<title>Troubleshoot forecasts in the Lifetime Planner</title>
<category>lifeplan</category>
<klink type="trbls">Troubleshoot forecasts in the Lifetime Planner</klink>
</index>
<content>
<p>What are you having trouble with?</p>
<extend>
<tease>I changed my budget, but my lifetime plan didn't change.</tease>
<reveal>
<p>The Lifetime Planner forecast is based on values in the Lifetime Planner, not the Budget Planner. To change your lifetime plan, change numbers in the Lifetime Planner. There are, however, a couple of exceptions. On the <emph>Income</emph> and <emph>Expenses</emph> pages of the Lifetime Planner, you can link to the values set up in your budget. If you choose to link these values, your lifetime plan will reflect changes in your short-term budget.</p>
</reveal>
</extend>
<extend>
<tease>The numbers I'm seeing are much smaller or larger than I expected.</tease>
<reveal>
<p>You might be viewing the results with the <emph>Show effects of inflation</emph> check box not selected. Try selecting it to show the effects of inflation. <alink type="cncpt" href="Learnwhathideorshowtheeffectsofinflationmeans.xml"/></p>
</reveal>
</extend>
<extend>
<tease>Reducing my expenses in the Lifetime Planner doesn't improve my forecast.</tease>
<reveal>
<p>By default, Money assumes that you'll save none of your surplus monthly income. And, your forecast takes into account how much you save each month. If you reduce your expenses in one category, such as dining out, the forecast assumes you'll spend these savings on something else. If you actually plan to save more, click <emph>Options</emph> on the <emph>Tools</emph> menu, and then click the <emph>Planner</emph> tab. Enter the percentage of your excess income you think you'll save under <emph>Sweep</emph>, and then click <emph>OK</emph>.</p>
