What’s New in November: Vanilla Document Builder™ and Platform Enhancements

This month, Vanilla introduces powerful updates designed to address the real-world challenges of estate planning. From expanded client options to time-saving innovations, these features reinforce Vanilla Document Builder™ as the premier solution for advisors and their clients.

Vanilla Document Builder™ updates

Advisor Access: Clearer collaboration with clients

Advisor Access allows clients to share questionnaire progress and drafts of their planning documents directly with their advisors. Advisors gain insights into client planning without clients giving up control of their data. This feature helps collaboration happen more smoothly and securely, while keeping advisors informed.

Guardians, stepchildren, and future children: Plan for possibilities

Vanilla Document Builder™ now enables advisors to help clients address nuanced family dynamics:

• Guardians: Clients can name a primary, backup, and secondary backup guardian to protect their children’s future.
• Stepchildren: Blended families can specify whether stepchildren should be treated as descendants, creating clarity and ensuring their wishes are reflected.
• Future children: Coming soon, clients planning ahead can nominate guardians and create trusts for future children, giving peace of mind as their families grow.

These updates focus on making every client’s estate plan prepared for today and tomorrow, no matter how unique their family structure.

Joint trusts in separate property states: Expanded availability

Married clients in 47 states and Washington D.C. can now choose between joint or individual trusts as part of Vanilla’s Basic Trust Package. This feature gives clients the flexibility to decide what works best for their unique situation.

Vanilla is adding states weekly and plans to offer joint trust options in all 50 states and DC by the end of 2024, continuing to remove barriers for advisors and their clients.

Additional platform updates

Custom Slides: Personalize client reports

• Custom Slides let advisors include branded, compliance-ready slides in client reports. Whether creating disclosures, educational materials, or tailored presentations, advisors can now add a personal touch to enhance client communication. This feature streamlines the reporting process, ensuring reports are both professional and engaging.

Copy Distribution Steps: Simplify estate planning workflows

• Advisors can now duplicate distributions from step 2 to step 3 within Vanilla Estate Builder. This eliminates repetitive data entry, saving time and reducing the likelihood of errors in complex estate plans. It’s a small change that makes a big difference in efficiency.

Commitment to innovation

November’s updates highlight Vanilla’s commitment to providing advisors with innovative, practical features that address the complexities of estate planning. From creating detailed, dynamic documents to streamlining everyday workflows, Vanilla is designed to help advisors deliver exceptional value to their clients at every step of the process.

Want to explore these features in action? Reach out to your Customer Success Manager or request a demo to see how Vanilla can enhance your practice.