Patent ID: 8370243

Claim:
A computer-assisted method for evaluating the risks and rewards, over a plurality of consecutive time intervals, of a mixed portfolio in relation to a comparatively low risk baseline portfolio, the method comprising: employing a computer including a processor and a graphical user interface to spatially arrange a user's inputs on a computer screen and visually display a user's inputs and at least one graphical output; modeling the baseline portfolio as being entirely allocated to low-risk assets; modeling the mixed portfolio as having assets that are subdivided between the low-risk assets and comparatively more volatile assets; modeling retirement budgets drawn from the mixed portfolio with computer-performed computations that constrain the size of each interval's retirement budget as a function of a remaining balance of the mixed portfolio; receiving at least one simulated portfolio performance outcome, generated by computer-performed computations that are a function of the modeled retirement budgets drawn from the mixed portfolio; receiving a baseline portfolio performance outcome that is a function of computer-performed computations of a baseline retirement budget drawn from the baseline portfolio, to compare with the simulated portfolio performance outcome; and publishing, on the graphical user interface, both the simulated portfolio performance outcome and the baseline portfolio performance outcome in proximity to each other to facilitate comparative visualization of the performance outcomes; wherein the method is performed through at least one of the following hardware arrangements: (a) the computer that visually displays the user's inputs and publishes the portfolio performance outcomes also performs at least some of said computer-performed computations; and (b) the computer that visually displays the user's inputs and portfolio performance outcomes is connected to a network and receives, via the network connection, the portfolio performance outcomes from other network-connected computers that perform at least some of said computer-performed computations.