How the SkyTails Algorithm Calculates Your Safety Net
Behind every SkyTails recommendation is a multi-factor model that weighs breed, age, health history, and local vet costs. Here's a plain-language look at how it works.
Every SkyTails account is built by our PIRSA algorithm — a deterministic, auditable scoring model that looks at two things: your financial profile and your pet's health risk.
On the owner side, we look at income, savings capacity, investment horizon, and emergency fund readiness. On the pet side, we assess species, breed, age, pre-existing conditions, chronic health needs, and whether the pet currently has any insurance.
These two scores are combined with a Household Pet Load Factor (HPLF) — an adjustment for owners with multiple pets — to produce a final tier recommendation: Conservative, Balanced, or High Growth.
The Conservative tier allocates 20% to equities, 60% to bonds, 10% to ETFs, and 10% to cash. It's designed for pets with significant health needs or owners who prioritize stability. The Balanced tier splits the difference. The High Growth tier — 68% equities — is for healthy young pets owned by financially strong households.
Every factor in the algorithm is documented and explainable. We are required to maintain this transparency under our SEC Internet Advisory License. When SkyTails recommends a plan, it can always explain exactly why.
The algorithm also enforces hard overrides — for example, if a pet has a chronic condition combined with a low emergency fund, the system will always recommend Conservative regardless of other inputs. These guardrails ensure we never recommend more risk than an owner can handle.
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