Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Welcome to this introductory video on our powerful Lifetime Investment Calculator. This essential tool synthesizes the best financial advice generated by our foundation annually, empowering you to explore and plan your financial future effectively.
You can access the calculator by navigating to our website's "Best Advice" section, then selecting "Lifetime Investment Calculator." On this page, you'll find a concise description, the calculator interface, and detailed information on all configurable parameters.
The data underpinning this calculator is drawn from our annually updated fine-tuning tables. These resources are available under "Best Advice" - "Fine-Tuning Your Asset Allocation," where you'll also find links to supporting podcasts and videos. The tables provide historical percentage returns from 1970 to the present, detailing performance for various equity and asset allocations (from 100% bonds to 100% equities in 10% increments). They also include critical metrics such as worst 6, 12, and 36-month periods, and the maximum drawdown experienced for each allocation.
This demonstration will guide you on optimizing your view by opening the calculator in full-screen mode. The central display features columns for year, sequence, and financial activity (contributions/distributions). You'll learn to customize the displayed asset allocation columns, focusing on specific portfolios like S&P 500 or the Ultimate Buy & Hold Worldwide 50/50 strategy.
The calculator offers extensive customization for modeling various scenarios. You can adjust the investment duration (e.g., a 20-year period) and explore different starting years to observe the impact of sequence of returns on your outcomes. Furthermore, you can modify starting portfolio values (from $0 to $100,000), annual contribution amounts, and choose whether contributions or withdrawals are adjusted for inflation.
This video also demonstrates how to model distributions (fixed or flexible) for retirement planning. This includes setting a percentage of your starting value for annual withdrawals, with options for inflation adjustment.
While this video provides a brief introduction, the calculator offers vast capabilities for in-depth financial analysis. We encourage you to explore its features independently. We look forward to sharing more instructional videos.
Key Features Discussed:
Lifetime Investment Calculator: A powerful tool integrating the foundation's financial advice. (paulmerriman.com/merriman-financial-education-foundation-lifetime-investment-calculator)
Fine-Tuning Tables: The source of historical return data and performance metrics.
Customizable Parameters: Adjust investment strategies, durations, starting values, contributions, and distributions. (https://shorturl.at/6brhE)
Sequence of Returns Analysis: Visualize how different market periods affect portfolio growth.
Diverse Investment Strategies: Model portfolios like S&P 500 and Ultimate Buy & Hold Worldwide 50/50. (irp.cdn-website.com/6b78c197/files/uploaded/Table_A1a-UBH-50-50.pdf)
If you found this information helpful and want to support more free, unbiased financial education for everyone, please consider making a donation to the Merriman Financial Education Foundation. Your generosity helps Paul and his team continue providing invaluable tools and resources to investors worldwide. Every contribution makes a difference! Donate today at donate.paulmerriman.com.
Welcome to this introductory video on our powerful Lifetime Investment Calculator. This essential tool synthesizes the best financial advice generated by our foundation annually, empowering you to explore and plan your financial future effectively.
You can access the calculator by navigating to our website's "Best Advice" section, then selecting "Lifetime Investment Calculator." On this page, you'll find a concise description, the calculator interface, and detailed information on all configurable parameters.
The data underpinning this calculator is drawn from our annually updated fine-tuning tables. These resources are available under "Best Advice" - "Fine-Tuning Your Asset Allocation," where you'll also find links to supporting podcasts and videos. The tables provide historical percentage returns from 1970 to the present, detailing performance for various equity and asset allocations (from 100% bonds to 100% equities in 10% increments). They also include critical metrics such as worst 6, 12, and 36-month periods, and the maximum drawdown experienced for each allocation.
This demonstration will guide you on optimizing your view by opening the calculator in full-screen mode. The central display features columns for year, sequence, and financial activity (contributions/distributions). You'll learn to customize the displayed asset allocation columns, focusing on specific portfolios like S&P 500 or the Ultimate Buy & Hold Worldwide 50/50 strategy.
The calculator offers extensive customization for modeling various scenarios. You can adjust the investment duration (e.g., a 20-year period) and explore different starting years to observe the impact of sequence of returns on your outcomes. Furthermore, you can modify starting portfolio values (from $0 to $100,000), annual contribution amounts, and choose whether contributions or withdrawals are adjusted for inflation.
This video also demonstrates how to model distributions (fixed or flexible) for retirement planning. This includes setting a percentage of your starting value for annual withdrawals, with options for inflation adjustment.
While this video provides a brief introduction, the calculator offers vast capabilities for in-depth financial analysis. We encourage you to explore its features independently. We look forward to sharing more instructional videos.
Key Features Discussed:
Lifetime Investment Calculator: A powerful tool integrating the foundation's financial advice. (paulmerriman.com/merriman-financial-education-foundation-lifetime-investment-calculator)
Fine-Tuning Tables: The source of historical return data and performance metrics.
Customizable Parameters: Adjust investment strategies, durations, starting values, contributions, and distributions. (https://shorturl.at/6brhE)
Sequence of Returns Analysis: Visualize how different market periods affect portfolio growth.
Diverse Investment Strategies: Model portfolios like S&P 500 and Ultimate Buy & Hold Worldwide 50/50. (irp.cdn-website.com/6b78c197/files/uploaded/Table_A1a-UBH-50-50.pdf)
If you found this information helpful and want to support more free, unbiased financial education for everyone, please consider making a donation to the Merriman Financial Education Foundation. Your generosity helps Paul and his team continue providing invaluable tools and resources to investors worldwide. Every contribution makes a difference! Donate today at donate.paulmerriman.com.
