About
I'm the person building Kessavo
Not a financial institution, not a team of advisors — one builder who got frustrated enough with existing retirement calculators to build a replacement that shows its work.
Computer science degree, 35-plus years in enterprise IT sales. Not a financial planner, just someone who got tired of not knowing.
Why This Exists
I spent more than 35 years in enterprise IT sales—at Hewlett-Packard, Forrester, and IDC—and later running a digital marketing company. Complex technology projects, budget decisions, and executive priorities were part of my daily work.
My own retirement plan, however, was a different story.
Social Security timing, Roth conversions, tax-aware withdrawals, Medicare costs, withdrawal order, and legacy goals—I kept telling myself I would deal with them another day.
Then my wife sat me down and asked, “Do we have enough?”
I didn’t have a real answer. The numbers looked fine, but “looked fine” wasn’t the same as knowing. We could hire a financial planner, but I wasn’t even sure what questions to ask or what good advice should look like. We would be spending real money and handing over private financial information while still feeling largely in the dark.
I believed there had to be a better way to prepare.
With some Python knowledge, decades of experience working with technology, and the help of AI-assisted development tools such as Codex and Claude Code, I began researching the problem and building a way to see how all the pieces fit together.
I did not want to create another complicated financial tool that asks 100 questions before providing anything useful. I wanted a better balance: fewer than 10 core questions, enough depth to explain how the calculations work, data-driven guidance on when claiming Social Security may make sense, and a clearer answer to the question that matters most:
Are your savings likely to last as long as you do?
Kessavo is not intended to replace a qualified financial planner, tax professional, or personalized financial advice. It is designed to help you understand your starting position before those conversations begin.
You can walk into a meeting with a much clearer view of your financial position, better questions to ask, and the confidence to have a meaningful conversation—instead of going in blind.
What we believe
- Show the work. A number without its formula is a number you're being asked to trust blindly. We don't think that's good enough for a decision this size.
- Say what we don't know. Every model simplifies something. The honest version says where, instead of hiding it.
- Free should mean something real. The free tier isn't a crippled demo — it's a complete, real projection. Premium adds depth, not a fence around basic usefulness.
Where things stand
Kessavo is currently in public beta (Beta1). The core single-scenario calculator is complete and accurate for the scenarios described on the Methodology page; couple mode, Premium features like save-and-compare and PDF export, and broader state tax coverage are active work. See the Changelog for what's shipped and what's next.