No. The Monte Carlo analysis works whether your client's spending is entered as Expenses, Goals, or a combination of both.
From a cash flow perspective, both Expenses and Goals represent money leaving the plan. The Monte Carlo simulation evaluates whether the client's available assets and income are sufficient to fund those outflows over time.
What's the difference between an Expense and a Goal?
The primary difference is how the software reports on them.
A Goal is treated as an objective that Voyant can measure. This allows reports and insights to quantify how successfully the client is expected to achieve that goal.
An Expense is simply modelled as spending within the plan and is not tracked as a measurable planning objective.
The choice between using an Expense or a Goal depends on how you want to present and analyse your client's plan rather than how the Monte Carlo simulation is calculated.
Should I enter the same spending as both an Expense and a Goal?
No. If the same spending is entered as both an Expense and a Goal, it will be counted twice in the cash flow, resulting in duplicated spending and potentially inaccurate planning results.
If you decide a particular expense should instead be tracked as a Goal, remove the original Expense entry to avoid duplication.