when you are signed in and have cloud sync enabled.
| Guest (free, not signed in) | Free (signed in) | Premium / Beta (signed in) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account | None | Clerk (email, name) | Clerk (email, name) |
| Plan on this device | Browser localStorage (rp-v1) | Browser localStorage (rp-v1) | Browser localStorage (rp-v1) |
| Cloud backup | Not available | Optional; active plan autosave + up to 3 named scenarios | Optional; active plan autosave + unlimited named scenarios |
| Payment to ModernRetire | — | — | Premium via Stripe; Beta via invitation grant |
4.1 Free tier — without an account (guest)
If you use the planner without signing in:
- All Plan Data is stored exclusively in your browser's localStorage under the key
rp-v1. - No Plan Data is transmitted to our servers.
- We have no ability to access, view, or recover your locally stored data.
- Clearing your browser data will permanently delete your Plan Data on that device.
- The only data we receive is anonymized analytics (aggregate page views, not user-specific).
4.2 Free tier — with an account (signed in)
If you create a free account and sign in:
- Your account information (email, name) is stored by Clerk.
- Plan Data remains on your device in localStorage by default, same as the guest experience.
- Cloud sync is optional. In Settings → Plan Data you can turn cloud backup on or off. When enabled, we store your active plan inputs (autosaved as you edit) and up to three named manual scenario snapshots (plan inputs as JSON, not calculation results). When disabled, this device does not upload or auto-restore from the cloud; any existing cloud copy is retained until you turn sync back on or delete your account.
- You may export your plan as JSON at any time, whether or not cloud sync is enabled.
- Signing out clears plan data stored locally on that device (your cloud copy, if any, is unchanged until you delete your account).
- Upon account deletion, cloud-stored Plan Data is permanently deleted within 30 days.
4.3 Premium and Beta tiers (signed in)
If you have Premium access (purchased via Stripe) or Beta access (time-limited premium-class grant via invitation):
- Your account information (email, name) is stored by Clerk. Beta testers are not required to provide payment details unless they separately purchase Premium.
- Plan Data on your device and optional cloud sync work the same way as for free signed-in users, except you may store unlimited named manual cloud scenarios when cloud sync is enabled (plus continuous backup of your active plan).
- You may export or delete individual plans through the Service.
- Upon account deletion, all cloud-stored Plan Data is permanently deleted within 30 days. Payment records for Premium purchases are retained as required by tax and accounting regulations (typically 7 years), managed by Stripe.
Even with Premium or Beta access, all calculations continue to run in your browser. The server stores your inputs when cloud sync is on, not your results.
5. Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services to operate ModernRetire:
| Service | Purpose | Data Shared | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vercel | Hosting, serverless functions, database | Server logs; Plan Data when signed-in users enable cloud sync | vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| Clerk | Authentication and user management | Email, name (signed-in users) | clerk.com/legal/privacy |
| Resend | Transactional email delivery | Email address, message content (waitlist, invites, newsletter) | resend.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| Stripe | Payment processing (Premium) | Payment method (processed by Stripe directly) | stripe.com/privacy |
| Vercel Analytics | Anonymized usage analytics | Aggregate page views (no cookies, no PII) | vercel.com/legal/privacy-policy |
We do not share your information with any other third parties. We do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any advertising tracking service.
6. Data Retention
Guest users (free, not signed in): We retain no user-specific Plan Data. Browser localStorage persists until you clear it.
Free signed-in users: We retain your Clerk account information while your account is active. If you enable cloud sync, we retain your active plan backup and up to three named manual scenario snapshots until you delete them, disable sync and delete your account, or delete your account. If you delete your account, cloud-stored Plan Data is permanently deleted within 30 days.
Premium and Beta users: We retain your account information and cloud Plan Data (unlimited manual scenarios when sync is enabled) while your account is active. If you delete your account, all associated cloud Plan Data is permanently deleted within 30 days. Premium payment records are retained as required by tax and accounting regulations (typically 7 years), managed by Stripe.
Waitlist / early access leads: Retained until you request deletion or we remove the record through our admin tools.
Support communications: Retained for up to 2 years after the last interaction, then deleted.
Server logs: Retained for up to 30 days by our hosting provider for security purposes.
7. Data Security
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information. For full details on our security practices, please see our Security & Cookie Settings page.
8. Your Rights and Choices
8.1 Access and Export
Signed-in users may export their Plan Data as JSON through the Service. Users with cloud sync enabled may also access cloud-stored plans through the planner. You may request a copy of all personal data we hold about you by contacting support@modernretire.com.
8.2 Deletion
You may delete individual cloud plans through the Service. You may delete your entire account and associated cloud data through Settings → Account in the planner, or by contacting support@modernretire.com. Deletion is permanent and irreversible. Deleting your account does not automatically clear Plan Data already stored in your browser's localStorage on a device you have used; clear browser data on that device if you want local copies removed.
8.3 Correction
You may update your account information (email, name) through your account settings at any time.
8.4 Data Portability
Signed-in users may export their Plan Data as JSON through the Service.
8.5 California Residents (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):
- The right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used
- The right to request deletion of your personal information
- The right to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
- The right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights
To exercise these rights, contact support@modernretire.com.
8.6 European Economic Area Residents (GDPR)
If you are located in the EEA, you have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
- The right to access, correct, or delete your personal data
- The right to restrict or object to processing
- The right to data portability
- The right to withdraw consent at any time
Our legal basis for processing is: (a) performance of a contract (providing the Service), (b) legitimate interest (security, analytics), and (c) consent (where applicable). To exercise your rights, contact support@modernretire.com.
9. Children's Privacy
ModernRetire is not designed for or directed to individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 18, we will delete that information promptly.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice via the Service or by email (for account holders). Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise any of your data rights, please contact us at: