← Back to Home

Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 13, 2025

Introduction

At When I Can Retire ("we," "us," or "our"), we are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect information when you use our retirement planning service ("the Service").

Our privacy approach is built on a simple principle: your financial data stays on your device unless you explicitly choose to sync it.

Information We Collect

1. Financial Data (Stored Locally Only)

When you use the Service, you may enter various types of financial and personal information to create retirement scenarios, including but not limited to:

  • Birth year and age
  • Province of residence
  • Annual income and salary information
  • Account balances (TFSA, RRSP, RRIF, taxable investment accounts)
  • Retirement age and spending goals
  • Expected salary growth and payroll deductions
  • Lifestyle and spending information
  • Retirement scenarios and projections

Important: All of this financial data is stored exclusively in your browser using client-side storage. This information never leaves your device and is never transmitted to our servers or any third party unless you explicitly enable cloud sync (a feature that does not currently exist).

2. Usage Analytics (Anonymous)

We use Vercel Analytics to collect anonymous usage data to help us understand how people use the Service and improve the user experience. This data includes:

  • Page views and navigation paths
  • Browser type, version, and language settings
  • Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
  • Operating system
  • Screen resolution
  • Approximate geographic location (country and region level only)
  • Referral source (how you found our Service)
  • Time spent on pages
  • Interaction with UI elements (clicks, scrolls)

This analytics data is aggregated and anonymized. It does not include any of your financial information, retirement scenarios, account balances, or other personal data you enter into the Service.

3. Technical Information

Like most web services, we automatically collect certain technical information when you access the Service:

  • IP address (anonymized)
  • Browser user agent string
  • Cookies and local storage for essential functionality
  • Error logs and diagnostic information

How We Use Information

Your Financial Data (Local Only)

Your financial and retirement planning data is used exclusively on your device to:

  • Generate retirement projections and calculations
  • Create visualizations and charts
  • Save and restore your scenarios
  • Export your data for backup purposes

We do not access, collect, or process this data on our servers in any way.

Anonymous Analytics Data

We use anonymous analytics data to:

  • Understand which features are most valuable to users
  • Identify and fix technical issues and bugs
  • Improve the user interface and experience
  • Make informed decisions about new features
  • Monitor service performance and availability

Data Storage and Security

Client-Side Storage

All financial and retirement planning data is stored in your browser using IndexedDB, a client-side database technology. This data:

  • Remains on your device at all times
  • Is isolated to your browser profile
  • Can be deleted by clearing your browser data
  • Is not accessible to other websites or applications
  • Is not backed up or synchronized unless you explicitly enable future sync features

Future Cloud Sync (Not Yet Available)

This feature does not currently exist. When we introduce optional cloud synchronization:

  • It will be completely opt-in
  • Your data will be encrypted before transmission
  • Encryption keys will be managed securely
  • You will be able to delete your synced data at any time
  • We will update this Privacy Policy before launching the feature

Third-Party Services

Vercel Analytics

We use Vercel Analytics to collect anonymous usage statistics. Vercel Analytics is privacy-focused and does not use cookies or collect personal information. For more information, see Vercel's Analytics Privacy Policy.

No Other Third Parties

We do not share your data with advertisers, data brokers, or other third parties. We do not sell your information. We do not use tracking pixels or third-party advertising networks.

Cookies and Tracking

The Service uses minimal cookies and browser storage:

  • Essential Cookies: Required for the Service to function, such as maintaining your session state
  • Local Storage/IndexedDB: Used to store your retirement scenarios and preferences locally on your device
  • Analytics: Vercel Analytics may use minimal tracking for anonymous usage statistics

We do not use third-party advertising cookies or cross-site tracking.

Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights regarding your information:

Access and Control

  • Access Your Data: All your financial data is stored locally in your browser. You can export it at any time using the Service's export feature
  • Delete Your Data: You can delete all your scenarios and data through the Service interface or by clearing your browser's storage
  • Opt-Out of Analytics: You can use browser extensions or privacy settings to block analytics tracking, though this may affect some functionality

Data Retention

Your financial data remains in your browser's local storage indefinitely until you:

  • Explicitly delete scenarios through the Service interface
  • Clear your browser's data/cache
  • Uninstall your browser
  • Use browser features to delete site data

Anonymous analytics data may be retained by Vercel for their standard retention period, typically 30-90 days.

International Users

The Service is designed for Canadian users and hosted on servers that may be located in various jurisdictions. If you access the Service from outside Canada:

  • Your financial data still remains on your local device regardless of your location
  • Anonymous analytics data may be processed in the United States or other countries where Vercel operates
  • The Service's calculations are based on Canadian tax law and may not be applicable to your jurisdiction

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes:

  • We will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
  • Significant changes will be highlighted on our homepage or through the Service
  • Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please reach out through the project repository or documentation.

Summary

Bottom line: Your financial data stays on your device. We collect anonymous usage stats to improve the Service. No ads, no tracking, no selling your data. You're in control.