Add parameter for start date

[pacificoast]

Hi Jim,

Happy New Year! I know you are not really making many modifications these days but I wonder if it would be difficult for you to add a parameter somewhere where we can enter a simulation start date?

I retired last year and like to keep a record of what I withdrawals etc. I made in prior years. Each year when I run the simulation it increments a year (i.e. the report year shows the current year). I can ignore the output years but it's a quite confusing and makes me have to calculate what year in reality relates to my age.

Here's what I mean. The first column is my true age and correct year, but then this year it's one year out and next year two years out:

Last year (2023), This year (2024), Next year (2025)

2023 Age 61, 2024 (Age 61), 2025 (Age 61)
2024 Age 62, 2025 (Age 62), 2026 (Age 62)
2025 Age 63, 2026 (Age 63), 2027 (Age 63)

It would be great never to get older!

Thanks again for the great simulation program that I plan to use for the rest of my retirement!

Nick

[jimr]

Hi Nick,

I'm not quite getting what you're trying to do here. Are you keeping the current age input (on the main page) fixed at the age when you retired (eg 61)?

Jim

[pacificoast]

Hi Jim,

I make no changes to the simulation that I prepared in 2023. So I do keep my retirement age of 61 constant but when I run the simulation in 2024 the first line of my (2023) simulation shows 2024 next to my age (61). When I ran it in 2023 it correctly showed 2023 (Age 61) and the first line reflects my withdrawal from investments etc. My requested change is very simple - allow me to fix the starting year of the simulation so it will always show 2023 (Age 61) in the first line of the output tables. With the current software the year will increment or reflect the current year the simulation was run, so it will always show my age as 61 but the year will reflect the current year (2024, 2025 etc.) which is incorrect.

Thanks!

Nick

[jimr]

Ok. Now I think I've got it. I can't promise anything, but it would be a simple change. I made a note to look at it for the next release which should be coming in the next couple of months (it will have just one or two very minor updates).

Jim

[pacificoast]

Thanks Jim!

Nick