Once you complete a scenario, most of your inputs can be changed allowing what-if analysis. You can even re-load the data file of a completed scenario and do what-if analysis on it. Once you have made the changes, they will be saved and WealthProbe will show you the effect of the changes on your outcome.

You provide your current and planned expenses, current assets, investment plans, current and planned income streams, and certain assumptions such as rates of return and inflation. WealthProbe uses this information to calculate your total wealth on a month-by-month basis. This information is output in the Results section. In addition, WealthProbe tells you the date you run out of money if that happens before your Target Date (your Target Date is December of the year that you need the support of your nest egg). If you make it to your Target Date, WealthProbe provides your net worth at the Target Date, and continues calculating to the date your wealth runs out. If your wealth will last until your 120th birthday, WealthProbe shows the net worth of your estate at that point.

The only time WealthProbe needs to be connected to the internet is upon first usage on your device. This is to activate the license to use the software on that device. After that, no external communication takes place between WealthProbe and the outside world, except if you need to reactivate WealthProbe (when, for example, you replace your previous device) or when you elect to download an update. In fact, you can disconnect your computer from the internet if you wish while using WealthProbe. When you enter your data into WealthProbe, your data files are encrypted and stored on your own device or detachable drive. Only your device has the encrypted key to unlock these data files when you need them again.

After WealthProbe performs its calculations based on the data and plan you input, if you do not make it to your planned Target Date, WealthProbe will tell you the year you run out of money and gives suggestions on how to change your plan, including working a little longer. The ‘what-if’ analysis feature allows you to change individual inputs, allowing you to analyze your new plan as needed.

WealthProbe tracks your cash, and assets that are readily convertible to cash, in order to monitor your ability to pay the bills. If you will run out of cash, WealthProbe tells you when and shows you a listing of all your available non-liquid assets. You will choose one of these assets to liquidate and give your estate a cash infusion. This will happen as often as necessary until you either run out of assets or make it to your Target Date. WealthProbe gives a summary of the non-liquid assets you chose to liquidate, and when you needed to liquidate them, as part of the final report in the results section. This listing gives you useful planning information pertaining to when you may need to consider selling individual assets in the future.

WealthProbe provides a summary of the name, asset type, and current value of all the assets you input – WealthProbe never asks for account numbers or passwords, thus cannot list them. However, the summary it provides is a single place for your executor to go to find a listing of all your assets. This eliminates the requirement for the person in charge of your estate to painstakingly search your records trying to locate all of your assets, and potentially missing some of them.

Prior to retiring, most people are focused on saving as much as they can for retirement. Once they retire, this suddenly changes. Instead of saving, most people must start spending down their nest egg. During retirement, options for spending money are constantly arising, such as traveling, buying a boat, or helping a relative financially. Many retirees find it hard to spend this extra money, fearing how it might affect their ability to fund their retirement years. They might avoid a great trip abroad because they don’t want to spend the money without knowing the degree of impact on their finances. WealthProbe shows the effects of spending money on these types of non-essential items. Running the option through WealthProbe will show its impact on the user’s wealth results. By having the facts, the retiree has gained the freedom of making an informed decision – and possibly the freedom to enjoy their hard-earned retirement years more fully.

An analysis in the September 12, 2022 edition of the Wall Street Journal found that the assumptions used by most retirement-income calculators (e.g. assuming people are in good health, they don’t want to make any bequests, they will claim Social Security as soon as they retire, plus other ‘typical assumptions’) are not assumptions that represent the typical retiree at all. When it comes to retirement planning, one size does not fit all. Among many other capabilities, WealthProbe allows you to account for your health in determining your Target Year; not only allows for bequests, but allows them to be started and stopped according to your wishes while offering you 5 different disbursement frequencies to choose from; and you can start your social security any time you like. As you investigate, you will find this just scratches the surface of the flexibility you will find inherent in WealthProbe. In fact, WealthProbe analyzes your own unique situation without using any ‘typical’ retirement rules-of-thumb.