The screens
Spending guardrails
How to read your guardrail table, the chance of a spending change, your set-aside and ceiling, stress tests and alerts.
The Spending guardrails screen isn't a pass-or-fail score. It shows the balances at which your spending would change, by how much, and how likely that is.
Your guardrails
The main table has one row per guardrail:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Guardrail | The lower guardrail (a cut) or the upper guardrail (a raise) |
| Investments at | The balance that would trigger the change |
| Distance from today | How far your investments would need to move |
| Spending after | Your monthly spending if that guardrail were crossed |
Choose Update balances to compare your latest balances with the guardrails.
Chance of a spending change
This card shows how likely a cut or a raise is over the coming years, measured across simulated futures at your comfort level.
Your limits and guardrail lines
Two limits shape your guardrails:
- Set-aside. A share of your investments left out of what the guardrails count on. The default is 10%, and you can set it to zero.
- Ceiling. An optional maximum monthly spend. Raises never go above it.
Changing either one starts a new baseline for your spending.
What the guardrails do for your chances
This card compares your plan with and without guardrails, on the same simulated markets, so you can see what following them is worth.
Stress tests
These show what a few bad markets, and one good one, would do to your spending. They include sudden drops in stocks and a replay of a difficult historical period.
Where this month's money comes from
This card shows which accounts would pay for this month's spending under your withdrawal order.
Where you've stood
Each time you update balances, the screen records where you stood against your guardrails. This history shows how close you've come over time.
Alerts
Choose how close counts as near a guardrail: within 3%, 5% or 10%. When you're signed in, you can also choose email alerts. Alerts in the app are always shown.
Recording a change
When a guardrail is crossed and you change your spending, record it. Your guardrails reset around the new spending level. Between guardrails, your spending stays where it is.
The guardrails use the app's own risk-based method, adapted from published research. They're estimates, not guarantees or advice. See the guardrails methodology for how they're calculated and how accurate the shortcuts are.