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Explore Your Financial What-Ifs

How the calculations work

Money Rehearsal uses your household totals and a consistent set of assumptions to compare your current path with financial what-ifs.

Keep your rehearsal current

Every projection reflects a set of inputs and assumptions. Actual income, spending, investment returns, inflation, and life events will differ, and even carefully chosen assumptions cannot predict your financial future. Reviewing and updating your rehearsal regularly helps you account for changes, recognize trade-offs, and reconsider your next steps.

Revisit your rehearsal at least once a year, or whenever your circumstances change significantly—for better or worse. Each update gives you a fresh starting point.

Start with a baseline

Your baseline is an illustration of your current path. It combines information such as employment income, saving, spending, cash and investment balances, retirement timing and Social Security. A what-if changes selected inputs while keeping the baseline alongside it.

No bank connections are involved. You enter summary amounts yourself; account numbers and transaction histories are not needed.

Spending is a starting estimate you can correct

The simple entry flow estimates spending from employment income minus estimated income taxes minus saving. Review that estimate and enter your own monthly spending if it does not fit your household. Retirement spending also uses an assumption that you should review.

Results use today’s dollars

Inflation is included in the calculations, while displayed results express future amounts in terms of today’s purchasing power. That makes future balances and spending easier to compare with familiar amounts. They are not the dollar amounts you would necessarily see on a future statement.

Returns are assumptions, not predictions

The illustration uses assumed long-term returns for stocks, bonds and cash, with an allowance for investment costs. It does not replay every market rise and fall or run a Monte Carlo simulation. It does not produce a probability of success. Actual investment returns will vary, and their timing matters.

How the automatic investment mix works

New rehearsals use an illustrative mix of stocks, bonds and cash based on the years until the first household retirement. At least 20 years before retirement, it starts at 70% stocks, 25% bonds and 5% cash. The stock share falls by one percentage point each year, with that share moving to bonds, until it reaches 50% stocks, 45% bonds and 5% cash at retirement. It then holds that mix.

This is a general illustration setting, not an investment recommendation. Existing saved rehearsals keep their original schedules. What-ifs, including earlier retirement, use the baseline schedule to keep comparisons consistent. Essentials includes fixed-mix choices; Plus also includes custom assumptions.

Taxes and Social Security are simplified

The calculator uses simplified U.S. tax assumptions. It does not prepare a tax return or cover every federal, state or household-specific rule. Review the tax estimate and any corrections you enter.

Retirement timing and Social Security claiming timing are separate inputs. Any built-in benefit estimate is approximate. Use your personal estimate from the Social Security Administration when available and check the claiming age associated with it.

Timing and account types matter

Cash, taxable investments, pretax retirement accounts and Roth accounts are represented separately. Employment, saving, withdrawals and required distributions affect the illustrated balances. A one-time expense applies in the selected year; a recurring change follows its specified period. Review the inputs and planning assumptions shown with your results.

Read the comparison across time

Start with the plain-language takeaway, then inspect the chart and annual amounts. Check the years around a change, the later years and any funding gap. A higher ending balance is one output; the app does not decide which lifestyle or timing is right for you.

Changing assumptions can change the results substantially. No illustration guarantees that savings will last or that a particular decision is affordable.