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Setup: making your plan

Setup asks eight short questions and makes your plan from your answers. Open it at Setup. PlanHarbor shows information, not advice.

The welcome

Short answer: Setup opens by itself when your household has no plan yet. Select “Get started” to begin.

Steps

  1. Sign in. If your household has no plan, PlanHarbor opens Setup.
  2. Select “Get started”.

What you’ll see / what it means

  • “Let’s chart your course to retirement” and “Eight short questions, about 6 minutes.”
  • Each step shows where you are, like “Step 1 of 8”. “Back” goes to the step before.
  • The boxes start with example numbers. They are placeholders, not suggestions. Type your own over them.
  • Each “Next” saves your answers so far. If you leave, setup opens with them next time.
  • “Skip to my plan”, at the top, makes your plan now. Steps you didn’t change keep the example numbers.
  • Harbor View then says “Based on example numbers.” Select “Update yours” to return here.

If that didn’t work…

  • “Check the boxes marked in red.” A box isn’t valid. Fix it, then try again.
  • “Enter a dollar amount, like 1,200.” Type “$85,000” or “85000”, not “85k”. An empty box counts as $0.
  • “Enter a number from 40 to 80.” (or other numbers): the box only takes that range.
  • “Only the household’s owner or members can set up its plan.” You have view-only access.
  • If setup won’t load, select “Try again”. If it still fails, contact support.

Step 1: About you

Short answer: Tell PlanHarbor who the plan is for, where you live, and your ages.

Steps

  1. Under “Who is the plan for?”, choose “Just me” or “With a partner”.
  2. Choose your state in “State you live in”.
  3. For each person, fill in “First name”, “Birth month”, “Birth year” and “Retire at age”.
  4. Fill in “Plan until age”, then select “Next”.

What you’ll see / what it means

  • “With a partner” estimates taxes as married filing jointly. “Just me” uses single.
  • “Birth year” takes 1920 to 2010. Your birthday counts as the 1st of the month chosen.
  • “Retire at age” takes 40 to 80. You can change it on your plan later.
  • “Plan until age” takes 70 to 110. It’s the last age your plan covers, the same for both of you.

If that didn’t work…

  • “Choose the state you live in.”
  • “Plan until an age after both of you retire and after your ages today.”
  • “Enter your partner’s birth month and year, retirement age and healthcare.”
  • “Your plan still has your partner. Remove them on the Family page first.” Setup can’t change a two-person plan to “Just me”. Contact support.

Step 2: Pay

Short answer: Enter each person’s yearly pay before taxes.

Steps

  1. Fill in “Yearly pay before taxes”.
  2. Select “Next”.

What you’ll see / what it means Pay lasts until that person retires. It grows each year with your plan’s inflation rate.

If that didn’t work… “Enter a dollar amount, like 1,200.”

Step 3: Social Security

Short answer: PlanHarbor estimates Social Security from your pay. You can type your statement’s amounts instead.

Steps

  1. Choose an age in “Start Social Security”.
  2. For your statement, select “Get your statement at ssa.gov”. It opens in a new tab.
  3. Select “Enter my own amounts”, then fill in “At 62”, “At 67” and “At 70”.
  4. Select “Next”.

What you’ll see / what it means

  • “When I retire (at …)” uses your retirement age, kept between 62 and 70. Other choices run from “At 62” to “At 70”.
  • The monthly amount from that age shows below, with amounts at 62, 65, 67 and 70.
  • Your own boxes start from the estimate. PlanHarbor fills in the ages between.
  • “Use PlanHarbor’s estimate” switches back.

If that didn’t work…

  • “Social Security amounts go up with each later age. Check the numbers.”
  • “Enter your Social Security amounts at 62, 67 and 70, or use our estimate.”

Step 4: Pensions

Short answer: Add a monthly pension from work, or military retirement pay, if you have one.

Steps

  1. Under “Do you have a pension?”, choose “Yes, a pension”.
  2. With a partner, choose “Mine” or “My partner’s”.
  3. Fill in “Monthly amount” and “Starts at age”.
  4. Answer “Does it rise with inflation?”, then select “Next”.

What you’ll see / what it means

  • Setup takes one pension, in today’s dollars.
  • “Starts at age” takes 50 to 75. A $0 amount adds no pension.

If that didn’t work… “Add your partner to choose their pension.” Choose “With a partner” in step 1, or choose “Mine”.

Step 5: Savings

Short answer: Type today’s balances and what you save from pay.

Steps

  1. Under “Balances today”, fill in each box, such as “401(k), 403(b), IRA” and “Cash and CDs”.
  2. Under “Saving from pay”, fill in “Percent of pay you put in a workplace plan” and “Employer match”.
  3. Select “Next”.

What you’ll see / what it means

  • Each balance above $0 becomes a hand-entered account. You can link accounts on the Accounts page later.
  • Invested balances count as 60% stocks and 40% bonds. You can change that share in Assumptions.
  • Saving from pay and the match go into “401(k), 403(b), IRA”, even at $0.
  • The percent of pay takes 0 to 75, and the match 0 to 25.

If that didn’t work… “Enter a percent from 0 to 75.” or “Enter a percent from 0 to 25.”

Step 6: Healthcare

Short answer: Enter each person’s health costs while working, before 65 and from 65.

Steps

  1. Fill in “Premiums taken from pay before taxes”.
  2. Under “After you stop working, before 65”, choose “On my own”, “From a former employer” or “TRICARE”.
  3. Fill in “Premiums before 65” and “From 65: Medicare supplement or Advantage plan and drug plan”.
  4. Fill in “Out-of-pocket costs”, then select “Next”.

What you’ll see / what it means

  • “Medicare Part B and Part D are added for you.”
  • “Out-of-pocket costs” is yearly. The others are monthly.
  • You can change these on your plan later.

If that didn’t work… “Enter a dollar amount, like 1,200.” Otherwise, contact support.

Step 7: Home and debts

Short answer: Enter your mortgage, if you have one, and your home’s value if you choose.

Steps

  1. Fill in “Mortgage left”. Enter 0 if you have none.
  2. With a mortgage, fill in “Monthly payment”.
  3. Answer “Does your payment include property tax and insurance?”. If “Yes”, fill in that amount.
  4. Fill in “Interest rate (optional)” and “Home value (optional)”, then select “Next”.

What you’ll see / what it means

  • “Paid off in about” shows the year the mortgage ends.
  • An empty rate uses 5%. The Accounts page then asks you to confirm the loan’s terms.
  • The home value counts toward your net worth.

If that didn’t work…

  • “Enter the monthly payment for the mortgage.”
  • “That payment doesn’t cover the interest. Check the amount.” It also shows when the loan wouldn’t be paid off within 50 years.
  • “Property tax and insurance must be less than the whole payment.”
  • “Enter a percent from 0 to 15.”

Step 8: Spending

Short answer: Enter what you spend each month today, and the share of it in retirement.

Steps

  1. Fill in “Monthly spending today”, including the mortgage.
  2. Fill in “In retirement, percent of today”.
  3. Select “See my plan”.

What you’ll see / what it means

  • With a mortgage, a line splits spending into living costs, the mortgage, and property tax and insurance.
  • “That’s more than your take-home pay of about … a month. Is it right?” is a rough check. It doesn’t stop you.
  • The retirement percent takes 50 to 150. The mortgage part ends once it’s paid off.
  • “See my plan” makes your plan and starts updating its results.

If that didn’t work…

  • “Monthly spending includes the mortgage, so it can’t be less than the payment.”
  • A problem on another step takes you there, with its message.

The plan offer

Short answer: After your first setup, “Your plan is ready.” describes Premium. You can continue with Essential.

Steps

  1. Select “Continue with Essential” to go to Harbor View.

What you’ll see / what it means

  • “Premium keeps your plan up to date from your linked accounts.”
  • “PREMIUM · 14 days free” and “Cancel anytime.”
  • It shows once, after your first setup.

If that didn’t work… “Start free trial” says “Coming soon.” It isn’t available yet.

Redo setup

Short answer: Go through setup again with your last answers filled in.

Steps

  1. At the bottom of the menu, select your household’s name.
  2. Select “Redo setup”.
  3. Select “Get started”, then “See my plan” at the end.

What you’ll see / what it means

  • “Your answers from last time are filled in.” They include later changes on your plan, like your retirement age.
  • Finishing goes to Harbor View, with no offer.
  • Linked accounts and your market setting are kept.

If that didn’t work… With view-only access, “Redo setup” isn’t shown. Contact the household’s owner.

On a phone

Short answer: For two people, you see one person’s boxes at a time.

Steps

  1. Select “You” or “Your partner” above the boxes.
  2. For “Redo setup”, select “Menu” first.

What you’ll see / what it means Wider screens show both people side by side.

If that didn’t work… A red box on the other card? “Next” switches to that card for you.

Last reviewed October 7, 2026. PlanHarbor gives information, not investment, tax or legal advice.