👉 Watch your cash flow ages everywhere
Make certain your ages in What you have align with the ages on the What you want page. For example, if end of life is set for 90 on the What you want page, make sure pension cash flows align to that age in the What you have page. This prevents accidental overfunding. Review all input details to ensure no mistakes in age configuration or cash flow entries to create accurate and actionable retirement plans.
👉 Refresh the Duration of Contributions
Use the circle-arrow refresh icon to refresh the duration of contributions field to reflect the difference between the current age of the client and the proposed start age of retirement expenses. This will align with the earliest age/date on the What you want page.
👉 Set Target-Map Preferences
Adjust global Target-Map template settings.
Retirement Target-Map Preferences settings are found by clicking the advisor likeness in the upper right area. Click the Retirement tab. Ensure the start age and end age for Retirement are to your liking. Ensure the other settings and desired talking points are selected. These are default template settings used as a starting point for any Retirement Target-Map.
Remember: You can always refine the specific Target-Map after it's been created for the household.
Three default retirement talking points are provided out of the box:
Retirement Living Expenses
Retirement Travel Expenses
Retirement Medical Expenses
They are optional and can be turned off globally in the Target-Map Preferences. Each line item may be removed from the funding scenario within the created Target-Map as well.
Please remember, The Target-Map by default chooses one person (usually the eldest person) to establish an age or date for the start and end of Retirement. But the annual dollar amount of the three "What you want" desires is based on who is selected in the title of the Target-Map.
👉 View and Edit the Retirement Target-Map
Click the Title of the Target-Map to view the summary of the scenario ("What it Means") and edit the parameters.
"What you Want" (This defines and totals the desired cash in today's dollars.)
Three talking points populate the "What you Want" page unless changed in the Preferences.
You may adjust the annual dollar values, start ages, end ages, and COLA within the Target-Map for each line item.
Try adding other retirement monetary desires not considered in the other line item dollar values, like purchasing a car during retirement or paying estate taxes. Click the "Add Desired Cash Flow" button and complete the form.
"What you Have" (This totals the applied assets in today's dollars.)
This page lists all assets found on the map, but not all of the assets are necessarily applied to fund the retirement need. You have the choice of adding or removing funding.
The template has automatically detected and selected the retirement-related assets that are on the Asset-Map to help fund the need. Choose other non-retirement sources (like a brokerage account) as you see fit.
Asset-Map assets and cash flows are linked to the assets and cash flows on the Target-Map's What You Have tab. Asset-Map negative cash flows such as expenses are the exceptions. Expense type cash flows on the Asset-Map do not flow through to a Target-Map. Editing the funding source on the Target-Map overrides the values that are inherited from the Asset Map. Those edits will be preferred. Future updates to the item on the Asset-Map will not be applied on the Target-Map. However: 👇
Re-link a Target-Map line item to the Asset-Map by deleting the edited value in its edit window and typing the Asset-Map financial's value of the asset in its place. Conveniently, the Asset-Map value will be present in a light gray font, which you would type over. Press the Update button. Updates to the Asset-Map item will now be inherited by the Target-Map as well.
Does a distribution subtract from its asset? No.
There is no internal Social Security Insurance calculator to determine what Social Security should be at a specified age. It must be typed in by the advisor.
Does Social Security Insurance automatically transfer to the survivor upon premature death of the spouse? No. It must be adjusted by the advisor.
Can I add other funding sources that I don't want on the Asset-Map? Yes! Click the Add desired asset or cash flow button and define the new funding source. It will not appear on the Asset-Map.
"What it Means" (The Summary—what clients want to see first.)
Start your client conversation by reading through the What It Means page.
What It Means displays the selected funding items committed to help fund the selected needs.
The What It Means page is part of the PDF report.
I have other assets, like a brokerage account. Why isn't that showing up on the What It Means page? The funding asset must be selected on the What You Have page to include it in the calculations. It will appear on the What It Means summary page.
👉 Adjust Taxes, COLA/Inflation, Future Value
Set your default preferred tax and COLA adjustments in your Target-Map Preferences.
Future Value and Future Value age in Asset-Map indicate when the asset becomes available and when COLA should begin. Non-future values will have cost of living adjustments start at current age.
How do I adjust future value? The Future Value setting is on the Asset-Map financial. Go to the Asset-Map and click the desired financial to edit it.
Alternatively, add an asset within the Target-Map and apply Future Value. Doing this will not impact the client's Asset-Map.
How do you handle Social Security? Please refer to our article on Social Security insurance located here.
👉 Check Cash Flow Details page tips
Click EXPAND to view cash flows or assets
Click the description of the financial at the top of the table to edit it. No need to go back to the What You Want or What You Have tabs.
Are all ages set properly? Do start ages and end ages fall within the plan?
Example: On the What You Want page, is the mortality age set to 90 but on the What You Have tab, is the end age of Social Security funding past 90 to age 100?
Example: How are you handling wide age gaps between spouses? Refer to our support resource located here.
👉 Using Clones (scenarios)
Tip: Edit the name of the clone scenario to reflect the changes you've made for clarity.
Is your clone in line with your conversation? If you make a change on your baseline Target-Map, your remaining clones will need to be adjusted as well for equivalent comparisons. Changes to one Target-Map are not reflected on clones or other Target-Maps automatically.
Rearrange Target-Maps on the Target-Maps Summary page by clicking and dragging the title bar up or down.
👉 Use Pin, Target, and Compare
Use the Pin to tack the desired Target-Map to the top of the Target-Map summary page.
Use the Target to choose the Target-Map that will be the standard for a client's goal.
Use the compare check-boxes to select those Target-Maps that you'd like to focus on to provide a clear picture of what you'd like to convey.
👉Handling Contributions
Contributions to a retirement asset can be done on the Details tab of the financial on the Asset-Map. They will become a funding resource on the What You Have tab in the Cash Flows section. A tax will be applied in accordance with your template preferences to frame the discussion around what is spendable during retirement.
To include retirement contributions in your cash flow planning:
Navigate to the cash flow sources available section in the Target-Map
Locate the contribution entries for the client's account
Select the checkbox to the left of the relevant contribution entries
Why should contributions be taxed when they are taken without tax from earned income? Because the Target-Map shows what is being committed for consumption at consumption. At time of consumption, a qualified asset could be considered to be taxed at the rate you select.
⭐ Need a Target-Map refresher? Join us on our bi-weekly calls. Schedule today 📆!
1/2026