Plainview

A planning tool built for South Africans

Plainview covers your full financial independence journey — from TFSA projections and tax optimisation through to retirement income. Your data lives in your account and is available on any device, any browser.

The tool is designed around one principle: honest numbers over flattering ones. Projections default to conservative assumptions, worst-case scenarios are shown prominently, and you are always told when a number is an estimate.

Your account

Plainview requires a subscription account at R99/month. This gives you access to all six planning tools from any device.

Signing up

1. Create your account Visit plain-view.co.za and click Get started. Enter your email address and choose a password. You will receive a verification email — click the link to activate your account.
2. Subscribe After verifying your email, you will be prompted to subscribe via PayFast. Plainview costs R99/month, billed monthly. You may cancel at any time.
3. Log in Once subscribed, log in at plain-view.co.za. Your account syncs your data across all devices automatically.

Logging in on a new device

Open plain-view.co.za and sign in. All your saved data restores automatically — no re-entry required.

Forgotten password

Click Forgot password on the login screen. Enter your email and you will receive a reset link. The link expires after 24 hours.

Cancelling your subscription

Go to Account settings and click Cancel subscription. Access continues until the end of the current billing period. Your data is retained for 90 days after cancellation in case you return, then permanently deleted.

First-run setup

When you log in for the first time, a short setup screen appears. It takes about 30 seconds and routes you to the most relevant tab.

The three setup questions

1. Where are you on your journey? Choose from Building wealth, Getting close (within 5–10 years of retirement), or In retirement. This determines which tab you land on after setup.
2. How old are you? A broad age range — pre-populates your age field. You can change the exact value in each tab at any time.
3. What is your main focus? TFSA, FI number, tax reduction, or retirement income. All six tabs remain available regardless of your answer.

Example data

After setup, you can opt in to load an example profile — a fictional 38-year-old with a mix of accounts. All example values are clearly labelled and can be cleared at any time from the top of the calculator.

How your data saves

Your calculator state is saved to your Plainview account. It is available on any device you log in to and restores automatically each session.

Save behaviour

• Data saves automatically when you switch between tabs.
• You can save manually at any time using the Save button. The last-saved timestamp is shown alongside it.
• Each tab saves its state independently. Two fields — age and expected annual return — are shared across tabs.

Multi-device access

Log in on any device — desktop, tablet, or phone. Your last saved state is restored automatically. No sync step is required.

Data retention

Your data is retained for as long as your subscription is active, plus 90 days after cancellation. Download a PDF from the Summary tab if you want a permanent offline record.

TFSA Calculator

Projects the growth of your Tax-Free Savings Account based on your real TFSA data and a portfolio you build from actual South African ETFs.

Step 1 — Enter your TFSA details

1. Current account balance What your TFSA is worth today. Check your platform (EasyEquities, Satrix, etc.) for the current value.
2. Total historical contributions The total amount you have put in since opening your TFSA — not including growth. This counts towards your R500,000 lifetime limit. If your account is worth R95,000 but you deposited R80,000, enter R80,000.
3. Total withdrawals to date If you have ever taken money out of your TFSA, enter the total here. Leave blank or enter 0 if you have not.
4. Contribution plan Enter either a monthly or annual contribution amount. The calculator converts automatically.
5. Age and target age Your current age and the age at which you want to see the projection end.

Step 2 — Choose a contribution pattern

• Monthly — end-of-year compounding. The default and the more conservative assumption.
• Lump sum, early (March–May) — start-of-year compounding, accurate for early tax-year deposits.
• Lump sum, late (Dec–Feb) — end-of-year compounding.

Step 3 — Build your ETF portfolio

Search and select from real South African ETFs. For each, assign a percentage allocation. Allocations must total exactly 100% before the portfolio return can be used. Split Equally divides 100% evenly across selected ETFs.

Step 4 — Apply the portfolio return

Once your portfolio totals 100%, an Apply to Projection button appears with a pulsing purple glow. Click it to copy the calculated return into your projection settings.

How returns are adjusted

Before applying a portfolio return, the calculator subtracts the fund's annual fee (TER) and blends the historical return toward the long-run SA equity average (~10%) for projections extending beyond the fund's data history. This prevents short-term outperformance being extrapolated across decades.

Step 5 — Add planned withdrawals (optional)

Enter the year and amount for any planned TFSA withdrawal. The calculator models the impact on your balance and remaining lifetime contribution room.

Step 6 — Calculate

Click Calculate Projection. Results show your projected final balance, total contributions, total tax-free growth, and a year-by-year table.

Tax & RA

Shows the tax impact of retirement annuity (RA) and pension contributions on your take-home pay and tax liability.

What to enter

• Gross income — total annual income before tax or deductions.
• Other income — rental, freelance, or other taxable income not in gross salary.
• RA contribution — annual contribution to a retirement annuity.
• Pension contribution — annual employee contribution to a workplace pension or provident fund.
• Medical aid members — number of dependants including yourself.
• Age — affects age-based tax rebates.

Understanding the results

The calculator shows tax payable with and without retirement contributions, the rand saving (the effective SARS subsidy on your RA), and an optimisation slider to see how tax changes as contributions change.

FI Tracker

Your full financial independence picture across all accounts — TFSA, RA, pension, brokerage, preservation fund, and cash savings.

How gears work

Each account type is a "gear" with fields for current value, annual contribution, and target value.

Gear	Notes
TFSA	Pulls from your TFSA tab calculation, or enter manually.
RA	Subject to the two-thirds annuity rule at retirement.
Pension / Provident Fund	Includes employer contribution field. End-of-year compounding (payroll contributions).
Preservation Fund	Growth-only — no ongoing contributions. Same retirement rules as RA/pension.
Brokerage	Taxable account — CGT applies on withdrawals.
Cash / Emergency Fund	Target is calculated to keep interest within the SARS annual exemption — earning tax-free interest.
Custom goals	Add your own goals (property, business, offshore). Each can have its own return rate.

FI number and multiplier

• 33× (default) — 3% withdrawal rate. Conservative and appropriate for SA conditions including higher inflation.
• 25× — the classic 4% rule. Less conservative for longer retirements.

Both are shown side by side. The 33× figure is highlighted as the default recommendation.

Today's money toggle

Toggle Show in today's money to see all projections in current purchasing power, adjusted for inflation. Useful for understanding what a large future balance actually means in today's terms.

Adding a custom goal

Click Add custom goal. Enter a name, target amount, and optionally a per-goal return rate. Custom goals show a "custom" badge and can be deleted at any time.

Annual Review

A once-a-year check-in, best done each March after the tax year closes. Record your actual account balances and compare them to what was projected.

When to use it

Open this tab in March each year with your final statements. Enter the closing balances for each FI Tracker gear for the year just ended.

What you get

• Net return — contribution-adjusted, so you see actual investment performance, not the mechanical effect of deposits.
• Actual vs projected — whether your portfolio grew faster or slower than the projection.
• Multi-year view — each year is a collapsible card showing year, contributions, growth, and net return at a glance.

Drawdown

Models your retirement income from two sources: a liquid portfolio (TFSA and brokerage) and your retirement fund converted to an annuity.

Shared assumptions

At the top of the tab, you set parameters that apply to both sections. These represent your retirement context, not your current situation:

• Retirement age — when you stop contributing and start drawing. SA allows RA access from age 55.
• Post-retirement investment return — portfolio growth rate in retirement. Should be lower than your accumulation-phase return. 7%–8% is a conservative starting point.
• Inflation rate — used to increase withdrawals each year to preserve spending power. SA's long-run average is around 5%–6%.
• Drawdown projection horizon — how many years to model income after retirement. If you retire at 60 and want to plan to age 90, enter 30.
• Annual fees and costs — TER, platform and adviser fees combined. Deducted from your return before projecting.
• Brokerage CGT cost base — the percentage of each brokerage withdrawal that is a capital gain. Default 30% is conservative. TFSA withdrawals are always tax-free and unaffected by this setting.

Section 1 — Flexible drawdown (liquid portfolio)

Portfolio values are projected to your retirement age using your FI Tracker balances. Set your annual withdrawal amount and withdrawal rate — the two fields are linked. Toggle Inflation-adjust withdrawals to increase the rand withdrawal each year with inflation.

TFSA withdrawals are tax-free. Brokerage withdrawals are subject to CGT on the gain component, estimated using your cost base setting.

Section 2 — Annuity income estimator

Your RA, pension, and preservation fund are governed by SARS retirement rules. At least two-thirds must be annuitised at retirement. You may take up to one-third as a cash lump sum.

Lump sum

The first R550,000 of lifetime retirement lump sums is tax-free. Amounts above that are taxed at 18%–36%. This threshold is lifetime — any prior retirement fund withdrawals (resignation, retrenchment) count against it.

Annuity type

Choose between a living annuity and a life annuity. This choice is permanent and irreversible at retirement.

• Living annuity — capital stays invested. Drawdown is regulated by the FSCA between 2.5% and 17.5% per year. The fund can run out. Remainder passes to beneficiaries.
• Life annuity — capital is handed to an insurer permanently for a guaranteed income for life. The insurer retains the remainder on death.

Summary

A read-only overview of your full picture, pulled from all five other tabs. Use it to sense-check your inputs before downloading a report.

What it shows

• TFSA projected balance and remaining lifetime contribution room
• FI Tracker totals — combined portfolio value against your FI number
• Tax & RA snapshot — current tax liability and RA benefit in rand
• Drawdown snapshot — estimated monthly income and worst-case duration
• A verification check that flags incomplete or inconsistent inputs

Downloading your PDF report

Click Download PDF Report. The report is generated in your browser and downloaded immediately — it is never stored on our servers. The filename is generated automatically:

The PDF includes all input values, your ETF portfolio, the TFSA projection table, and drawdown estimates. It is a portable snapshot you can save, print, or share with a financial adviser.

Entering numbers

All currency fields accept standard South African number format.

Currency symbols, letters, and special characters are stripped automatically. You can paste values directly from a bank statement or spreadsheet.

Validation limits

Field	Limit	Reason
TFSA current value	Warning at R10m, max R100m	TFSAs began March 2015. R10m+ is implausible given contribution limits.
Historical contributions	Max R500,000	Lifetime TFSA contribution limit.
Annual contribution	Warning at R46,000	SARS levies a 40% penalty on contributions above R46,000 per tax year.

Key South African rules

The calculator applies these rules automatically.

TFSA

• Annual contribution limit: R46,000 per tax year (2025/2026)
• Lifetime contribution limit: R500,000
• Penalty for excess: 40% tax on the amount over the annual limit
• Withdrawals do not restore contribution room
• All growth and withdrawals are tax-free

Retirement funds (RA / Pension / Preservation)

• RA deduction: up to 27.5% of the greater of taxable income or remuneration, capped at R430,000/year
• At retirement: up to one-third as a lump sum; the rest must be annuitised
• Retirement lump sum: first R550,000 tax-free (lifetime, across all retirement fund withdrawals)
• Living annuity drawdown: 2.5%–17.5% of fund value per year (FSCA regulated)

Tax years

South African tax years run 1 March to 28/29 February. Contribution limits reset on 1 March. The calculator automatically switches to the correct tax year on 1 March each year.

Disclaimer & legal notices

Not financial advice

Plainview is provided for planning and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, investment, or legal advice. Projections are estimates based solely on the inputs you provide and the assumptions described in this guide. No guarantee is made as to accuracy, completeness, or suitability for your personal circumstances.

Past ETF performance does not guarantee future results. Consult a qualified financial adviser (FSP licensed under the FAIS Act, 37 of 2002) and a registered tax practitioner before making material decisions about retirement, annuities, or investment contributions.

Nature of the service

Plainview is operated by an independent private party. The operator is not a registered financial adviser, financial institution, or investment company and holds no licence under the FAIS Act, 37 of 2002. This service is provided for educational and informational purposes only.

Privacy (POPIA)

Plainview processes personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA). Calculator data is encrypted at rest and in transit and is never sold or shared with third parties. See the Privacy Policy for full details.

Intellectual property

All financial logic, calculation methodology, projection algorithms, user interface design, and code are the exclusive intellectual property of the developer and protected under applicable South African copyright law.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the developer accepts no liability for financial decisions made in reliance on projections produced by this tool. Use of this tool constitutes acceptance of these terms.

Full terms at plain-view.co.za/terms-of-service.