What do I need to use 401k Plan Decoder?

The plan documents; Their numbers; Tenure expectation.

Is 401k Plan Decoder free to use?

Yes — run it free in the browser playground (no API key needed for the sponsored trial, or bring any provider key), or install it into Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT and more via npx pm-claude-skills. MIT-licensed and open source.

401k Plan Decoder

Q: How do I know the 401k Plan Decoder output is good?

The skill verifies itself against its own quality checks: Every fee is converted to dollars-over-time with assumptions labeled, never left as a percentage; The per-paycheck vs. true-up distinction is checked and quoted from the documents; Vesting forfeiture is computed at the user's stated tenure; Cost-tier triage compares funds *within this lineup*, not against the whole market.

🔵 Stable🕐 updated 2026-07-18 🔷 SkillSpec L3 pm-decoders

Decode a 401k or workplace retirement plan — the real cost of its funds, the match's fine print, vesting math, and the plan features worth using or avoiding. Use when someone asks 'is my 401k any good', 'decode my 401k plan', 'which funds should I look at', or 'what fees am I paying'. Produces a fee decode in dollars-over-time, match and vesting math, a fund-lineup triage by cost, and the questions for HR or the plan administrator.

▶ Run it free — no key needed 📝 Grade your existing draft View SKILL.md ↗

What to give it

▸The plan documents — fund lineup with expense ratios (the fee disclosure / 404a-5 notice is the gold source), match formula, vesting schedule, summary plan description excerpts. Decode what's provided; list what's missing by name.

▸Their numbers — salary, current contribution %, balance, and age band — needed to make fees and match concrete.

▸Tenure expectation — vesting math is meaningless without it.

✅ The bar it holds itself to

Every skill in this library self-verifies — these are this skill's own quality checks, straight from its definition.

✓Every fee is converted to dollars-over-time with assumptions labeled, never left as a percentage

✓The per-paycheck vs. true-up distinction is checked and quoted from the documents

✓Vesting forfeiture is computed at the user's stated tenure

✓Cost-tier triage compares funds *within this lineup*, not against the whole market

✓Missing documents are listed by name, and silent features are `[to confirm]`

✓The disclaimer line appears verbatim in the artifact

⚠️ What it refuses to do

Do not recommend specific funds or allocations — decode cost and structure; the picking is the user's (or their advisor's)

Do not invent fees or plan terms that aren't in the documents

Do not present the fee-drag projection as a prediction — it's an illustration with labeled assumptions

Do not soften the below-the-match finding — declining free money is the headline, say it plainly

Do not treat jurisdiction- and plan-specific rules (loans, withdrawals, protections) as universal

Install

npx pm-claude-skills add --agent claude   # or codex · cursor · gemini · hermes
# or one-line MCP (every skill, any client):
claude mcp add pm-skills -- npx -y pm-claude-skills-mcp

Related skills

🔌 Embed this skill

Drop this on your blog, docs, or site — it renders a "Run this skill" card:

<div data-pm-skill="401k-plan-decoder"></div>
<script src="https://mohitagw15856.github.io/pm-claude-skills/embed.js" async></script>

💬 Discussion

401k Plan Decoder is one of 599 open-source professional AI agent skills — all SkillSpec L3. Try them all in the browser · ⭐ Star on GitHub · Browse the full catalog