FAQs
76 Articles in this CategoryWhat sorts of Incoming Cash Flows should I enter in a plan?
Learn about the types of incoming cash flows to include in your plan....
What are 'Reinvested Withdrawals' and 'Other Savings'?
These are categories of excess income or withdrawals that are not used to fund planned spending and are therefore reinvested in the investment portfolio....
Income Shortfall with Excess RMDs
Why would a plan show a shortfall in the same year that the client is reinvesting excess RMDs?...
Regret and Planning for Age-Based Spending
Learn how to avoid financial regret by effectively planning and managing your client's age-based spending....
What are Survivor Income Ratios?
This article will explain what Survivor Income Ratios are and how they are calculated....
How to Run a Plan Out of Money - Creating a $0 Balance
Learn strategies to effectively manage and deplete financial resources in your plan until a $0 balance is achieved....
How to add stock options, RSUs, Defined Benefit Plans, etc.
This article will review how to add stock options, RSUs, Defined Benefit Plans, etc....
Why am I getting large income guardrail results?
This article explains why you may get a large income guardrail result....
What are the default values for the Income Setting slider?
This article explains the default values for the Income Setting slider....
How do I find a Household's PlanID?
This article explains how to find a household's PlanID....
What is "Economic Context" and how does it affect retirement income plans?
How economic context can be applied to Income Lab plan outputs and analyses....
Do Income Lab's Monte Carlo analysis methods assume a normal distribution/bell curve for returns and inflation?
Understand if Income Lab's Monte Carlo analysis methods rely on a normal distribution for returns and inflation....
Why does the income sourcing chart show both clients living through the whole plan?
Discover why the income sourcing chart features both clients throughout the entire financial plan and how it impacts their financial journey....
How to enter Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)
Learn how to enter Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs)...
How will an Income Floor affect a plan?
How will an Income Floor affect a plan?...
What economic indicators does Income Lab track?
What economic indicators does Income Lab track?...
Will Income Lab suggest an adjustment due to a change in inflation?
This article will explain how Income Lab may suggest an adjustment in a plan due to inflation....
What is the deductible amount?
This article will explain what the deductible amount is....
What should I put in the Plan Description field?
What should I put in the Plan Description field?...
How can I improve the Spending Capacity / Retirement Paycheck
How can I improve Proposed Income?...
Why do I have to choose which household members to include in a plan?
Why do I have to choose which household members to include in a plan?...
Why does Income Lab need clients’ month and year of birth?
Why does Income Lab need clients’ month and year of birth?...
How do I enter a cash flow that has a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA)?
How do I enter a cash flow that has a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA)?...
How to Add a 401k Contribution with an Employer Match
This tutorial will show you how to use Income Lab to add a 401k contribution with and without an employer match....
How does Income Lab calculate RMDs?
Income Lab calculates RMDs on IRAs and other retirement accounts. Here are the details and some surprising rules about RMDs....
Mortality Risk in Joint Plans with Single Life Cash Flows
Explore how Income Lab incorporates mortality risk into joint plans with single life cash flows....
Why would there be an addition to the taxable account if the client is retired?
This article explains why there may be funds added to the portfolio even if the client is retired....
Cost Basis
Learn how to enter the cost basis of your investments and understand its importance in determining tax liabilities and investment performance....
Differences Between the New Dashboard and the Classic View
This article will review the reasons why you may be seeing different numbers in the new dashboard vs the classic view....
Early Spousal Death - Longevity Settings
View the video below on how to use the longevity settings to include a specified date of death in a plan....
How do account contributions work in the accumulation and distribution phases of a plan?
Learn how contributions work in both the accumulation and distribution phases of a plan....
How do I make sure certain assets are not used to fund retirement income?
Learn how to protect specific assets from being used for retirement income....
How RMDs and account level distribution plans interact
Watch the tutorial video below for an explanation of how RMDs and account-level distribution plans interact in Income Lab....
How to add trust accounts
Revocable trusts can be added as taxable accounts. Several options are available for irrevocable trusts....
How to change a plan's analysis method
Instructions on how to set analysis method defaults and change the analysis method for a plan....
How to change a plan's portfolio distribution method
Review the steps to change a plan's portfolio distribution method....
How to enter 72(t) SEPP distributions
Learn how to enter 72(t) SEPP distributions that avoid the 10% premature withdrawal penalty....
How to enter an IRA rollover in a plan.
Learn the steps to enter an IRA rollover account in a plan. ...
How to Include an Income Ceiling in a plan?
Learn how to effectively incorporate an income ceiling into your financial plan for better budgeting and goal setting....
How to model joint and survivor pensions and annuities
Make sure the income stream is set to end at the second spouse's death and use the "amount after death of [NAME]" fields to enter the adjustments....
Income Shortfall While Showing Savings
How to manage shortfalls and savings occurring in the same year....
Inflation Risk in Plans with Nominal Pensions
Understand the impact of inflation risk on nominal pension plans....
Inherited IRA and Retirement Account Distributions
See how to specify distribution plans from inherited accounts (traditional, Roth, and annuity)....
Modeling Negative Growth Rates in Assets
Model reverse mortgages and depreciating assets using negative growth rates in the 'Other Assets' section....
Negative Spending Capacity
Negative spending capacity means saving (not spending) would be needed to hit plan goals....
Net of Additions
What is Net of Additions? In some years of a plan, there are both additions to an...
Planned Spending is in the Overspending Zone
Learn more about why you may see a notice that a plan is in the overspending zone...
Set Income Path as a Default Setting
Learn how to set a default income path for your plans...
Set Longevity Settings for One or Both Clients
Learn how to adjust the longevity settings for an individual or both clients in a household...
Spending Capacity Affected by Uneven Plan Resources
Why would a plan be at risk because of uneven plan resources and what can be done about it?...
How to enter non-qualified deferred compensation
How do I enter distributions from non-qualified deferred compensation in a plan?...
Cash Flows: Gross Total Income vs Income Sources Total
Discover the comparison between total gross income and cashflows through an income sourcing table....
View Mode vs Edit Mode
Discover the differences between View Mode and Edit Mode....
Handling Survivorship on Income Sources
Learn how to enter the appropriate survivorship amount ...
What is an Income Path?
This article will explain what the Income Path is....
Monthly Essential Expenses
Discover how to use the monthly essential expenses option in a plan ...
Income Settings and Guardrail Settings
Discover the concept of Income Setting and Guardrail settings...
Minimum Income Change
Discover the significance and impact of minimum income changes in economic policy....
Why are portfolio withdrawals lower than expected in a plan with a non-portfolio income source that is not adjusted for inflation?
Plans with not-adjusted-for-inflation cash flows will have lower withdrawals to counteract the possible future effects of inflation....
Why do I see an income surplus in a preretirement plan?
Even if you are targeting a net-of-tax income amount in retirement, income or expenses before the income plan begins can lead to surpluses or shortfalls in the year of retirement if retirement is mid-year....
Why doesn't my plan have portfolio withdrawals?
Reasons a plan may lack portfolio withdrawals, including high levels of inflation and/or mortality risk....
How can I compare 'How much can I spend?' to 'How can I spend $X net of tax?' plans?
Learn how to compare budgets based on gross spending versus net of taxes to effectively manage your clients' finances and allocate resources wisely....
How do I address Gross-of-Tax and Net-of-Tax Retirement Income?
Learn the reasons that both gross-of-tax and net-of-tax retirement income are necessary measures and how to address the dance between these in your financial planning....
Tech Previews
Understand the purpose and benefits of a 'Tech Preview' in Income Lab....
How can changing the date when the income plan begins change the retirement paycheck (spending capacity)?
Learn how adjusting the start date of a retirement income plan affects the amount of money your clients can spend each month during retirement....
How do I enter a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)?
Making sure charitable deductions are included in your plan...
How do I model distributions from Inherited IRAs and retirement accounts?
Learn about modeling distributions from Inherited IRAs and retirement accounts in Income Lab plans...
Why does adding opportunity cost change lifetime Social Security benefits so much?
Discounting future cashflows makes a big difference...
Are people really willing to adjust spending?
Retirement income plans with guardrails imply that when things change enough, for...
How do Investment Fees Work in a Plan?
Investment fees have an effect on the plan's expected returns and retirement pay check...
How to Model Dividend Income in a Plan
Video: How to Model Dividend Income in a Plan Your browser does not support HTML5...
Understanding In-Service Withdrawals in Retirement Plans
Understanding In-Service Withdrawals in Retirement Plans Video Transcript Underst...
How does Income Lab incorporate inflation into tax calculations
Discover how Income Lab factors inflation into tax calculations for a more accurate financial analysis....
How to Copy a Plan in Income Lab
Quickly duplicate and customize client plans in Income Lab using the Copy feature, which retains original values and allows for easy modification without impacting the source plan....
How can I annotate in-app during a meeting?
Discover effective techniques for annotating in-app during meetings to enhance collaboration and engagement....
How are the statistics on the Insights dashboard calculated?
Learn how the statistics on the Insights dashboard are calculated to better interpret and analyze your data effectively....