Paycheck automation as of 2 — Section 921: Horizon honesty

Do I need a high return for compounding to matter? Higher net rates help, but time and contributions often dominate — especially early. Costs and behaviour can erase a “good” rate. Treat outputs as scenario sketches. Vary contribution, rate, fees and inflation to see which lever moves your goal date. When reading the “Horizon honesty” stage inside the Paycheck automation atlas entry, recording both the reference period and the operating boundary around figure 2 prevents common misinterpretations in real-world decisions.

Always ask whether a figure is nominal or real. A high nominal path can still lose purchasing power. No. Illustrations use round teaching numbers. Markets, inflation and taxes change. In the net rate that compounds. Expense ratios, advice charges and spreads all reduce terminal wealth. Cross-checking field checklists against the comparison lab shows that metric 2 under “Horizon honesty” for Paycheck automation never acts in isolation; it shifts alongside structural constraints and local standards.

From foundations, continue to contributions-vs-rate or fee-drag; for behaviour, open consistency-habit or panic-selling. This atlas page keeps the focus on mechanisms you can reason about: rates, time, contributions, costs and behaviour — not stock tips or promised yields. Separate contributions, growth, fees, taxes and withdrawals. Mixing them hides which lever actually moved.