Changes to Savings Goals should apply retroactively (edited)

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For a simple example, let's say I have a savings goal of $10,000 with no set goal date and a set contribution of $300/month. After a year of hitting that contribution goal every month, I decide to increase my monthly contribution target to $500. The unexpected result of doing this is that the prior 12 months now show I missed my contribution targets because the system retroactively changed all month's contribution goals from $300 to $500, not just the future ones.

A more complex issue but with the same root cause is if you have a savings goal with a set date and amount and then decide to change either the date or the amount partway through saving for that goal. Simplifi will "helpfully" calculate and suggest the amount needed per month to hit that target but base it on the entire timeframe of the goal, including all months past, not just the remaining time.

For example, if you set a $12,000 goal for 12 months into the future, it will (rightly) suggest a $1,000/mo contribution to reach that goal. Six months into saving for the goal ($6000 saved) you decide that you need $18000 by the end instead.

Adjusting the goal amount will give a suggested contribution of the new total amount ($18,000) divided by 12 months, even though six of those months have already past, giving an inaccurate suggestion of $1,500/mo contribution to hit the target amount and date.

The expected behavior would be to divide the remaining unsaved amount ($12,000) by time left (6 months), to reach a contribution suggestion of $2,000/mo to stay on target.

RobWilk

I have a feeling the answer to this is going to be:

-It works as designed

-If you want to suggest changing how it's designed, submit an idea post and let people vote on it.

If you came up with such an idea post, if I saw it, I would add my vote.

-Rob

SRC54

Good question. I eschew the whole Savings Goals thing and just do an actual transfer every month from checking to savings even if it isn't much!

DryHeat

The current design of Savings Goals makes it difficult to make any adjustments down the line. And deleting an existing Goal plays havoc with prior months' Spending Plans. It's as if the design assumption was that you would get it right the first time and never have a need to change your plans. That hasn't worked for me.😒