Methodology Settings - RightCapital Help Center

Adjusting Client-Specific Settings

Methodology settings are the engine that keep your RightCapital plans running. Within the Gear Icon > Settings > Methodology tab of each plan, you have complete control over the methodology settings and calculation options that impact all facets of a client's future-looking projections:

The Gear Icon > Settings > Methodology tab enables you to adjust settings on a client-by-client basis, impacting only the household you are currently working on. You can adjust the global presets for these same settings within your Advisor Portal, by navigating to the Client Settings > Client Presets tab.

Looking for a specific setting?

Use the table of contents on the right side of this page to skip to a specific methodology setting.

Planning method

The planning method indicates how RightCapital handles surplus/shortage of cash flow in any given year. The default setting is Modified cash flow based.

Cash flow based will automatically save and reinvest any cash flow surplus into the client's taxable investments.
Modified cash flow based will automatically spend off any cash flow surplus. This option allows you to use taxable savings cards.
Goal based ignores income and expenses and instead looks only to goals, savings, and account information.

To learn more about planning methods and their impact on a client plan, read our article on understanding planning methods , as well as our article on cash flows.

Cash flow in simulation starts

This setting determines your cash flow start date. The default setting is Jan 1st of this year.

Jan 1st of this year will start your cash flow projections at the beginning of the current calendar year.
Jan 1st of next year will start your cash flow projections at the beginning of the next calendar year.
Current month (rolling 12 months) will start your cash flow projections on the 1st of the following month.

To learn more about timing options and their impact on a client plan, read our article on timing options, as well as our article on cash flows.

Withdrawal sequence

This setting reflects the order in which accounts will be drawn from when funding cash flow needs. The default setting for the withdrawal sequence is Taxable, tax-deferred, tax-free.

There are six different withdrawal sequence options to choose from:

Pro-rata
Taxable, tax-deferred, tax-free
Taxable, tax-free, tax-deferred
Taxable, pro-rata
Tax-deferred, taxable, tax-free
Tax-free, taxable, tax-deferred

Planned distribution method

This setting determines how required minimum distributions and manually added income distributions will interact with each other. The default setting is RMD added to manual distribution.

RMD added to manual distribution will combine income distributions with the calculated RMD amount in years where both occur (the sum of RMD and other distributions).
Greater of RMD and manual distribution will choose the higher of income distributions and calculated RMD amounts in years where both occur (whichever is greater).
No RMD, manual distribution only prevents RightCapital from automatically calculating RMDs. Only manual distributions will be reflected.

To learn more about RMDs and income distributions, read our articles on required minimum distributions and manually added income distributions.

Allocation method

The allocation method setting determines how a client's investment allocation will be projected out into the future. The default setting is Same asset allocation for all years.

Same asset allocation for all years will use the client's Current allocation as the long-term rate of return within the plan. The Current Allocation is the blended result of all of the client's non-annuity invested assets (entered in Profile > Net Worth), and can be viewed within the Investment > Asset Allocation tab.
Pre- and post- retirement allocation will use the client's Current allocation in pre-retirement, and will allow you to specify a different model portfolio to be used in post-retirement. New asset allocation models can be created within the Models > Portfolios tab of the advisor portal.
Enable glide path will model a gradual transition in a client's investment allocation over time. New glide paths can be created within the Models > Glide tab of the advisor portal. The grading schedule determines how quickly the client's current allocation will transition to match the allocation of your chosen glide path
No blending across account types will use the individual rate of return associated with each investment type (e.g. taxable account, IRA, etc.) rather than the Current Allocation when calculating portfolio return. In other words, all investment types will grow based on their own separate rates of return.

Please note that when using No blending across account types, you will be unable to:

Apply a glide path or use pre- and post-retirement allocations
Propose an alternate asset allocation within the Retirement Analysis
Propose an Asset Location Strategy in the Tax Strategies module

Cash management method

The Cash management method setting determines how bank accounts will be treated within the plan. The default setting is Treat bank account as cash; spend cash before taxable.

Treat bank account as cash; spend cash before taxable will cause bank accounts within the plan to be used as the Cash Reserve portion of a client's taxable bucket. This option will spend the cash reserve first, before tapping into taxable assets in the case of negative net flows.
Treat bank account as cash; spend cash after taxable will cause bank accounts within the plan to be used as the Cash Reserve portion of a client's taxable bucket. This option will liquidate taxable assets first, before tapping into cash reserve in the case of negative net flows.
Use cash reserve goal to manage cash levels will enable a Cash Reserve Goal card within the Profile > Goals section, which you can use to precisely specify the dollar amount kept in the client's cash reserve over time.

To learn more about the cash management options and their impact on a client plan, read our articles on Cash Management.

Distribute investment income from taxable account

This setting will automatically distribute interest and dividends from taxable accounts as income within a client's plan. The default setting is Never.

Never will turn off automatic distribution of investment income within the plan. Interest and dividends will be factored into the client's portfolio return.
Every year will automatically distribute investment income starting right away within the plan.
After retirement will automatically distribute investment income starting in retirement within the plan.

How are interest and dividends calculated?

Rightcapital calculates interest and dividends by looking at the asset class breakdown of the client's portfolio, in tandem with your advisor-specific return assumptions.

Health Savings Account distributions

This setting determines when the system will start using Health Savings Account (HSA) assets to fund medical expenses. The default setting is Start to fund medical expenses immediately.

Start to fund medical expenses immediately: HSA assets will be distributed as soon as medical expenses begin to occur within the plan.
Start to fund medical expenses at first retirement: HSA assets will accumulate untouched until the year of first retirement. After that point, HSA assets will be distributed as soon as medical expenses begin to occur within the plan.
Start to fund medical expenses at second retirement: HSA assets will accumulate untouched until both clients retire. After that point, HSA assets will be distributed as soon as medical expenses begin to occur within the plan.

You can also select a client's age, co-client age, or calendar year to begin HSA distributions within each plan. Each of these options will see HSA assets accumulate until the year indicated, after which HSA assets will be distributed as soon as medical expenses occur.

Retirement expense timing

This setting indicates when the switch will happen from pre-retirement living expenses (entered in Profile > Expenses) to retirement living expenses (entered in Profile > Goals) within joint plans. The default setting is Start retirement expense goal at first retirement.

Start retirement expense goal at first retirement will cause the retirement expenses to kick in when the first client retires.
Start retirement expense goal at second retirement will cause the retirement expenses to kick in when the second client retires.

Include bank accounts in Asset Allocation chart

This setting can be used to include a client's bank accounts in the Current Allocation pie chart in the Investment > Asset Allocation tab. This is purely a visual change, and will not impact investment returns within the retirement projections. By default, this setting is unchecked.

Allow display of scenario-specific cash flows

This setting can be used to enable return scenarios within the Retirement > Cash Flows tab. New return scenarios can be created within the Models > Scenarios tab of the advisor portal. By default, this setting is unchecked.

Why use return scenarios in the cash flows?

By default, the cash flows use the Baseline scenario. This is a straight-line, linear growth projection using your advisor-specific return assumptions. By enabling return scenarios, you can inject some volatility into a client's cash flow tables by implementing specific sequences of returns.

Take annuity RMD from IRA account first

This setting, if checked, allows you to delay taking withdrawals from qualified annuities with a lifetime income guarantee (set up with a distribution type of 'Lifetime Income') by satisfying the annuity's Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) from the client's traditional IRA accounts or other qualified annuities. This allows clients to delay withdrawals on the lifetime income annuity in order to provide a higher guaranteed income amount in future cash flows.

If the setting is unchecked, we will calculate the RMD for lifetime income annuities each year starting in the year the client hits RMD age, and will distribute the greater of the RMD or the client's lifetime income amount in that year. By default, this setting will be unchecked.

Only use this setting if your client has sufficient funds in their IRAs or other qualified annuities to cover the additional RMDs. If there are insufficient funds, the client's RMDs will be understated.

Whether the setting is checked or not, once lifetime income withdrawals begin, those withdrawals will count towards the total RMD required across your clients' IRA and qualified annuity accounts. If the lifetime income amount exceeds the RMD calculated for the lifetime annuity, we will reduce the RMD from the client's traditional IRA by the excess amount.

Use taxable account to fund IRA and 529 saving when current year cash flow is inadequate

This setting can be utilized to fund IRA and 529 savings by automatically liquidating taxable assets in years when clients do not have sufficient cash flows. By default, this setting is checked.

When this setting is checked, RightCapital will first fund IRA, Roth IRA, and 529 contributions using available cash flows. If there are insufficient cash flows in any year, RightCapital will then look to fund those contributions using taxable assets. This will automatically calculate a withdrawal (and taxes) from the client's taxable investments to maintain these savings goals. If there is no available money in taxable accounts, RightCapital will not reflect the contributions in those years.

If unchecked, RightCapital will only reflect IRA, Roth IRA, and 529 savings in years where clients have the available cash flows. If there are insufficient cash flows in any year, contributions will not occur.

Use 529 accounts to fund Pre-College Education goals

This setting allows you to specify if 529 accounts will be used to fund Pre-College Education goals. By default, this setting is checked.

When checked, up to $10,000 of 529 funds will be used to fund the pre-college education goals. If unchecked, 529 accounts will not be used as a funding source and will be reserved exclusively for college goals.

Include taxable saving in Planned Saving column (Modified Cash Flow only)

This setting can be used to move taxable savings from the Net Flows column, to the Planned Savings column of the Retirement > Cash Flows > Summary page. This is a purely visual change, and will only appear as a setting when using Modified cash flow based as your Planning method. By default, this setting is unchecked.

Spend unsaved RMD/distributions (Modified Cash Flow only)

This setting determines whether or not cash flow surplus from RMDs and income distributions will be automatically saved or spent off. This setting will only appear when using Modified cash flow based is your Planning method. By default, this setting is checked.

When checked, RMDs or manual distributions that are not used to fund cash flows (or are not explicitly saved) will be spent off. Spent RMDs can be seen in the “Spend unsaved cash flow” column of the Retirement > Cash Flows > Summary page.

If unchecked, RMDs or manual distributions that are not used to fund cash flows will automatically be saved and reinvested into the taxable bucket of assets. Saved RMDs can be seen in the “Net Flows” column of the Retirement > Cash Flows > Summary page.