Understanding Your Cinder Score
The Cinder Score is a 0–100 composite rating of your retirement readiness. It appears on your Home tab with an animated flame that grows as your score improves. The score updates in real time as you adjust your plan.
How the Score Is Calculated
Six weighted components combine into your total score:
| Component | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | 25 points | Can your portfolio last through life expectancy? |
| Budget Adherence | 25 points | How close is your actual spending to your plan? |
| Coverage | 20 points | Does your projected income cover your spending? |
| Tax Efficiency | 10 points | How low is your effective tax rate? |
| Buffer | 10 points | How large is your estate as a % of peak portfolio? |
| Savings Rate | 10 points | How much of your pre-retirement income are you saving? |
Score Tiers
| Score | Tier |
|---|---|
| 0–14 | Cold Ash |
| 15–29 | Cooling |
| 30–44 | Smoldering |
| 45–59 | Flickering |
| 60–74 | Kindling |
| 75–89 | Blazing |
| 90–100 | Roaring |
What Each Component Means
Survival (25 points)
Tests whether your portfolio lasts to your life expectancy under deterministic assumptions. Full points if your money never runs out. Partial points if depletion occurs late in the projection. Zero if the portfolio depletes within 10 years of retirement.
Budget Adherence (25 points)
Compares your actual spending (from imported transactions) against your planned spending target. Full points when actual matches or is below planned. Points decrease as actual spending exceeds the plan. Requires transaction data — if no transactions are imported, this component uses a default middle score.
Coverage (20 points)
Measures whether your projected retirement income (withdrawals + benefits + other income) covers your spending target each year. Full points if coverage is adequate throughout. Reduced if there are years where income falls short of spending.
Tax Efficiency (10 points)
Compares your lifetime effective tax rate against a 45% ceiling. Lower effective rates score higher. This rewards good withdrawal sequencing, meltdown strategies, and pension splitting.
Buffer (10 points)
Measures your projected estate value as a percentage of peak portfolio. A larger buffer means more margin for error — unexpected expenses, market crashes, or longevity beyond your plan.
Savings Rate (10 points)
For pre-retirement users, measures what percentage of income is being saved. Higher savings rates earn more points. This component rewards accumulation habits.
How to Improve Your Score
The Score Insights on your Home tab give specific, prioritized recommendations based on which components are weakest. Common suggestions:
- Low Survival: Reduce spending, delay retirement, or increase savings
- Low Budget Adherence: Align your spending with your plan, or adjust the plan to match reality
- Low Coverage: Increase income sources, delay government benefits for higher payouts, or reduce spending target
- Low Tax Efficiency: Enable RRSP meltdown or Roth conversion, optimize withdrawal order
- Low Buffer: Increase savings or reduce spending to grow the estate margin
- Low Savings Rate: Increase contributions to registered accounts
Score History
If you’re signed in, Cinderfi tracks your daily score in a sparkline chart on the Home tab. This lets you see how your score changes over time as you adjust your plan, market conditions shift, or you import new spending data.
Using the Purchase Impact Simulator
The True Cost and Future Value simulators on the Home tab show how one-time financial events affect your score:
- True Cost: “What if I spend $30,000 on a car?” → Shows score delta, estate impact, and retirement delay
- Future Value: “What if I receive a $50,000 bonus?” → Shows score improvement and how to allocate it optimally