What if the problem isn't you — it's your zip code?
American Dream Index is a personalized financial score and relocation simulator that shows whether you're on track to afford a home, family, and secure future — based on where you live and what you do for work.
Not "Did you overspend at Starbucks?" — "Can you afford the life you want?"
Budgeting apps track what you spent. Retirement tools model your portfolio. ADI is the only tool that combines housing, income, family, location, and peer behavior into one number that answers the question that actually matters.
| Capability | Monarch / Copilot | Boldin / ProjectionLab | American Dream Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense tracking | — | ||
| Retirement modeling | — | ||
| Housing affordability score | — | — | |
| Location-based cost of living | — | — | |
| Relocation simulator (50+ metros) | — | — | |
| Peer benchmarking by occupation | — | — | |
| Buy vs. Rent analysis | — | — | |
| BLS + FHFA data integration | — | — |
Everything you need to know
about your financial future
Ranked by what users actually care about most — based on real user research.
Relocation Intelligence Engine
Pre-computed scores for 50+ metro areas — factoring in jobs availability, housing costs, schools, and cost of living. See exactly where your score would improve and by how much.
Peer-Based Behavioral Benchmarking
See how people in the same occupation, location, and life stage are navigating the same challenges. Filter by job type, income bracket, or family status. Real anonymized budgets, real stories.
Your Financial Plan
Baby steps, month to month. Precise reallocations so you know exactly what to cut and what to keep. No guesswork.
Buy vs. Rent Analysis
Should you buy or rent in your current city? What about in a new one? ADI runs the numbers based on your actual income and goals.
Score Trajectory
Watch your score improve in real-time as you make changes. See how each decision — a raise, a move, a new savings rate — affects your future.
See the gap between where you are and where you need to be
ADI aggregates massive datasets from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and FHFA Research to deliver cost-of-living intelligence down to the city, ZIP code, and occupation level — updated monthly.
People just like you are finding their path
"I was saving $400/month but had no idea if that was enough. ADI showed me I needed $640 to hit my 5-year home goal — and exactly which expenses to cut."
"The relocation tool was a revelation. Moving 90 miles to Fort Worth would raise my score by 11 points without changing jobs. I'm doing it."
"Making $145K and still can't afford a home here. ADI confirmed what I suspected and showed me Austin or Denver would put me in the top 30% of my peers."
Three things no other tool does
The Unified Score
Most tools answer one question. ADI answers the real one: can you actually afford the life you want? Housing, income, family, location, and peer behavior — combined into one number.
Peer-Based Benchmarking
Users see how people in the same occupation, location, and life stage are navigating the same challenges. Peer stories and anonymized budgets create community and accountability.
Relocation Intelligence
Consistently rated the highest-interest feature in user testing. ADI pre-computes what your score would be in 50+ metro areas — factoring in jobs, housing costs, schools, and cost of living.
The affordability data story your readers are asking for
Affordability is the defining economic story of our era. ADI provides journalists and researchers with granular, city-level data on housing costs, income gaps, and the real cost of the American Dream — updated monthly.
- City-by-city affordability rankings with methodology
- Occupation-specific income vs. housing cost analysis
- Year-over-year trend data at the ZIP code level
- Embeddable charts and interactive data tools
- Custom data pulls for investigative pieces
"A teacher in Dallas needs to earn 34% more than the median salary to afford a median-priced home — but moving 90 miles to Fort Worth closes that gap entirely."
Powered by ADI data — BLS + FHFA
Know your number.
Change your future.
Join the waitlist for early access to American Dream Index. Be the first to know your ADI score and discover exactly what to change.
No spam. No credit card. Just your score when we launch.