See Your Financial Future

Doughsense's Timeline feature shows you where your money will be in the future based on your current situation and plans. It projects your financial trajectory forward using your accounts, income, expenses, and growth rates.

What is the Timeline?

The Timeline takes everything you've told Doughsense about your finances and projects it forward, showing you:

• How your net worth will grow
• When you'll reach your goals
• How life events will impact your finances
• What happens if you make changes today

How to Use the Timeline

Viewing Your Timeline

1. Go to any section (Dashboard, Portfolio, Budget, or Milestones)
2. Look for the date selector at the top
3. Click to see a calendar view of your financial future
4. Select any date to see your projected finances

What You'll See

When you select a future date, Doughsense shows:

• Net Worth - Total value of everything you own minus what you owe
• Account Balances - Projected balance of each account
• Debt Balances - Remaining balance on each debt
• Asset Values - Estimated value of your properties and assets
• Cash Flow - Money available for spending

Understanding the Projections

The Timeline automatically calculates:

For Your Accounts

• Interest earned on savings
• Investment returns based on your growth rates
• Impact of deposits and withdrawals

For Your Debts

• Interest charges
• Payment progress
• Exact payoff dates

For Your Assets

• Appreciation (like home values going up)
• Depreciation (like car values going down)

For Your Budget

• All scheduled income
• All planned expenses
• The net effect on your accounts

Key Features

See Goal Achievement

The Timeline shows when you'll reach each goal:

• Emergency fund fully funded
• Debt completely paid off
• Retirement savings targets met
• Down payment saved

Test "What If" Scenarios

Want to see how changes affect your future? Try:

• Increasing your savings rate
• Making extra debt payments
• Changing investment contributions
• Adjusting expense amounts

The Timeline instantly shows the impact of any change.

Spot Problems Early

The Timeline helps you identify issues before they happen:

• Cash flow shortages
• Delayed goal achievement
• Insufficient retirement savings
• High interest costs

Viewing Options

See Values in Today's Money

Want to understand what your future money will really be worth? Use the inflation adjustment feature:

1. Go to Settings via the user menu in the sidebar
2. Toggle "Today's Money" on
3. All values now show in today's purchasing power

What's the difference?

• Actual Money (Off): Shows the pounds you'll actually have. Your account will show £100,000 in 2034 - the number you'd see in your bank.

• Today's Money (On): Shows what that money can buy in today's terms. That £100,000 might only buy what £75,000 buys today. Helps you understand true purchasing power.

When to use each view:

• Actual Money: When planning specific amounts (saving for a £20,000 car)
• Today's Money: When planning for lifestyle (maintaining your current standard of living in retirement)

Example

Suppose you're projecting £1 million at retirement. Toggling to "Today's Money" might show £400,000 in purchasing power. That's a more useful number for deciding whether your savings rate is sufficient.

Reading Your Timeline

Colour Coding

Doughsense uses colours to help you quickly understand your timeline:

• Green - Positive cash flow, goals on track
• Yellow - Caution areas, tight cash flow
• Red - Negative cash flow, attention needed

Key Milestones

The Timeline highlights important events:

• Goal achievements
• Debt payoff dates
• Retirement eligibility
• Major purchase readiness

Trends to Watch

Pay attention to:

• Net Worth Trajectory - Is it steadily increasing?
• Cash Flow Patterns - Any months with shortfalls?
• Goal Progress - Are you on track?
• Debt Reduction - Is it happening fast enough?

Practical Examples

Example 1: Emergency Fund Planning

Suppose you want a £10,000 emergency fund. The Timeline shows:

• Current savings: £2,000
• Monthly contribution: £500
• Interest earned: £50
• Result: Fund complete in roughly 16 months

Example 2: Debt Payoff Strategy

Suppose you have £15,000 in credit card debt. The Timeline reveals:

• Minimum payments: Paid off in 8 years, £7,200 interest
• Extra £200/month: Paid off in 3 years, £2,400 interest
• Savings: £4,800 and 5 years

Example 3: Retirement Planning

Suppose you're 35 and want to retire at 60. The Timeline projects:

• Current retirement savings: £50,000
• Monthly contributions: £500
• Projected value at 60: £842,000
• Monthly retirement income: £3,500

Making the Most of Your Timeline

Regular Check-ins

Review your Timeline monthly to:

• Ensure you're on track
• Spot opportunities to optimise
• Adjust for life changes
• Measure progress

Scenario Planning

Use the Timeline to answer questions like:

• "What if I get a raise?"
• "Can I afford a new car?"
• "Should I pay off debt or save?"
• "When can I retire?"

Decision Making

Before any major financial decision, check the Timeline. It shows you the long-term impact of different options side by side, so you can compare a lump-sum overpayment against investing the same amount, or see what a career break actually costs over 10 years.

Tips for Accuracy

The Timeline is only as good as your data:

1. Keep Balances Updated - Monthly updates ensure accurate projections
2. Use Realistic Rates - Conservative estimates are better than optimistic ones
3. Include All Items - Missing accounts or expenses skew projections
4. Inflation is Automatic - Doughsense applies inflation to all projections

Planning for Change

When to Update Your Projections

Review and adjust your Timeline when:

• Quarterly: Regular check-in to ensure you're on track
• Tax law changes: New rates, deductions, or rules
• Life events: Job changes, marriage, children
• Economic shifts: Interest rate changes, inflation spikes
• Goal changes: New priorities or timelines

Building Resilient Projections

Make your projections more robust by:

• Using conservative assumptions - Better surprised than disappointed
• Testing multiple scenarios - Best case, worst case, most likely
• Planning for known unknowns - Buffer for tax changes, rate shifts
• Reviewing regularly - Quarterly updates keep you calibrated

The value is in having a framework for making informed decisions with today's information, then adapting as things change.

Common Questions

Q: How far into the future can I see? A: The Timeline projects up to your life expectancy age (default 95, configurable in Settings), giving you a complete lifetime view.

Q: What if my projection seems wrong? A: Check that all your accounts, income, and expenses are entered correctly with appropriate growth rates.

Q: Can I see different scenarios side by side? A: Currently, you can quickly switch between scenarios by adjusting values and noting the results.

Q: Do projections account for taxes? A: Doughsense works with after-tax amounts for simplicity. Enter your take-home income and net values. For pension withdrawals, you can set a tax-free percentage and link a withdrawal allowance to model when the tax-free portion runs out. For ISAs and pensions, contribution allowances cap contributions at the annual limit and redirect excess to your sweep account. For investment accounts, adjust the growth rate to include tax drag. See our Tax Allowances guide for details.

Q: How does Doughsense handle inflation? A: Automatically. When you set growth rates (using presets or custom values), use nominal rates. Doughsense calculates real returns and applies inflation to all projections. Plan targets can be set as "actual money" or "today's money" (inflation-adjusted).

What's Next?

Now that you understand your financial future:

1. Set meaningful goals to work toward
2. Track your progress with key metrics
3. Personalise your projections for better accuracy