The Cranky Earl Blog

Where It Started

Like a lot of people, I went down the retirement planning rabbit hole. YouTube channels, podcasts, spreadsheets — I consumed all of it. Some of those channels are genuinely great. A few of them also happen to charge for their software, calculators, and "premium" tools.

Cranky Earl wasn't giving them any money.

So I built my own spreadsheet. Then a better spreadsheet. Then a spreadsheet that was honestly pretty great — but still didn't do everything I wanted it to do.

How a Spreadsheet Became a Website

I started dabbling with AI to see if I could turn my spreadsheet into something more powerful. I had zero intention of ever sharing it publicly. It was just for me.

But then a funny thing happened. I kept adding features. Friends and family started asking questions, throwing out new ideas, requesting new scenarios. The thing just kept growing. What started as a personal project slowly turned into a real tool — with a Monte Carlo simulator, multiple account types, Social Security modeling, and more.

Eventually, people told me I should put it out there. So I finally figured out how to build a real website, and here we are.

What This Site Is

Everything you see here started as a free tool built for myself. The calculator, the blog — it exists because I wanted it to exist. If it helps someone else figure out their number too, that's a win.

The blog is where I write about retirement math the way I wish someone had explained it to me — straight, honest, and without trying to sell you anything.

What This Site Isn't

I am not a financial advisor. I'm not a licensed anything. The tools here are for education and exploration — they're a starting point for your own thinking, not a substitute for real professional advice. Please read the disclaimer below and take it seriously.