Verify the Foundations Your Plans Rest Upon
Your financial strategies depend on assumptions about the future. Are those assumptions still valid, or have circumstances quietly shifted beneath them?
Back to HomeWhat Assumption Testing Reveals
A methodical examination that identifies which premises supporting your financial strategies remain sound and which need recalibration.
Confidence Through Verification
When you know which assumptions have been tested and verified, you can move forward with genuine confidence rather than hoping your plans will work. The relief of certainty replaces the anxiety of uncertainty.
Early Warning System
Identifying fragile assumptions before they become problems gives you time to adjust. Instead of discovering issues when they manifest as crises, you can recalibrate proactively while options remain abundant.
Realistic Planning Parameters
Optimistic assumptions create plans that look good on paper but fail in reality. By testing your premises against actual data and conditions, you gain planning parameters you can trust when making real decisions.
Freedom to Adjust
Understanding which assumptions drive your outcomes empowers you to make informed adjustments. You'll know which variables matter most and where small changes can have significant impact on your results.
The Hidden Risk in Unexamined Assumptions
You've built a financial plan with care, yet a subtle unease persists. Perhaps it's the awareness that your strategies depend on variables you can't fully control.
Plans Built on Outdated Premises
The assumptions underlying your strategies may have been reasonable when you established them, but circumstances evolve. Markets shift, tax laws change, personal situations transform. Yet the assumptions often remain frozen in time, creating a growing disconnect between plan and reality.
The Optimism Trap
Financial projections frequently incorporate assumptions that lean optimistic—not from dishonesty, but from natural human tendency. You might be assuming investment returns, income growth, or expense control that, while possible, may not be probable. The gap between possible and probable can be significant.
Invisible Dependencies
Some assumptions support multiple aspects of your plan simultaneously. If one of these foundational premises proves incorrect, the effects cascade through your entire strategy. Yet without systematic examination, these critical dependencies remain invisible.
The Absence of Testing
You've likely reviewed your overall plan periodically, but have you ever tested the individual assumptions supporting it? Without this deeper examination, you're trusting premises you've never verified—a form of financial faith that may or may not be justified.
Our Systematic Testing Methodology
We don't merely review your assumptions—we subject them to rigorous testing against actual data, sensitivity analysis, and alternative scenarios.
Complete Inventory
We identify every assumption embedded in your financial strategies—from expected returns and inflation rates to retirement timing and health care costs.
Sensitivity Analysis
We examine how changes in each assumption affect your outcomes. You'll understand which premises are critical and which have minimal impact.
Alternative Scenarios
We model your plan under different assumption sets, revealing how it performs in various conditions and where vulnerabilities exist.
The Difference This Testing Makes
Many financial reviews look at whether your overall plan seems reasonable. We go deeper, examining the individual building blocks supporting that plan. This granular analysis reveals specific assumptions that need adjustment rather than vague concerns about general approach.
The result is actionable insight. You'll know exactly which assumptions to recalibrate and what impact those adjustments will have on your outcomes.
The Analysis Journey
Our testing process unfolds through focused sessions that build understanding progressively.
Strategy Documentation Session
We begin by understanding your current financial strategies in detail. You'll explain your approach, share the reasoning behind key decisions, and describe the outcomes you're planning toward. This establishes the framework we'll examine.
Assumption Extraction
Between sessions, we extract every assumption underlying your strategies. Some will be explicit—things you've consciously decided. Others will be implicit—premises embedded in calculations or inherited from conventional planning approaches.
Data Verification Session
We review the assumption inventory together, verifying we've captured everything accurately. You'll see which premises support your plan and have the opportunity to clarify any we've misunderstood. This ensures our testing focuses on your actual assumptions.
Rigorous Testing Phase
We conduct sensitivity analysis on each assumption, examining how variations affect your outcomes. We also model alternative assumption sets to reveal how your plan performs under different conditions. This work happens between our second and third sessions.
Results Review Session
In our final session, we walk through the testing results together. You'll see which assumptions proved robust, which showed sensitivity requiring attention, and what alternative premises might serve you better. We discuss implications and potential adjustments.
Recalibration Framework
You receive comprehensive documentation showing all tested assumptions, sensitivity results, and recommended recalibrations. This framework enables you to adjust your strategies with confidence, knowing exactly which changes matter most.
Investment and Deliverables
This analysis provides verification that continues serving you as circumstances evolve.
Analysis Components
- Strategy documentation session (90 minutes)
- Complete assumption inventory
- Data verification session (60 minutes)
- Comprehensive sensitivity testing
- Alternative scenario modeling
Ongoing Value
- Results review session (90 minutes)
- Detailed recalibration framework
- Priority ranking of adjustments
- Email support for questions (30 days)
- Testing methodology you can reapply
Why This Investment Makes Sense
Discovering that a critical assumption needs adjustment now—while you have time to respond—is far less costly than discovering it later when options have narrowed. This analysis functions as quality assurance for your financial strategies.
The frameworks and methodologies you gain enable you to test assumptions independently going forward, extending the value well beyond our direct engagement.
Measuring Analytical Success
The value of this analysis manifests through increased confidence and more resilient planning.
Confidence Indicators
You'll know the analysis is working when you can explain which assumptions support your plan and why you believe they're reasonable. Instead of vague confidence, you'll have specific reasons for trusting your strategies.
Another sign: you'll feel comfortable having your assumptions questioned. When premises have been tested, scrutiny becomes welcomed rather than threatening.
Typical Timeline
The complete analysis typically spans four to five weeks. This includes time between sessions for thorough testing and scenario modeling. We've found that this pacing allows for more rigorous analysis than compressed timeframes permit.
What Adjustments Look Like
Some people discover their assumptions are fundamentally sound but discover one or two that need recalibration. Others identify several premises requiring adjustment. The pattern varies by individual circumstances.
What's consistent is the relief that comes from knowing. Even when adjustments prove necessary, clarity about what needs changing feels better than vague anxiety about unverified premises.
Realistic Expectations
This analysis won't eliminate uncertainty about the future—that's impossible. Markets will fluctuate, circumstances will change, and new variables will emerge. What it provides is tested premises you can trust and a methodology for evaluating new assumptions as they arise.
How We Support Your Confidence
Engaging this analysis represents trust in our methodology. We honor that through clear commitments.
Satisfaction Assurance
If after reviewing the assumption inventory you feel the analysis isn't addressing your actual concerns, we'll refund the remaining engagement cost. We're confident in our thoroughness but recognize our approach may not suit everyone.
No-Obligation Discussion
Before committing to the analysis, we offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation. This allows you to understand our testing methodology, ask specific questions, and determine whether this examination makes sense for your situation.
Complete Transparency
You'll see exactly how we test each assumption and understand the methodology behind our sensitivity analysis. We explain our reasoning in accessible language and show you the data supporting our observations.
Respectful Analysis
We approach your existing assumptions with respect for the reasoning that led to them. Even when testing reveals adjustments would serve you better, we acknowledge the logic of your current approach before suggesting alternatives.
Starting the Analysis Process
Beginning this examination is straightforward. Here's the path forward.
Initial Contact
Share some information about your financial strategies and what prompted your interest in assumption testing. We typically respond within one business day to schedule a conversation.
Methodology Discussion
We'll schedule a 30-minute consultation to discuss how assumption testing works, what you can expect to learn, and whether this analysis addresses your specific concerns. This conversation is complimentary and no-obligation.
Consider Your Decision
After our consultation, you'll understand exactly what the analysis involves and what deliverables you'll receive. Take whatever time you need to decide whether this investment makes sense for your situation.
Launch the Analysis
If you choose to proceed, we'll schedule your first session and provide brief preparation guidance. The complete analysis typically unfolds over four to five weeks, with sessions spaced to allow for thorough testing.
Common questions before starting: Most people want to understand what information they'll need to provide, how disruptive the analysis will be to their current strategies, and what happens if testing reveals significant issues. The consultation call exists to address these concerns thoroughly.
Ready to Test Your Assumptions?
If you've been wondering whether the assumptions supporting your financial strategies remain valid, systematic testing can provide clarity. The process begins with a simple conversation.
Begin Assumption TestingComplimentary 30-minute consultation · No pressure · Clear methodology
Other Analytical Approaches
Each service applies rigorous analysis to different aspects of financial clarity.
First Principles Financial Review
Strip away accumulated assumptions to examine the fundamental truths underlying your financial situation. Appropriate when complexity has obscured basic realities and you need to rebuild understanding from the ground up.
Logical Sequence Planning
Create clear action sequences based on logical dependencies and prerequisite relationships. Transform overwhelming to-do lists into coordinated execution frameworks that respect natural ordering.