How do I find the cause of a negative wallet or cash-flow deficit?
Where to find it: TIME MACHINE results → click the year
Find the first year showing the problem in TIME MACHINE and open its detailed report. Read its warnings, then compare incomes and withdrawals with spending, taxes, deposits and debt payments. Starting with the first failure is more useful than examining only the final negative balance.
Check whether funds exist but are unavailable: locked-in accounts, unmatured investments, contribution/withdrawal restrictions, minimum balances and priority limits can all matter. For couples, review both wallets, ownership and permissions on joint accounts.
Also check automatic deposits. They request savings before the remaining cash flow is resolved, so a plan can show deposits and a deficit in the same year. A high net worth does not necessarily supply spendable cash if much of it is property or restricted savings.
After a spouse’s death, inspect inherited ownership and the survivor’s priorities. Correct the relevant input or compare a different plan, then rerun.