u/AGrimmInPortland

I think one weak point in retirement planning tools is how they model spending in bad markets.

Real households usually do not react in an all-or-nothing way. They cut some discretionary spending, delay some purchases, and keep paying the essentials.

So what should a good planning tool do here?

• separate essential vs discretionary spending
• let some expenses be reduced and others paused
• trigger temporary cuts after portfolio declines
• restore spending after recovery
• use simple rules or something more dynamic

For anyone who has used tools like Boldin, ProjectionLab, Pralana, spreadsheets, etc.:

• which ones handle this well
• which ones mostly assume static spending
• what feels unrealistic or missing

I’m less interested in abstract “probability of success” discussion and more interested in whether the software reflects how people actually adjust spending in retirement.