From 9 September 2026, GoalsMapper uses a more accurate method to calculate investment and insurance figures.

The main change is timing.

GoalsMapper can now use the month when a contribution or premium starts, instead of assuming that every payment starts in January.

We also updated how GoalsMapper handles:

• current investment values,
• investment and insurance expenses,
• invested capital,
• dividends,
• withdrawals, and
• investment returns (IRR).

Because the calculation method has changed, you may see different figures when you open an existing plan.

The information in your plan has not changed. The way GoalsMapper uses that information has changed.

What changed?

There are four main changes:

1. Month of payment

You can now enter the month when an investment contribution or insurance premium starts.

GoalsMapper uses this month to calculate the number of payments in the first year.

2. Current investment value

GoalsMapper now treats the current investment value as the value today.

For investment projections, we then project this value to the end of the year.

3. Current-year expenses

GoalsMapper now includes only the investment contributions and insurance premiums that are still due for the current year.

4. IRR

GoalsMapper now calculates IRR using the investment position as of today.

The calculation uses:

• the actual timing of contributions,
• dividends received,
• past withdrawals, and
• the current investment value.

The sections below explain each change.

1. Enter the month when a payment starts

Investment contributions and insurance premiums now have a Month of First Payment field.

You can find this field under Extra Options in the payment form.

The field applies to:

• monthly payments,
• quarterly payments,
• half-yearly payments,
• annual payments, and
• one-time payments.

Example: monthly contribution starting in April

A client contributes $1,000 per month from April.

Previously, GoalsMapper could assume that the contribution started in January:

12 × $1,000 = $12,000

GoalsMapper now counts only the payments from April to December:

9 × $1,000 = $9,000

This gives a more accurate first-year contribution.

Example: quarterly contribution

A client pays $3,000 quarterly from May.

The payments occur in:

• May,
• August, and
• November.

GoalsMapper therefore counts 3 payments, not 4.

The quarterly schedule starts from the month that you enter. It does not automatically start from January.

What if I do not enter a month?

If you do not enter a month, GoalsMapper uses January.

For the most accurate result, enter the actual month when the contribution or premium starts.

2. Contributions now appear in the year when they are made

We also changed how invested capital appears in the investment projection.

Invested capital is the total amount that the client has paid into the investment.

Previously, contributions made during the current age could appear only in the following age.

For example, a client contributes:

$1,000 per month × 12 months = $12,000

Previously, GoalsMapper could show:

GoalsMapper now shows the contribution in the year when it occurs:

This also makes the projection easier to compare with standard financial calculators.

3. What happens if a contribution starts part-way through the year?

If a contribution starts after January, the first year contains only the payments that occur after the start month.

For example, a client contributes $1,000 per month from July.

The first year contains:

• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

That is:

6 payments × $1,000 = $6,000

GoalsMapper does not include January-to-June payments because the contribution had not started yet.

This can affect:

• invested capital,
• investment expenses,
• sales charges,
• projected investment value, and
• investment return.

4. What happens at the end if the first year is partial?

A contribution that starts part-way through the year can also end part-way through the final year.

For example, if a fixed contribution term starts in July, the first calendar year contains only six months of contributions.

The remaining six months of the intended contribution term can occur in the final period:

January to June

If the investment ends in June, GoalsMapper stops the investment at that point.

GoalsMapper does not add:

• another July-to-December contribution period, or
• investment growth after the investment has ended.

This keeps the intended contribution term without adding extra payments.

5. How are dividends handled?

Dividends are investment income.

They are not client contributions, so GoalsMapper shows dividends separately from invested capital.

Dividend timing now follows the same principle as contribution timing.

Example: dividend starting in July

A client receives a fixed dividend of $200 per month from July.

GoalsMapper includes:

July to December = 6 dividend payments

Total dividend for the first year:

6 × $200 = $1,200

GoalsMapper does not include January-to-June dividends if the dividend only starts in July.

If the investment ends part-way through the final year, dividends also stop at the investment end.

6. Current investment value now means the value today

Before this update, GoalsMapper could treat the current investment value as though it was the value at 31 December.

From 9 September, the current investment value means the value today.

For example:

You enter:

Current investment value: $29,800

GoalsMapper treats $29,800 as the value in the current month.

You do not need to estimate what the investment will be worth at the end of the year.

Enter the value shown on the client's current investment statement.

7. How does GoalsMapper project the current value?

The investment charts and tables show the investment value at the end of the projected period.

For the current year, GoalsMapper therefore starts with the current value and projects it to the end of the year.

The projection can include:

• growth for the remaining months,
• contributions that are still to come,
• dividends that are still to come, and
• applicable charges.

In simple terms:

Current value today
→ add the remaining investment activity
→ apply the remaining projection
→ projected value at year end

This is why the value shown in the Investment Chart or Table can be different from the current value that you entered.

The two figures refer to different dates:

• Current value = value today
• Projected value = estimated value at the end of the projected period

8. Why did my current-year expenses change?

Investment contributions and insurance premiums can also appear as expenses in the client's cashflow.

GoalsMapper now includes only payments that are still due for the current year.

Example

Assume the current month is September.

A client contributes $1,000 per month.

The September-to-December payments are still to come:

4 × $1,000 = $4,000

GoalsMapper therefore shows $4,000 as the remaining current-year expense.

It does not include payments from earlier months again.

The same rule applies to insurance premiums.

For example:

$200 monthly premium × September to December = $800

Why did we make this change?

When you enter the client's current savings or asset values, payments that the client has already made during the year are normally already reflected in those values.

If GoalsMapper deducts those past payments again as expenses, the same payment can be counted twice.

The updated calculation helps to avoid this.

Important

This works best when the savings and asset values entered in the plan represent the client's current position.

If you use a savings value from the start of the year, review the cashflow carefully because payments made earlier in the year may not yet be reflected in that value.

9. How is IRR calculated?

IRR answers a different question from the investment projection.

The investment projection asks:

What can this investment be worth at the end of the projected period?

IRR asks:

What has this investment returned up to today?

GoalsMapper therefore calculates IRR using the investment position as of the current month.

For IRR:

• the current investment value remains the value today,
• invested capital is counted only up to today,
• dividends received up to today are included,
• recorded past withdrawals are included, and
• the timing of the cash flows is used.

GoalsMapper does not use future contributions or future dividends when it calculates the current IRR.

10. Why can invested capital be different in the Investment Table and IRR?

The Investment Table and IRR use different dates.

For example, assume a client contributes $1,000 per month and the current month is September.

The Investment Table can project the full year's invested capital:

January to December = $12,000

The IRR calculation uses only payments that have occurred up to the calculation date.

If the September payment has not yet been made, the IRR uses:

January to August = $8,000

The remaining contributions are still future payments.

This prevents GoalsMapper from comparing today's investment value with contributions that have not happened yet.

11. Are dividends included in IRR?

Yes.

A dividend is money that the investment returns to the client, so it is part of the client's investment return.

GoalsMapper includes fixed dividends that have already been paid.

The calculation also uses the month when the dividend is paid.

For example:

• a dividend paid in June is treated as a June cash flow,
• it is not treated as though it was paid at the end of the year.

Future dividends are not included in the current IRR.

What about variable dividends?

GoalsMapper cannot include a variable dividend reliably if the calculation requires historical investment values that are not available in the plan.

For this reason, variable dividends may not be included in the IRR calculation.

12. Are past withdrawals included in IRR?

Yes.

A withdrawal is money that has already come back to the client.

It is therefore part of the investment return.

For an accurate IRR, record past withdrawals in the investment.

For example, if a client previously withdrew $6,000, GoalsMapper includes that $6,000 when it calculates the return.

If the withdrawal is not recorded, the IRR can appear lower because GoalsMapper does not know that the client already received the money.

Important

A past withdrawal is used in the IRR calculation.

It does not change the investment projection.

13. Why is IRR not shown for some investments?

GoalsMapper shows IRR only after the investment has been held for at least 12 months.

For a newer investment, there may not be enough history to show a meaningful annualised return.

14. Where can I see changes after the update?

The updated calculation can affect several parts of GoalsMapper.

GoalsMapper Chart

The investment value shown at the current or future age can change.

Investment Chart

You may see changes to:

• invested capital,
• projected investment value, and
• dividends.

Investment Table

You may see changes to:

• current-year payments,
• accumulated invested capital,
• projected investment value, and
• dividends.

Cashflow Chart and Table

Investment contributions and insurance premiums now use the updated payment schedule.

Only the payments still due in the current year are included as current-year expenses.

Net Worth Chart and Table

The investment value is part of the client's assets.

A change to the investment projection can therefore also change the investment value shown in Net Worth.

15. Why did an existing plan change?

The data in your existing plans has not changed.

The calculation has changed.

You are more likely to see a difference if an investment or insurance policy:

• starts after January,
• has monthly or quarterly payments,
• has payments in the current year,
• has a current investment value,
• pays dividends,
• has past withdrawals, or
• has current-year investment or insurance expenses.

For example:

• a payment that starts in April now shows 9 first-year payments instead of 12,
• a current investment value now represents today's value,
• current-year expenses include only payments still to come, and
• IRR uses the actual timing of payments and recorded withdrawals.

A different result does not mean that GoalsMapper changed the information in the client's plan.

16. What should I do?

For the most accurate results, review these items when you create or update a plan.

1. Set the payment month

Enter the Month of First Payment for each investment contribution and insurance premium.

2. Enter today's current value

Use the current investment value shown on the client's statement.

Do not adjust the value to 31 December.

GoalsMapper projects it for you.

3. Record past withdrawals

Add withdrawals that the client has already received.

These withdrawals are used when GoalsMapper calculates IRR.

4. Review existing plans when needed

You do not need to update every existing plan.

However, if a client asks why a figure has changed, check:

• the payment start month,
• the current investment value,
• dividends, and
• past withdrawals.

Quick summary

From 9 September, GoalsMapper uses the timing of investment and insurance payments more accurately.

Payments

Contributions and premiums now start from the month that you enter.

Current value

The current investment value means the value today. GoalsMapper projects it to the end of the projected period.

Expenses

Only payments that are still due for the current year are included.

IRR

IRR is calculated as of today using:

• contributions up to today,
• fixed dividends received,
• recorded past withdrawals,
• the timing of these cash flows, and
• the current investment value.

These changes give a clearer and more consistent view of investment payments, values, expenses and returns.