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Enter Contributions to Assets

Keep a record of expected contributions to assets and include them in planning conversations.

Michael Schwabe avatar
Written by Michael Schwabe
Updated over a week ago

Overview

This guide explains how to track ongoing financial contributions to assets such as Education savings, TSPs, RRSPs, 401(k)s, and other retirement accounts.

Important Visibility Note: Contributions entered in the Asset details do not appear on the visual Asset-Map household view. Instead, these contributions are used exclusively in Target-Maps™ to project future capital savings. You will see them listed as funding sources in the Cash Flow and Assets Available sections of a Target-Map.

1. How to Enter Contributions

To schedule a contribution, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the specific Asset to open its information window.

  2. Navigate to the Details tab.

  3. Locate the Contributions field.

  4. Enter the Annual Dollar Amount.

    • Note: You must enter a dollar figure (e.g., 15000). The system does not calculate contributions based on a percentage of income.

  5. Select the Start Age (or Date).

    • Note: If left blank, the system assumes the contribution begins at the member's current age.

  6. Select the End Age (or Date).

    • Note: This defines when the contribution stops.

2. Handling Employer Matches

Asset-Map does not automatically calculate employer matching percentages. You must manually calculate the total annual inflow.

  • How to enter: Calculate the sum of the Employee Contribution ($) + Employer Match ($).

  • Action: Enter this combined total into the Annual Amount field described in Step 4 above.

3. Viewing Contributions in Target-Maps™

Once entered, contributions appear within the planning modules (Target-Maps).

Locating the Data

Navigate to the "What you have" tab inside a Target-Map. The contributions will appear in two locations:

  • The Cash Flow Sources Available table.

  • The Assets Available table.

  • The "Cash Flow Details" page

Activating the Contribution

By default, the contribution may not be applied to the goal.

  • Action: Check the box to the left of the funding source to "turn on" the contribution for that specific plan.

  • If the Target-Map was created before the contribution was added: The line item will appear in the Cash Flow table, but you must manually check the box to apply it.

  • Troubleshooting contributions not appearing or updating projections: If your contributions aren't reflected in the Target-Map projections:

    1. Confirm contributions are correctly recorded under the Asset details tile.

    2. Open the Retirement Target-Map and navigate to the 'What you have' tab.

    3. Ensure the contributions appear in the 'Cash Flow Sources Available' section.

      • If missing, revisit the asset contribution settings.

    4. Verify that the contribution is associated with the retirement projection.

    5. Save your updates to ensure changes are applied.

4. Planning Best Practices

When using contributions in a financial plan, consider the following adjustments to ensure accuracy:

  • Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA): The asset entry does not automatically increase the contribution amount over time.

    • Solution: In the Target-Map's What You Have page, locate the line item and manually enter a percentage in the COLA field to model increasing contributions.

  • Loss to Taxes: While many retirement contributions are pre-tax, the Target-Map calculates the spendable funding available for the goal.

    • Solution: Apply a "Loss to Tax" percentage to the contribution source in the Target-Map. This prevents the system from overestimating the liquid cash available during retirement.

  • Step-by-step guide for COLA adjustment: To apply indexing to your contributions, follow these steps:

    1. Open the Retirement Target-Map.

    2. Navigate to the 'What you have' tab.

    3. Locate the contribution item under the 'Cash Flow Sources Available' section.

    4. Click on the edit icon (pen symbol) next to the contribution item.

    5. Adjust the COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) percentage to your preferred annual increase.

    6. Save your changes to apply the updated indexing.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I enter a contribution as a percentage of salary (e.g., 5%)? A: No. You must calculate the fixed annual dollar amount and enter that figure.

Q: Why don't I see the contribution on the main Asset-Map screen? A: Contributions are data points used for calculation, not visualization. They only appear inside Target-Maps where cash flow projections are calculated.

Q: Where can I see the impact of these contributions? A:

  • The "What it Means" page displays the Present Value equivalent of the total assumed contributions.

  • The "Cash Flow Details" page displays the year-by-year impact of the saving (net of taxes/COLA) during the specified years.

2/2026

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