Amount available to withdraw is negative for savings goal (edited)
I have two issues with my savings goals.
- Goal #1 has a large balance "available" but the "amount available to withdraw" is negative.
I created a second goal, made a contribution, and then changed my mind. I deleted the goal but the contribution still appears in my dashboard. I logged out and logged back in, and refreshed the page, but the funds have not been returned to my account.
The funds for Goal #2 are from a different source than Goal #1. Two screenshots below.
Thanks
Laura
[removed image for different issue/edited remaining image to reduce size]
Comments
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@lindsayla18, thanks for posting!
To keep the Community organized and content on topic, we ask that you create a separate post for each individual issue so the proper troubleshooting can ensue. With that, this post has been edited to focus only on the first issue: a savings goal shows a negative "available to withdraw" amount. You will want to create a new, separate post for the 2nd issue only.
For the issue being discussed here, I have some follow-up questions to gain a better understanding:
- Which screenshot from your post applies to this situation? The first one, correct?
- If so, the 'Amount to withdraw' field in your screenshot appears red, indicating an error. What is the error message?
- Are you withdrawing to spend on the goal, or are you withdrawing for another purpose?
- How much is saved for this savings goal in the account you're trying to withdraw from?
- Have you contributed from any other accounts? If so, are you able to withdraw to them?
The more details you can provide, the better we can assist!
-Coach Natalie
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Thank you Natalie. I will create a separate post for the second issue. As for this one, to respond to your questions:
Yes, the first screenshot pertains to this issue. I want to withdraw to spend on this goal, but when that didn't work I tried to withdraw for another purpose and had the same issue.
I've attached a better screenshot to answer your questions about the error message in red, and how much is saved for this goal. Contributions have come only from one account.
Thanks for your help!
Laura
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@lindsayla18, thank you for the reply and the additional information!
Can you also grab a screenshot from the account itself showing the total balance, the savings goal balance, and the available balance after goals so we can get a full picture, please? I would also recommend creating a test goal and contributing some funds from the same account to see if you can then effectively withdraw them. If this works, there may be something funky going on with the original goal itself.
Let us know how things go!
-Coach Natalie
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Hi @Coach Natalie. Is this the screenshot you need? I'll try creating a test goal and get back to you.
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@Coach Natalie good morning, in response to this request:
I would also recommend creating a test goal and contributing some funds from the same account to see if you can then effectively withdraw them. If this works, there may be something funky going on with the original goal itself.
I created a test goal for $100. I made a $50 contribution from the same source account, and the account balance updated correctly. I then withdrew $50 and funds were returned to the account.
So it looks like your diagnosis of "something funky going on with the original goal" is probably correct. Please let me know next steps, and thank you.
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@lindsayla18, thank you for the update!
Yes, this definitely seems like an issue with the savings goal itself. The quickest fix would be to delete and recreate the goal with a "saved so far" amount. The only hitch with this method is that it will undo past months' contributions in the Spending Plan, and you can only fix it in the most recent closed month and the current month.
I've also seen users post that, instead of deleting and recreating a problematic goal, they just set it to "completed" status to retain the history in the Spending Plan. However, I don't recall how they did so — maybe by editing the goal amount to what's been contributed so it reaches 100%. I would definitely see if something like this works for you!
Otherwise, we can review the case for escalation, though I can't guarantee when it will be fixed, or if they'll be able to fix it. Let us know how you'd like to proceed!
-Coach Natalie
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Thanks @Coach Natalie.
I haven't used the spending plan so probably won't be affected by the issues you mentioned. I can recreate the goal as you suggested.
But before I do that … the funds from my test goal, which were originally returned to my account, have reappeared in the savings goal balance! I haven't used Simplifi since I reported on my test, so something is happening in the background.
I really don't want to delete a goal unless I'm certain the funds will be returned to my account. This was the subject of the second issue I originally reported in this thread, which is now a separate post here.
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@lindsayla18, that's a fair point, and we'd likely want to wait on deleting and re-creating until we can figure out what's going on with deleted goal contributions still showing in your accounts.
I'd recommend signing out of Quicken Simplifi and signing back in to see if that resolves the deleted goal issue. If not, someone will be along on the other thread soon to help out!
-Coach Natalie
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Hi @Coach Natalie , the issue with deleted goal contributions has not been resolved to my satisfaction. It seems like the funds get returned to the source account eventually, but there doesn't appear to be any interest in determining why this doesn't happen immediately. I went ahead and deleted the savings goal we've been discussing here, and the balance has not been returned to my account yet. I've reported this to @Coach Jon who is handling the deleted goal contributions issue.
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@lindsayla18, thanks for the update!
I would still recommend waiting until the other issue is resolved before confirming whether the new goal resolves the issue this thread is about.
-Coach Natalie
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@Coach Natalie unfortunately I don't see my other issue being resolved any time soon.
In working with Jon on this issue, we arrived at the following theory:
- When a savings goal is deleted funds are not immediately returned to the source account, and may be tied to the periodic (every 4 hours?) process that downloads transactions and current balances from the bank.
- Users can avoid this delay by withdrawing funds from the savings goal before deleting it.
I can live with this, but it's clear Jon and I have different definitions of the problem to be solved. He believes it's okay the funds are eventually (not immediately) returned; I think that's a bug, not a feature.The bigger issue, in my opinion, is how the Savings Goal feature operates and whether there is any commitment to improving it. The fact a savings goal must be deleted and recreated when there's "something funky going on" is a symptom of this problem. So is this thread, created nearly 5 years ago and still open:
Ability to See and Edit Savings Goal Contributions and Withdraws [edited] (1 Merged Vote)
Is there any chance of Savings Goal improvements in the future?
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The fact a savings goal must be deleted and recreated when there's "something funky going on" is a symptom of this problem.
The "delete and recreate" strategy comes with its own problem — Spending Plan corruption.
I occasionally check out the "Left this month" amount in prior months' Spending Plans to see how my plan has been going and to consider future changes. But if you delete a Savings Goal this month, all trace of that Goal disappears from prior months' Spending Plans. The disappearance of planned contributions to that Goal inflates the "Left this month" figure for every month in which that Goal was active.
DryHeat
-Quicken Classic (1990-2020), CountAbout (2021-2024), Simplifi (2025-…)0 -
@lindsayla18, thanks for closing the loop here!
It looks like Coach Jon has offered to escalate the issue with the delay in contributions being returned when deleting a goal in the other thread, so be sure to let him know there if you'd like to proceed with that escalation.
As for the issue reported here, it sounds like the new goal has resolved the issue, and the funds from the old goal were finally removed. Is that correct? If so, I am glad to hear it!
Regarding work on Savings Goals features, I'm afraid we don't have that level of insight here in the Community. Our FAQ goes over this in more detail, but essentially, we can only update Idea posts when information is officially shared with us. Otherwise, we don't have visibility into what's currently planned or actively being worked on. We definitely try to keep requests updated whenever possible, so be sure to follow along with any Ideas you're interested in! You can also create a new Idea post if your suggestion hasn't already been submitted.
I hope this helps!
-Coach Natalie
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