Birthdate in year calculations

[markarmond]

I've noticed for several years that late in the year say Oct - Dec when updating portfolio values the amounts shown in the simulations for the current year are very high compared to the actual portfolio values, and the chances of reaching the values in the simulations is slim. I typically use additional inputs with a 7 to 8 % return before retirement and a 4% return after retirement and S&P500 only. Any insight on the calculations for the current year would be appreciated.

[jimr]

The simulation doesn't track calendar dates and that means it doesn't use a Jan 1 start of year. Instead, the start of the first year is today and the end is one year from today, and so on for each subsequent year.

If you're close to retirement, you might want to explore how your exact retirement date might impact your results by adjusting the plan's retirement age +/- 1 year either way depending on whether you intent to retire closer to October or closer to April.

[markarmond]

Thanks for your reply. I had been changing the dob to get the worst case.