Frequently Asked Questions:

• Is it difficult to download and setup Financial Fate?
• Is it difficult to launch and navigate Financial Fate?
• How does Financial Fate compare to the online retirement calcuators?
• How does Financial Fate compare to Quicken and Microsoft Money?
• Is Financial Fate compatible with MAC?
• Can I use Financial Fate if I live outside of the United States?
• Does Financial Fate allow you to download information from external sources?
• Can Financial Fate be useful to me if I’m already retired?
• How is Financial Fate better than the spreadsheet I created?
• Does Financial Fate work for Financial Planning professionals?
• Why can’t I print the Reports?
• Can Financial Fate be used for my small business?
• What does it mean if Financial Fate returns strange values such as “#Value” and/or “#N/A?”

Is it difficult to download and setup Financial Fate?

No.  You can download the Financial Fate software (the download file is about 11 MBs) from this website using the Download Instructions below.  Then setup the Financial Fate software by using your Setup Wizard or by following the detailed Setup Instructions below.  

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Download Instructions (if you use Internet Explorer)

1. To download, click the “NOW FREE” button on the Financial Fate homepage or “Click Here to Download” under the “Product Information” button.
2. In the “File Download – Security Warning” dialog box, click “Save”
3. In the “Save As” dialog box, click “Save”
4. In the “Download Complete” dialog box, click “Run”
5. In the “Internet Explorer – Security Warning” dialog box, click “Run”
6. If the “Open Executable File?” or “User Account Control” dialog box appears, click “OK” or “Allow” (if this dialog box does not appear, proceed to step #7).
7. This will bring you to the “Welcome to the Financial Fate Setup Wizard.”  To setup, either follow this online Wizard or see the Setup Instructions below for additional help.
8. If the “File Import” dialog box appears, click “No” (unless you’ve previously exported .fate files from Financial Fate and now want to import them).
9. This will bring you to the “Welcome” page.  See “Welcome” Page below.

Download Instructions (if you use Mozilla Firefox)

1. To download, click the “NOW FREE” button on the Financial Fate homepage or “Click Here to Download” under the “Product Information” button.
2. In the “Opening Financial Fate Setpu.exe” dialog box, click “Save File”
3. In the “Downloads” dialog box, click “open”
4. If the “Open Executable File?” or “User Account Control” dialog box appears, click “OK” or “Allow” (if this dialog box does not appear, proceed to step #5).
5. This will bring you to the “Welcome to the Financial Fate Setup Wizard.”  To setup, either follow this online Wizard or see the Setup Instructions below for additional help.
6. If the “File Import” dialog box appears, click “No” (unless you’ve previously exported .fate files from Financial Fate and now want to import them).
7. This will bring you to the “Welcome” page.  See “Welcome” Page below.
8. Open the minimized tab at the bottom of your screen that says, “Downloads.”  Click “Clean Up” and then exit using the red X in the top right corner

Setup Instructions

1. To setup (i.e., install) Financial Fate, click “Next” at the “Welcome to Financial Fate Setup Wizard” screen. 
2. Then click “I accept the agreement” and then click “Next” for the Financial Fate license agreement screen.
3. Then click “Next” to accept the second license agreement which is the Java Runtime Environment 5.0 agreement.   
4. On the next screen, ensure the destination location folder is correct (or just use the default location) and click “Next.” 
5. On the “Select Start Menu Folder” screen, click “Next” to allow an icon on your start menu. 
6. On the “Select Additional Tasks” screen, click “Next” to allow an icon on your desktop. 
7. Now, click “Install” on the “Ready to Install” dialog box. 
8. It takes about 1 minute to install the 50 MB folder and then click “Finish” at the “Completing the Financial Fate Setup Wizard” dialog box. 
9. If the “File Import” dialog box appears, click “No” (unless you’ve previously exported .fate files from Financial Fate and now want to import them).
10. This will bring you to the “Welcome” page.  See “Welcome” Page below

“Welcome” Page

The Welcome Page provides you with two basic features. First, it lists things that you may need to create your financial plan(s) if you click the “What You’ll Need” button. It also enables you to manage up to five financial plans under “Financial Plans.” If you are creating a new plan, click “New” under “Financial Plans” and then…start planning!

Is it difficult to launch and navigate Financial Fate?

No.  After downloading and setting up Financial Fate, you can launch the software by clicking the desktop icon (a.k.a. the shortcut) or by using the start menu icon to launch.  This will take you to the Financial Fate Welcome Page. The Welcome Page provides you with two basic features. First, it lists things that you may need to create your financial plan(s) if you click the “What You’ll Need” button. It also enables you to manage up to five financial plans under “Financial Plans.” If you are creating a new plan, click “New” under “Financial Plans” and then…start planning!

When navigating the questionnaire, you’ll start with the “Personal Information” category. You will notice that each category has tabs associated with it across the top and each may require input information. Fill out the questionnaire as thoroughly as possible for all that’s relevant to your personal scenario. Proceed through the questionnaire either by using the “Next” button or by pointing and clicking on any category or tab. You can also see and/or change the underlying assumptions on most pages by clicking the “Assumptions” button. Many questions have tool-tips (the little yellow circles with question marks) which help explain or clarify the questions. On the top toolbar, you’ll see “Reminders” which provides helpful tips about your planning process. Also, don’t forget to utilize “Review Reports” to see your plan results in a robust detailed format. Note: The dashboard, or “Your Financial Fate,” provides constant feedback of your ending net worth and is displayed in the bottom left corner of the questionnaire. Remember that this dashboard is not specifically relevant to you until after you have completely filled out the questionnaire with your personal data.

How does Financial Fate compare to Quicken and Microsoft Money?

• Products such as Quicken & Money are great for monthly budgeting. Financial Fate, however, is a much more robust and sophisticated tool that is highly effective at multi-year forecasting and financial planning for all time horizons – near, medium, and long-term. Financial Fate generates an extensive array of Reports including the line-item-detail of year-by-year cash-flow projections, tax plans, investment plans, balance sheets, etc. As an example, the Tax Reports show over 100 line items including the details within adjusted gross income, itemized deductions, marginal rates, state taxes, etc.

Is Financial Fate compatible with MAC?

• We do not have a MAC-compatible version at this time.

Can I use Financial Fate if I live outside of the United States?

• Since Financial Fate has many elements of the U.S. tax code, social security benefits, etc. built into the software, it would not be applicable for persons who are not citizens of the U.S. However, we do have many customers who live outside the U.S. that are still U.S. citizens and subject to the U.S. tax system for whom Financial Fate is still very viable.

Does Financial Fate allow you to download information from external sources?

• Financial Fate does not have an import function from external sources at this time.  Note: Financial Fate’s Questionnaire and Assumptions are mostly annual figures so the input requirements are not as arduous as most monthly budgeting tools.

Can Financial Fate be useful to me if I’m already retired?

• Yes. It will accommodate those receiving pension, Social Security, and Medicare benefits, account for required minimum distributions of IRAs and 401(k)s, etc. The software is great at projecting expenses (at various levels of inflation) including your residence(s), healthcare, and long-term-care.

How is Financial Fate better than the spreadsheet I created?

• Financial Fate strives to project all cash-flow streams, investment returns, taxes, financing, etc. in order to depict the most realistic picture of the future (until the end-of-life of the surviving spouse). In order to make Financial Fate easy-to-use, we put a lot of time and effort into developing a user interface that's simple to navigate and customized to the individual. The projections are driven by highly flexible "what if?" capabilities and a powerful rules-based forecasting engine. Our line-item-detail Reports and “To-Do List" are also key features.

Does Financial Fate work for Financial Planning professionals?

• Currently, Financial Fate is designed for the individual/family seeking a do-it-yourself financial planning tool. Two issues Financial Planners might have with Financial Fate are 1) the limit on the number of files that can be saved (five) and 2) the lack of a print command for the Reports.

Why can’t I print the Reports?

• The Reports are the most robust and extensive on the market, but we have not yet developed a user-friendly concise format in which to print this tremendous amount of detail. However, all Reports can be viewed on-screen by scrolling or utilizing the very user-friendly spin-wheel. Note: Financial Fate is confident enough in its Reports to actually disclose and highlight the year-by-year details that drive its results and recommendations.  Other products or tools that generate forecasts but fail to divulge these core backup details should lead users to speculate about the validity of their results.

Can Financial Fate be used for my small business?

• Since Financial Fate has been designed for individuals and families, it does not support detailed business projections.  However, its projections do include the bottom-line cash flows and investments in Sole Proprietorships as well as Schedule E businesses such as S-Corps, Partnerships, and Rental Real Estate.  

What does it mean if Financial Fate returns strange values such as “#Value” and/or “#N/A?”

• These will appear in the results if the user accidentally inputs a letter or a blank space in a field where a number should be (e.g., O the letter instead of 0 the number).