One year ago, in October 2024, we launched our Goal Forecaster at inbestMe, a tool designed to help our users better plan their goals. This tool helps you focus on what you can actually control: the goal you want to reach, the target date, your current investment, and any potential monthly recurring contributions.
One year later, we now have a rich and real sample of how users define their goals and how they are progressing.
To see how to activate it and how it works, click here.
Classic vs. original goals
Many goals are common: Retirement, Emergency fund, second home, etc.
But some users get very creative with names. Let’s highlight a few:
- “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” — A true statement of intent.
- “Future big plan” — A trip, a car, or a golden retirement coming?
- “Happiness Project” — Better than a movie title.
- “My golden retirement” — Classic but aspirational.
- “God-level Holidays” — Shooting high.
- “Plan B” — Because you always need one.
- “Just-in-case Fund” — Pure pragmatism.
- “Independence 2030” — Clear objective, strong name.
- “Big Plan 2026!” — We’d join this one.
How many have activated it?
First, let’s see how many accounts have activated the simulator.
We must admit that it’s still a small number: 17%.
It’s true that the tool has only been available for a year, starting from zero, but we believe it is very useful for putting your finances on autopilot — and we encourage clients to make use of it.
What do the data tell us?
Aggregated data show that:
- €237 million is the total sum of all defined goals
- €154 million is the expected outcome
- The average probability of reaching the goal is 38%
Considering we recommend being at 65%, the first reading is that, on average, clients are not quite on track.
Most profiles sit near that 38%. Accounts with profile 0 (savings portfolio) are clearly below average — likely meaning they should review goals, risk profile and/or expectations.
This doesn’t have to be bad news. The simulator is, as its name states, a simulation tool, and ambitious goals are perfectly fine. Still, reviewing parameters once a year helps align desires and probabilities so the tool becomes truly useful.
Being realistic doesn’t mean giving up dreams: recurring contributions
The simulator’s purpose isn’t to limit your ambitions, but to help you understand what you need to reach them.
Sometimes it’s enough to:
- Create a monthly recurring contribution
- Slightly increase your monthly contribution
When filtering accounts with simulations that also have active recurring contributions, the picture improves significantly:
These accounts reach an average 48% probability of achieving their goal. It’s not the recommended 65%, but close to 50%.
In other words, most could surpass 50% and move closer to 65% by increasing contributions year after year.
Being realistic doesn’t mean giving up dreams: avoid disproportionate goals
Again, the simulator is not about limiting dreams, but about helping you understand what it takes to reach them.
However, setting unrealistic or disproportionate goals can make the tool far less useful.
We define a disproportionate goal as one that exceeds by more than 25% the capital realistically achievable given the expected return of each profile.
Avoiding such goals is key.
For accounts with non-disproportionate goals (about 50% of simulations), the average success probability rises to 75%.
More than 50% of these users have recurring contributions, and combining both conditions pushes the percentage up to 76%.
It may seem obvious, but it’s worth repeating: good financial habits make the difference.
Disproportionate goals may indicate excessive optimism, the need to take more risk, save more monthly, or simply extend the timeframe.
It may also mean the simulator is not being used properly — and parameters should be reviewed.
Activate the goals simulator and set recurring contributions with realistic targets
We encourage you to use the goals simulator and put your finances on autopilot.
To do so:
- Activate the Goal Forecaster. Log in to your account and click “Set goal”.
- Adjust the variables, give it a name, set an amount and a timeframe, and discover whether you’re on track or what you need to improve. If you don’t reach 50%, check whether your goal is disproportionate for your risk profile.
- Set recurring contributions to help you reach the goal over time. Increasing them with inflation — or slightly more — will help.
- Review goals and contributions at least once a year to surpass 50% and move toward 65%. If you don’t manage immediately, improving little by little may be enough.
Remember:
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
