Synthetic-Data ROI Calculator
The CFO version of the build-vs-buy worksheet. Five inputs, two numbers out: payback period in months and three-year cumulative savings. Defaults are calibrated to fintech wealth-tech salary surveys 2024-2025; adjust to your firm and the result reads in real time.
What you walk away with
~45s · 5 inputs- A payback-period number defensible to procurement and finance.
- A three-year cumulative cost comparison.
- A sensitivity view: what changes if FTE cost or compliance hours shifts.
- A linked Build-vs-Buy ROI Worksheet for the granular write-up.
Inputs
Engineering / data / modeling FTEs spending material time on the corpus.
Default source: Wealth-tech firm survey 2024 median
Salary + benefits + overhead per FTE.
Default source: Levels.fyi + RIA salary surveys 2024
Annual legal / compliance time on the corpus (license, attestation, regulator-tracking).
Default source: Median across fintech SOC 2 engagements 2023-2025
Default source: BD/RIA compliance officer + outside counsel blended rate
Per-bundle pricing from the catalog. Default reflects a typical compliance + tax bundle mix.
Default source: WealthSchema catalog 2026
Months until the in-house run-rate covers the one-time WealthSynth license. Sub-6-months is exceptionally fast; 6-18-months is the median for compliance-heavy firms.
Sum of FTE + compliance review costs. Often surprises CFOs because compliance hours are usually undercounted.
First-year savings net of the one-time license. Negative means license exceeds first-year run-rate; positive means immediate payback.
License is paid once; in-house run-rate continues every year. Most steering committees ask for three-year cumulative — this is the headline savings number for a multi-year procurement decision.
Three-year cumulative savings under three plausible adjustments.
- FTE cost 20% lower$1,374,200
- Compliance hours 50% higher$1,743,800
- WealthSynth license 50% higher$1,691,700
FAQ
Why is compliance review hours the default 120?
Across fintech SOC 2 engagements we've worked with, 100-150 hours per year on the corpus is the median for firms with one regulator scope. Multi-regulator firms run higher — adjust the input.
What about one-time integration cost?
The simplified ROI calculator above amortizes integration into the steady-state. Use the Build-vs-Buy ROI Worksheet for a year-one vs. year-two view that breaks integration out separately.