Data, ratings and technology provider Defaqto has launched an income drawdown tool for its Financial Planning software Defaqto Engage.

The income drawdown workflow allows users to assess the impact that drawing a regular income has on a client's accumulated wealth.

The income drawdown workflow factors in the probability of volatile markets and also considers the potential impact of sequencing risk.

According to Defaqto, it is the first Financial Planning software tool to do this. Advisers can use Engage to calculate the sustainability of that income using different asset allocations.

They can also look at the potential impact of sequencing risk, both on its effect on the longevity of the income stream and the residual value left at the end of the term.

The new workflow is end-to-end and can also identify a selection of suitable investment funds.

The income drawdown workflow is free to existing Defaqto Engage users. 

Pan Andreas, head of insight and consulting (funds and DFM) at Defaqto, said: “Our income drawdown workflow has been a long time in the making. This workflow provides a step-change in the right direction for advisers with clients in the decumulation phase. This year, in particular, has been challenging.

"But sequence risk always plays a role and advisers need tools that work seamlessly within their advice processes. Defaqto Engage works intuitively with the adviser. It is flexible, but also provides workflows that streamline the adviser decision-making process.

"The majority of investment workflows were originally designed to cater for the accumulation phase. As such, they mostly ignore the effect of sequencing risk when clients move to decumulation. They do little to highlight the appetite and capacity to bear income fluctuations when planning clients’ income in retirement.

"With our income drawdown workflow, advisers no longer have to create a fragmented report from several tools. Using an actuarial model, provided by Hymans Robertson, we've created an invaluable workflow that produces provider agnostic research specifically developed for decumulation."