Jessica Lantz

Feb 05, 2026

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2025 Year in Review: A Transformative Year in Estate Planning

2025 was a groundbreaking year at Vanilla. We fundamentally changed how advisors approach estate planning, from announcing our patented estate planning technology to reimagining scenario modeling from the ground up. There’s been a lot to celebrate.

We welcomed almost 400 new customers.

Over 22,000 new estates were modeled with Vanilla, and we delivered over 60 revolutionary new features to make estate planning easier than ever. 

Let’s walk through the major milestones that shaped 2025.

Auto-abstraction

In February, we launched auto-abstraction through Vanilla Document Builder. Advisors are saving hours per client by having Vanilla automatically generate professional estate diagrams when clients complete their estate documents. Manual, time-intensive abstraction becomes a thing of the past, letting you focus on what you do best—advising clients.

V/AI Estate Summaries

March brought V/AI Estate Summaries, transforming estate document review from a tedious manual process into mere minutes of AI-powered analysis. Unlike traditional document-by-document review, V/AI analyzes all uploaded documents together to provide a holistic view of a client’s estate plan. With customizable prompt options, transparent source citations, and the ability to verify any detail instantly, advisors can now extend comprehensive estate planning services to clients across all wealth levels—not just high-net-worth households.

Groups

Also in April, we launched Groups—a comprehensive access management system that gives you granular control over role permissions in Vanilla. Whether you need to manage multi-office access, keep a highly confidential client private, or model your own estate without colleagues seeing your personal information, Groups provide the security and flexibility modern advisory practices require.

U.S. patent granted for Vanilla’s proprietary technology

In July, Vanilla was granted a U.S. patent for our innovative event-based resource allocation system. This proprietary technology powers everything from automated reporting and Waterfall calculations to estate visualizations and AI-powered opportunity discovery. The patent recognition validates our pioneering approach to comprehensive estate planning technology and the unique architecture we’ve built to deliver it. We were the first to envision what comprehensive estate planning technology could be, and we hold the patent to prove it.

Vanilla Scenarios™ Advanced Planning

August brought one of our biggest releases: Vanilla Scenarios™ Advanced Planning. This completely reimagined scenario modeling tool fundamentally changes how advisors approach planning conversations. Start planning instantly—even with just a rough net worth estimate. No document uploads, no full profile setup, no waiting. Model, compare, and present complex estate strategies side-by-side with dynamic visualizations. What used to require hours of preparation now happens in minutes. Static presentations become collaborative planning sessions where you can adjust scenarios on the fly and demonstrate value in real-time.

Continuous AI improvements and nationwide coverage

Throughout the year, we delivered continuous updates all across the Vanilla platform. Numerous V/AI updates improved AI accuracy and expanded its capabilities. We continued to innovate by adding new scenario modeling options, and added full inheritance tax support for all states with inheritance tax laws, helping ensure you can serve multi-state clients comprehensively. To see our full catalogue of product updates, check out our feature updates section.

Looking ahead to 2026

These achievements in 2025 came directly from your needs and feedback. As the patent-holding, category-creating estate planning platform, we’re proud to help you grow your practice while delivering exceptional client experiences.

As we continue through 2026, we’re doubling down on AI innovation with agentic workflows that handle the heavy lifting, expanding integrations faster than ever, and extending our platform capabilities to serve you even better.

Thank you for making 2025 a transformative year in estate planning. We’re excited to continue innovating and supporting your success in 2026 and beyond.