Tool Discovery

Tool Discovery

Best AI for Financial Planning: 6 Tools Compared for 2026

You can plan your finances with AI tools that cost less than one financial advisor meeting. YNAB and Monarch Money automate budgeting and track spending patterns. Wealthfront and Betterment manage investments with tax-loss harvesting and automatic rebalancing. Boldin projects retirement scenarios with Monte Carlo simulations. Empower combines budgeting, investing, and retirement planning in one platform. These AI tools serve personal financial planning needs, not professional financial analyst workflows. You get budgeting automation, investment management, retirement forecasting, and savings optimization for $5-15 per month or 0.25% of assets annually. This guide compares six AI tools to help you choose which one fits your financial planning goals.

Updated: 2025-11-08•18 min read

Detailed Tool Reviews

1

YNAB (You Need A Budget)

YNAB uses AI-powered transaction categorization and predictive analytics to help you budget every dollar you earn before you spend it. Connect your bank accounts and credit cards. YNAB automatically categorizes transactions using machine learning trained on millions of user transactions. You assign every dollar to a budget category. YNAB shows real-time spending versus budget. AI predicts future cash flow based on your historical patterns.

Key Features:

  • ✓AI-powered transaction categorization
  • ✓Real-time budget tracking
  • ✓Future cash flow predictions
  • ✓Automatic bank synchronization
  • ✓Goal tracking and milestone alerts
  • ✓Spending pattern analysis

Pricing:

$14.99/month or $99/year, 34-day free trial

Pros:

  • + Proven track record (users save $600 in first two months)
  • + Zero-based budgeting methodology
  • + Strong mobile apps for iOS and Android
  • + Educational resources and workshops
  • + Works with all bank accounts

Cons:

  • - Steeper learning curve than other budgeting apps
  • - No investment tracking
  • - Requires active engagement weekly
  • - More expensive than competitors

Best For:

People who want detailed control over every dollar and are willing to actively manage budgets

Try YNAB (You Need A Budget) →
2

Monarch Money

Monarch Money combines AI-powered budgeting with investment tracking and collaboration features for couples and families. AI automatically categorizes transactions across all your accounts. Machine learning identifies recurring subscriptions and suggests cancellations for unused services. Predictive analytics forecast spending patterns and alert you before you exceed budgets. The dashboard shows net worth, cash flow, and investment performance in one view.

Key Features:

  • ✓AI transaction categorization
  • ✓Subscription tracking and optimization
  • ✓Collaborative budgeting for couples
  • ✓Investment portfolio tracking
  • ✓Custom budget categories and rules
  • ✓Spending insights and trends

Pricing:

$14.99/month or $99.99/year, 7-day free trial

Pros:

  • + Beautiful interface (best design in category)
  • + Investment tracking included
  • + Collaborative features for shared finances
  • + Subscription waste detection saves $200-300/month
  • + Custom budget flexibility

Cons:

  • - Same price as YNAB but newer product
  • - Smaller user community
  • - No retirement planning features
  • - Limited educational content

Best For:

Couples and families who want combined budgeting and investment tracking with beautiful interface

Try Monarch Money →
3

Wealthfront

Wealthfront uses AI to automate investment management including tax-loss harvesting, automatic rebalancing, and portfolio optimization based on your risk tolerance and timeline. You answer questions about your goals, timeline, and risk tolerance. Wealthfront AI builds a diversified portfolio across 11 asset classes using Modern Portfolio Theory. The system automatically rebalances your portfolio when allocations drift. AI tax-loss harvesting identifies losses to offset capital gains.

Key Features:

  • ✓Automated portfolio management
  • ✓AI-powered tax-loss harvesting (saves 0.5-1.5% annually)
  • ✓Automatic rebalancing
  • ✓Stock-level tax optimization
  • ✓Portfolio Line of Credit (borrow against investments)
  • ✓Self-driving money (automated cash management)

Pricing:

0.25% annual advisory fee, $500 minimum

Pros:

  • + Industry-leading tax-loss harvesting
  • + Low 0.25% fee (vs 1% for human advisors)
  • + High-yield cash account at 4.5% APY
  • + Advanced portfolio customization
  • + Strong performance track record

Cons:

  • - No human advisor access on basic plan
  • - Limited cryptocurrency options
  • - $500 minimum investment
  • - Fee applies to entire account balance

Best For:

Tech-savvy investors with $10,000+ who want automated tax optimization and hands-off investing

Try Wealthfront →
4

Betterment

Betterment provides AI-driven investment management with optional human advisor access and stronger goal-based planning than Wealthfront. Set specific financial goals (retirement, house down payment, emergency fund). Betterment AI recommends portfolio allocation for each goal based on timeline and risk tolerance. The system automatically adjusts allocations as you get closer to goal dates. AI tax coordination optimizes which investments go in taxable versus retirement accounts.

Key Features:

  • ✓Goal-based portfolio management
  • ✓AI tax coordination across accounts
  • ✓Automatic rebalancing
  • ✓Tax-loss harvesting
  • ✓Retirement income planning
  • ✓Socially responsible investing options

Pricing:

0.25% annual fee (Digital), 0.65% (Premium with advisor access), no minimum

Pros:

  • + No account minimum (start with any amount)
  • + Strong retirement planning tools
  • + Human advisor option at 0.65%
  • + Excellent goal tracking interface
  • + Automatic 401(k) optimization

Cons:

  • - Tax-loss harvesting not as advanced as Wealthfront
  • - Higher fee for advisor access (0.65%)
  • - Fewer customization options than Wealthfront
  • - No cryptocurrency

Best For:

Beginning investors and those who want human advisor backup with retirement-focused planning

Try Betterment →
5

Boldin

Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) specializes in AI-powered retirement planning with Monte Carlo simulations showing probability of retirement success. Input your current savings, expected Social Security, pensions, and retirement spending goals. Boldin AI runs thousands of market scenarios using Monte Carlo simulation. You see your probability of retirement success as a percentage. AI optimizes Social Security claiming strategy showing difference between claiming at 62 versus 70.

Key Features:

  • ✓Monte Carlo retirement simulations
  • ✓Social Security optimization
  • ✓Healthcare cost projections
  • ✓Tax planning in retirement
  • ✓What-if scenario modeling
  • ✓Required minimum distribution calculator

Pricing:

Free basic version, $120/year for full planning features

Pros:

  • + Most comprehensive retirement planning tool
  • + Free basic version available
  • + Social Security optimization alone worth subscription
  • + Healthcare cost modeling for retirees
  • + Detailed tax planning features

Cons:

  • - Does not manage investments (planning only)
  • - Complex interface with steep learning curve
  • - Focused only on retirement (not general budgeting)
  • - Annual fee required for best features

Best For:

People within 10 years of retirement who want detailed planning and Social Security optimization

Try Boldin →
6

Empower Personal Dashboard

Empower provides free AI-powered financial dashboard combining budgeting, investment tracking, retirement planning, and fee analysis across all your accounts. Connect all financial accounts (banks, credit cards, investments, loans). The dashboard shows complete net worth and cash flow. AI analyzes your investment fees and suggests lower-cost alternatives. Retirement Planner uses AI to project whether you are on track to retire based on current savings rate.

Key Features:

  • ✓Free comprehensive financial dashboard
  • ✓Investment fee analyzer
  • ✓Retirement planning calculator
  • ✓Net worth tracking
  • ✓Cash flow analysis
  • ✓401(k) fee checker

Pricing:

Free (dashboard and tools), 0.49-0.89% for advisory services

Pros:

  • + Completely free for core features
  • + Investment fee analysis saves money
  • + Combines budgeting and investing in one place
  • + Retirement planning included
  • + Optional human advisor access

Cons:

  • - Less sophisticated budgeting than YNAB or Monarch
  • - Investment management requires paid advisory (0.49-0.89%)
  • - Upsells to advisory services
  • - Interface less modern than competitors

Best For:

People who want free comprehensive financial overview combining budgeting, investing, and retirement tracking

Try Empower Personal Dashboard →

Frequently Asked Questions

AI-powered budgeting apps like YNAB and Monarch Money track spending and suggest optimizations. Robo-advisors like Wealthfront and Betterment automate investment management with tax-loss harvesting. AI financial coaches like Boldin and Cleo provide personalized recommendations for retirement and savings goals. Comprehensive platforms like Empower combine budgeting, investing, and retirement planning. Most tools offer free trials, with paid plans ranging from $5-15 per month for budgeting apps and 0.25% annual fees for robo-advisors.

Choose the Right AI Financial Planning Tool for Your Goals

YNAB and Monarch Money handle budgeting and spending tracking. Wealthfront and Betterment automate investment management with tax optimization. Boldin specializes in retirement planning. Empower provides free comprehensive dashboard combining all three. Most people need two tools: budgeting app plus robo-advisor or retirement planner. Choose YNAB if you want detailed budget control and are willing to manage actively. Choose Monarch Money if you want beautiful interface and investment tracking included. Choose Wealthfront if you have $10,000+ and want maximum tax optimization. Choose Betterment if you are starting with smaller amounts and want retirement focus. Choose Boldin if you are within 10 years of retirement. Choose Empower if you want free tools covering everything at basic level. If you want to explore conversational AI tools that can help answer financial questions, see our <a href="/guides/finance-ai-chatbot">finance AI chatbot comparison guide</a>. For professional finance AI tools including document analysis and modeling platforms, see our <a href="/guides/ai-tools-finance-professionals">comprehensive AI tools for finance guide</a>. Start with free trials to test workflow fit. Most users settle on one budgeting tool plus one investment or retirement tool. Verify AI recommendations manually for important decisions.

Explore all financial planning tools →

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