StraksWho's behind Straks
Straks is a retirement calculator for households in the Netherlands, made by [COMPANY NAME] (KvK [NUMBER]). The guides are written by the people who build the calculator, so they explain the same rules it uses. They're signed "Straks" rather than by a person, because what matters is where each figure comes from, and that's in every guide.
The guides don't name or recommend a bank, insurer or broker.
Where the figures come from
Every figure that's a rule comes from an official source: the Belastingdienst for income tax, Box 3, the Jaarruimte and lijfrente; the SVB for the AOW; Rijksoverheid for laws and benefits. A few figures, like what a child costs, are our own estimates, and the guide says how we got to them. Each guide lists its sources at the end, official ones first.
The guides and the calculator take their figures from the same place in our code, and our tests check one against the other, so a guide can't say one thing while the calculator works out another. Worked examples use those figures, or the calculator's own answer for a made-up household.
When they're updated
Tax figures change on 1 January, and AOW amounts on 1 January and 1 July. Prinsjesdag, in September, announces the next year's. We update the guides when the new figures are final, and each one shows the date we last checked it against its sources.
If you find a figure that's wrong or out of date, tell us at [CONTACT EMAIL].
Not advice
The guides explain the general rules. They aren't personal financial advice, and the calculator's answers are estimates from the numbers you enter.