FAQ
Kick the tires. Then light the fires.
MACH RUN is a calculator, not a crystal ball. None of it is financial, tax, legal, or investment advice — it is a planning snapshot from the numbers you type.
What is MACH RUN?
MACH RUN is The Supersonic Retirement Calculator. MACH stands for Measure, Allocate, Compound, Harvest. You type the household as it stands — family, accounts, paychecks, spending, contributions — then hit Calculate. The engine runs an OODA Loop on those numbers: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act.
How do I start a MACH RUN?
Open Family, then Accounts. Add at least one income and your spending if you have it. Add information as you cycle through the OODA Loop and click "Execute Mach Run".
What does OODA mean here?
Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. It comes from U.S. Air Force Col. John Boyd (Ret.). On this site it is a way to look at money — not a trademarked product from anyone else. Observe is the household as it stands. Orient is where dollars go (income and spending). Decide is contributions. Act is the ledger, charts, and analysis after Calculate.
Is this financial advice?
No. MACH RUN, the MACH OODA Financial Analysis, and OODA AI are for entertainment and illustration. Projections are hypothetical. Past performance does not guarantee future returns. Confirm Social Security, military retired pay, VA, and tax rules with the agency or a qualified advisor before you act. You own the decisions.
What is free, and what do I pay for?
Free: register in about 30 seconds, save one household, with a limit of 2 accounts, 2 contributions, and 2 incomes. The OODA analysis is shortened.
Individual ($4/month or $40/year): one household, unlimited accounts, contributions, and incomes, plus the full MACH OODA Financial Analysis and OODA AI on that MACH RUN. Net Worth stays locked.
Individual Unlimited ($15/month or $150/year): everything in Individual, plus Net Worth (assets vs liabilities), a liabilities list, and encrypted MACH RUN backup download.
Advisor Lite and Advisor Unlimited are for professionals who need named client profiles. Details and a 7-day trial live on Pricing. Yearly billing is two months on us.
How do I start if I am already retired?
In Family, set the retirement goal date — there is an “already retired” path so you can put the month and year you left work. Then add pension, Social Security, VA, and the rest as income blocks.
Today’s dollars or future dollars?
Type amounts in today’s dollars (what the paycheck or balance is now). MACH RUN applies the return and COLA rates you set. Use the Today $ / Future $ control on the run to switch how the ledger is labeled. Do not enter future dollars in a box today — just use the Today/Future toggle.
Why don’t the charts move until I hit Calculate?
On purpose. Make changes, then execute another run. That keeps the MACH OODA Financial Analysis honest to a snapshot you chose, not every keystroke.
What about Social Security, VA, and military retired pay?
Those are income kinds you name and date. Social Security can follow a family member and a claiming age. VA can use rating, spouse, and children under 18, then step down as kids turn 18. Figures are estimates, not official SSA, DFAS, or VA determinations.
Does MACH RUN force RMDs?
For tax-qualified accounts, required minimum distributions are modeled in the background when the rules say they apply, and called out in the analysis. Still working and contributing to a 401(k) is treated differently than a retired IRA. Double-check IRS rules for your year. Consult a professional.
Can I save and come back?
Yes — register (email, Apple, Google, or X). Free saves the household with the 2/2/2 limits. Paid saves the full run. Advisor plans switch named profiles from a dropdown.
Is my data encrypted? Can I download it?
Traffic is HTTPS. Saved MACH Runs are encrypted at rest on the server. We do not sell your household numbers. Individual Unlimited and Advisor can download a password-protected .machrun backup — that password is not the site login, and MACH RUN does not keep it. Forget it, that file is gone. PDF summaries are illustrations, not advice.
What is the idle privacy lock?
An optional PIN on Account profile (off by default). After about 10 minutes idle, the screen frosts so a passerby cannot read the ledger. It is not a second password and it does not replace sign-in.
How do I cancel or change plans?
Account menu → Manage billing. Stripe handles upgrades with credit for time already paid when you step up a tier. Questions: Contact.
Who built this?
A retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who wanted one system for multiple stages of income, numerous types of accounts and contributions, a nest-egg goal, and math-driven estimations of date the money runs out. More on About.