Having a problem with the additional inputs page

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frp user
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri Feb 29, 2008 12:55 pm

Having a problem with the additional inputs page

Post by frp user »

I appreciate this calculator greatly! It fills a big gap in both thinking and calculating, especially for the recognition of higher-to-lower retirement expenses, and the prevalent models that "starve" retireees to preserve a portfolio! I've had difficulty only with the Additional Inputs page: when do I do that? Before filling in my data? Or after? Each time I go Back to the calculator, of course, my data disappears. All hints welcome, and I apologize if I didn't see them in your excellent Help section. The two times I tried it, the Detailed Output tabulations appear not to have recognized my input.

Many thanks, and happy holidays!
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admin
Site Admin
Posts: 79
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:27 pm

Re: Having a problem with the additional inputs page

Post by admin »

Hello,

Thanks for the kind words about the planner.

I'm not exactly sure what's causing the issue that you're seeing, but I wonder if you're using the "back" button on your web browser to go back to the main page. Doing this will restart the calculator and all values..

Switching between the tabs shouldn't cause any values to be reset. Everything should be remembered exactly as you left when you switch to another tab. The only potential problem is if you use the back or forward buttons on your browser, or hit the refresh button.

I'm assuming that you are hitting the "add" button in the additional inputs tab and seeing your input in the table to the right of the button. Once you're done entering values, you can simply click the summary view tab and Run the simulation to get results.

Finally, there is no required order for entering values in the planner. You can do the summary view first, or go right to the additional inputs tab.

Hopefully this helps, but if it doesn't please don't hesitate to write again.

Regards,
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admin
Site Admin
Posts: 79
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:27 pm

Re: Having a problem with the additional inputs page

Post by admin »

Hello again,

I've attached a few screen shots to show an example of how to use the additional inputs tab. Below are the steps.

1) launch the planner
2) click on the "Additional Inputs" tab and enter $1 as the annual amount on the BOTTOM cashflow table (social security starting after retirement). Leave all the other settings as is for now.
3) click the "Add" button
4) verify that the table to the right of the input area shows an entry for social security
5) click the "Summary View" tab
6) click the "Run Simulation" button
7) click the "Detailed Output" tab to verify that it shows an after tax income of $1 for two years starting at age 65, then $1201 starting at age 67 (this is with default values for everything else).

If you're not seeing this, there could be an problem with running the planner on the OS and browser type that you're using that I haven't seen before. The planner should run in all browsers that support Java, but there could be bugs or problems that haven't been reported.

Generally, I've had good feedback that the browser runs fine on nearly all modern windows and mac systems once Java is installed. I've also had a handful of Linux users write me as well. (So far the planner has had over 25,000 users).

Please let me know if this helps,

Jim
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frp user
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri Feb 29, 2008 12:55 pm

Re: Having a problem with the additional inputs page

Post by frp user »

Thanks Again!
I did what your last message said, and it worked perfectly! My Windows XP SP2 system is peculiar only in that my monitor is 19" -- I have to decrease text size to take in a whole page. The calculation page's boxes/text seem to be fixed.

These navigation notes are a great clarifier! Is there any time in terms of my inputs or wanted outputs that I should change the Spending Multiplier default?
Best,
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admin
Site Admin
Posts: 79
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:27 pm

Re: Having a problem with the additional inputs page

Post by admin »

The spending multiplier default shouldn't need to be changed. It's there for educational purposes more than anything else. If you increase the multiplier you amplify the effects of the flexible spending policy and sometimes that can make it easier to understand what the planner is doing with the spending policy.

If you run the planner with the default inputs, you'll get a green light and about a 95% probability of success. For a test, check on the checkbox (at the top left of the graph) to "show percent of expenses funded". Notice that the line that shows up on the graph is almost flat, indicating that the changes to the percent of expenses funded are slow and steady. Next, change the spending multiplier to 5 and run the planner again. This causes the percent of expenses funded to change more quickly. In the case of the default inputs, it makes them change so fast that the green light goes to yellow because the percent of expenses funded drops below the "comfort level" threshold (I think it's 85% or so). Notice that this scenario models a retiree that's willing to cut back spending dramatically if things don't go well. In exchange for that trade-off, the probability of success increases by about 1%.

If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask...

Regards,

Jim
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