In brief
The results page shows a year-by-year projection of assets, income, spending, and tax under the assumptions set — not a prediction of what will happen.
In plain English
After a scenario runs, the Results page displays a projection from today to the modelled life expectancy. It shows how assets grow or decline under the stated assumptions and whether they are projected to cover spending throughout retirement.
All values are shown in real terms — today's money. A projected balance of £300,000 at age 80 means £300,000 in today's spending power, not a future nominal figure.
The results are organised into three sections: KPI tiles, charts, and a cashflow table. Each answers a different question about the projection.
How FutureClear models it
KPI tiles
The KPI tiles at the top of the results page summarise the most important numbers from the projection.
Starting assets: Total value of all investment assets (SIPP, ISA, GIA, cash, property, premium bonds) at the start of the simulation, before growth or withdrawals.
Final assets: Projected total value of all assets at the end of the modelling period, under the scenario's growth, fee, and withdrawal assumptions.
Total tax paid: Cumulative income tax, capital gains tax, and dividend tax projected across the entire modelling period for all partners.
Funded years: The number of years in which liquid assets remain above zero, shown as "X out of Y". If funded years equals total years modelled, assets are projected to last the full period under these assumptions.
KPI tiles reflect the deterministic (single-line) projection at the central growth rate. Monte Carlo percentile results appear separately in the fan chart.
The projection chart
The main chart shows total assets over time. The horizontal axis is year or age; the vertical axis is total investment asset value.
- Rising section: Working years when contributions and investment growth are building the pot.
- Peak: Typically around retirement, when contributions stop and drawdown begins.
- Declining section: Retirement years, as withdrawals reduce the pot.
If the line reaches zero before the end of the projection, assets are depleted at that point. The simulation stops at depletion. A flat section at the end may indicate assets stabilising — withdrawals matched by growth — rather than depletion.
Cashflow table
The cashflow table shows a row for every simulated year, with columns for:
- Year / Age: Simulation year and age (and partner's age in couple mode).
- Income: Total income received — salary, pension income, rental income, and similar.
- Spending: Total outgoings — living costs, mortgage payments, tax.
- Asset withdrawals: Amounts drawn from SIPP, ISA, or GIA to cover any shortfall.
- Tax: Income tax, capital gains tax, and dividend tax for the year.
- Asset balances: End-of-year balance for each asset type.
- Total assets: Total of all investment assets at year end.
Hovering over any column header shows a tooltip explaining what that column represents. The cashflow table can be exported to a spreadsheet.
Reading the year-by-year numbers
Tax is shown as a cash outflow in the year it is modelled as paid. For income subject to self-assessment — pension drawdown, property income, dividends above the allowance, and self-employment — HMRC typically collects the liability in the January following the tax year, so the model shows this as a payment in Year N + 1. PAYE income tax on employment is collected in real time and is shown in the same year the income is earned.
Spending appears as a negative number — it is an outflow. Asset withdrawals are outflows from asset balances and inflows to cash.
The State Pension appears from the configured State Pension age. Checking this column confirms the correct year.
Depletion years show zero balances. Once an asset reaches zero, subsequent years show zero for that asset.
Assumptions and limitations
- KPI tiles and the main projection chart use the deterministic (fixed-rate) calculation. They do not reflect the range of outcomes shown in the Monte Carlo fan chart.
- Unexpected events — health changes, redundancy, inheritance — are not included unless added as life events.
- The projection does not attempt to model specific market movements or timing.
- Tax calculations follow the rules configured in the scenario. If tax legislation changes after a scenario is saved, results reflect the old rules until the scenario is updated.
- Results are projections based on stated inputs. Actual returns, inflation, and tax outcomes will differ.