Back in November 2025, I made a significant shift in my investment approach. With retirement just a few years away, I moved out of tech stocks to reduce portfolio volatility. At this stage, capital preservation matters more than aggressive growth I need a smoother ride to the finish line.
Leveraging AI for Financial Planning
I’ve increasingly turned to AI tools to help track and model my portfolio. While I’ve relied on spreadsheets for years, they have limitations they’re static, require manual updates, and don’t effectively visualise potential shortfalls or run dynamic scenarios.
That’s why I built my own retirement calculator. What started as a personal project to model different retirement scenarios has become something I think others might find valuable. The tool allows me to:
- Run multiple “what-if” scenarios instantly
- Identify potential funding gaps before they become problems
- Adjust variables in real-time to see immediate impacts
- Visualise my retirement timeline more clearly
I released this calculator for free because I believe quality financial planning tools shouldn’t be locked behind paywalls.
The Bigger Vision
This retirement calculator is just the beginning of AI for Financial Planning. My goal is to create a suite of financial tools and share them freely with others approaching retirement. I’m building out a dedicated website to host these resources, and I’m even dreaming about launching a podcast down the line to discuss financial independence, retirement planning, and navigating the later stages of your career. Dream big, right?
February 2026 Net Worth
A note on my calculations, I only include pensions and savings in my net worth tracking not my primary residence. I don’t consider my home an investment asset since I need somewhere to live regardless of its value.
This month showed solid growth: £5,939 gain (1.08%), bringing my total net worth to £556,319. This increase came entirely from investment growth, continuing the steady upward trend I’ve maintained since the volatility of last spring.
12-Month Performance
| Date | Total Net Worth | £ Gain this month | % Gain this month |
| 16/03/2025 | £485,794 | £8,095 | 1.69% |
| 16/04/2025 | £375,446 | -£112,369 | -23.04% |
| 16/05/2025 | £433,326 | £66,372 | 18.09% |
| 16/06/2025 | £447,891 | £14,755 | 3.41% |
| 16/07/2025 | £474,068 | £26,177 | 5.84% |
| 16/08/2025 | £490,406 | £16,338 | 3.45% |
| 16/09/2025 | £510,518 | £20,112 | 4.10% |
| 16/10/2025 | £533,165 | £22,647 | 4.44% |
| 16/11/2025 | £535,587 | £5,591 | 1.05% |
| 12/12/2025 | £539,739 | £4,152 | 1.40% |
| 12/01/2026 | £550,380 | £10,641 | 1.97% |
| 12/02/2026 | £556,319 | £5,939 | 1.08% |
| Yearly | £88,451 | 23.49% |
Year-to-date (since Feb 2025): £88,451 gain (23.49%)
Personal Update
I’m heading off on holiday soon to explore some historical sites and art galleries. February isn’t exactly beach weather, but that suits me fine. I’d rather be wandering through museums than lounging in the sun anyway.
Working in IT During the Age of AI
Work has been busy, and being in IT means I’m right in the middle of the AI revolution. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype and the fear that AI will replace our jobs tomorrow. The media certainly pushes that narrative.
But here’s my take after working extensively with AI tools, the replacement timeline is much longer than the headlines suggest.
The Reality of AI-Assisted Development
I see AI more as a pair programmer than a replacement. While building my retirement calculator, I used Claude extensively, even creating detailed specification documents before starting each task. The results were mixed:
- AI generated numerous bugs that required manual intervention
- Some features simply couldn’t be fixed by AI alone and had to be removed
- The back-and-forth debugging often took longer than traditional coding
That said, I’m not giving up on AI assistance. I’m planning to investigate those removed features and find ways to implement them properly. My goal is to make this calculator the best free retirement planning tool available and AI will be part of that process, just not in the way the hype suggests.
Looking Ahead
My focus for the coming months:
- Fix and enhance the retirement calculator’s missing features
- Launch the website to share these tools publicly
- Continue the conservative investment strategy that’s delivered steady returns
- Document the journey for others approaching retirement
The path to financial independence isn’t always linear as April’s dip reminded me but staying disciplined and adjusting course when needed has kept me on track.
What are your thoughts on AI in financial planning? Have you built your own tools to track your retirement progress? Let me know in the comments.