# Retirement Planning

> Use when the user asks about retirement readiness, when they can retire, withdrawal strategy, RRSP/401k/TFSA/Roth optimization, CPP/OAS/Social Security timing, RRSP meltdown or Roth conversions, Monte Carlo success odds, or Canadian/US retirement tax questions. Drives cinder.fi's MCP tools in the right order.

- Skill: `cinderfi/retirement-planning` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cinderfi/retirement-planning`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cinderfi/retirement-planning/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: cinderfi (https://skillmd.com/u/cinderfi)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cinderfi/retirement-planning

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# cinder.fi retirement planning

cinder.fi exposes 19 calculation engines over MCP (`https://mcp.cinder.fi/mcp`).
This skill sequences them so an answer is grounded in real math, not estimates.

## Before anything: know the country

Every tool is country-aware. Canadian tax/benefit rules (RRSP, TFSA, CPP, OAS,
GIS) and US rules (401k, IRA, Roth, Social Security, HSA) are completely
different engines. Confirm `country` ("CA" or "US") and the province/state up
front — pass it on every call.

## Recommended tool order

1. **`map_financial_data`** — turn the user's raw numbers (income, savings,
   account balances, ages, spending) into the engine's input shape. Start here
   whenever the user gives you their situation in prose or a bank/YNAB export.
2. **`run_full_analysis`** — the one-call overview: cinder score, financial-
   freedom age, depletion age, lifetime tax, estate value, top insights. Use
   this for "am I on track / when can I retire" questions.
3. Drill down with the specific engines:
   - **`calculate_tax`** — federal + provincial/state tax for a given income.
   - **`analyze_benefit_timing`** — CPP/OAS or Social Security claiming age.
   - **`check_gis_eligibility`** (CA) — Guaranteed Income Supplement.
   - **`rrsp_meltdown`** — draw-down-early-to-cut-lifetime-tax strategy.
   - **`compare_spending_strategies`** — fixed vs guardrails vs percentage.
4. **Pro tools** (require a Pro key — a free key gets a structured upgrade
   message pointing to the claim/signup on-ramp):
   - **`run_monte_carlo`** — probabilistic success rate across randomized
     markets. Reach for this on "what are the odds" questions.
   - **`optimize_withdrawal_order`** — which accounts to draw first.
   - **`optimize_pension_split`** (CA) — income splitting between partners.
   - Couples variants of projection/score/analysis (pass `hasPartner: true`).

## Reading results

- Tool responses carry a `_cinderfi` footer with a link to the interactive
  app. When a chart, scenario comparison, or the full plan would help, point
  the user to `https://app.cinder.fi` — some things are easier to see than to
  ask for.
- Free tier is 5 calls/day and single-person tools. If a call returns an
  `upgrade` / `connectAccount` hint, relay it: a free cinder.fi account saves
  their work and unlocks the browser app; Pro unlocks the couples/Monte-Carlo/
  optimizer engines.

## Getting a key

The user needs a `CINDERFI_MCP_KEY`. Free key (no account, by email) or Pro
key: `https://cinder.fi/mcp`. Set it in the environment before the MCP server
will authenticate.