Jessica Lantz

Dec 03, 2025

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What’s New in December: Enhanced navigation, estate diagram upgrades, and powerful integration updates

This month brings transformative changes to how you interact with Vanilla. We’ve reimagined core navigation experiences, unified our estate visualization tools, and rebuilt our integration infrastructure from the ground up. Each enhancement addresses friction points in your daily workflows while unlocking new possibilities for managing complex client portfolios.

Edit Balance Sheet data in one unified workspace

The challenge: Cleaning up imported Balance Sheet data requires navigating between multiple accounts, creating a fragmented workflow that consumes hours and makes it difficult to maintain context across portfolios.

The solution:

A single, table-like workspace where you can review, validate, and correct all imported Balance Sheet data without losing your place. Bulk editing capabilities let you update account types, ownership, categories, and other critical fields across multiple accounts simultaneously, while a visual validation system highlights missing or incomplete data required for accurate Waterfall calculations.

• Unified editing interface eliminates fragmented navigation and repeated context-switching
• Bulk editing tools allow simultaneous updates across multiple accounts
• Visual indicators clearly show what data needs attention for complete Waterfall calculations
• Seamlessly add missing accounts directly within the same interface, whether working with integrated or manually-entered data
• Real-time backend syncing maintains your editing context throughout the workflow

Transform hours of post-import cleanup into a focused, streamlined process. Accelerate the path from data import to client-ready deliverables, freeing up capacity for the strategic planning conversations and advisory work that strengthens client relationships and grows your practice. Available now.

V/AI for Estate Builder updates: Auto-populate estate data with instant validation

The challenge: Verifying V/AI extracted estate data while abstracting estates requires manually referencing source documents—a time-consuming process that slows down abstraction work and creates friction in your workflow.

The solution:

• V/AI auto-fills Estate Builder forms directly with extracted document data such as client information, fiduciaries, provision notes, distributions, and funding details
• Jump to the original document’s source text by selecting the sparkling icon next to any field, making validating AI extracted information a breeze 
• Remove unwanted auto-filled data with the “Clear Page” button, or rerun the extraction anytime to update information from revised documents.

Verify estate data faster than ever in Vanilla, allowing you to move confidently and focus on the strategic planning conversations that drive your practice forward. Available now.

Streamlined navigation: Access what matters, faster

The challenge: Advisors navigate between numerous features throughout their day, but inconsistent menu structures and buried functionality slow down workflows and create unnecessary clicks between critical tools.

The solution:

• Redesigned global menu organizes primary features at the top with additional resources grouped intuitively below
• Enhanced search functionality filters results by Estate, Charities, Entities, People, and Trusts, with quick access to recent searches
• Client-level navigation stays locked at the top as you work, and an improved Quick Actions button keeps essential features accessible at all times.
• Updated footer provides direct access to information like application status and featured updates

Navigate Vanilla with confidence, spending less time hunting for features and more time delivering value to clients. Coming soon.

Estate Diagram evolution: Customizable visualizations that adapt to your needs

The challenge: Advisors need flexible estate visualizations that can highlight different aspects of a client’s plan depending on the conversation (whether it’s on tax efficiency, funding strategies, or fiduciary responsibilities), but rigid diagram formats force compromises in presentation clarity.

The solution:

• The Estate Diagram will merge with Plan Snapshot and include customizable views of funding amounts, transfer tax calculations, inside/outside the taxable estate distribution display options, fiduciaries, and highlights—all adjustable based on what you need to see.
• Click on any icon in the diagram to access improved slide-outs with enhanced asset tables, provision lists, and in-line document viewing. Customize your view by dragging icons with precision, updating display names, and adding highlights with direct access to your notes library. 
• These customizations will automatically flow into your PDF reports, giving you complete control over how you present estate information to clients.

Transform static estate diagrams into adaptable, dynamic planning tools that evolve alongside your planning conversations. These updates help you reduce meeting prep time while improving presentation quality, showing clients exactly what they need to understand. Coming soon.

Upgraded Addepar integration: Increased reliability and performance  

The challenge: Manual data entry consumes hours per client, creating bottlenecks that prevent advisors from scaling estate planning services. Complex portfolio structures don’t translate cleanly without extensive manual adjustment.

The solution:

We are upgrading our integration platform to increase performance, reduce errors, and deliver enterprise-grade infrastructure for all current and future integrations. Our enhanced Addepar integration brings fractional ownership options, customizable attribute mapping, and new capabilities that deliver unprecedented flexibility in the data you sync with Vanilla.

• Flexible attribute mapping enables firms to use their own custom Addepar fields
• Filtering options prevent clutter from insignificant accounts
• Automated daily syncs maintain data accuracy without ongoing manual maintenance
• Simplified setup offers clear choices about ownership hierarchies, attribute mapping, and filtering criteria

Onboard clients with complex portfolios in minutes rather than hours, while maintaining the flexibility to make manual adjustments when your situation demands it. Coming soon.

V/AI Custom Prompt Library: Professional prompts for faster, targeted analysis

The challenge: Advisors need high-quality, targeted document analysis but often lack the time to craft effective custom prompts for every use case. Repeatedly writing prompts slows down workflows and creates inconsistency across teams.

The solution:

As part of our upgrade to the Custom Prompt Library, V/AI now offers professional Vanilla-authored prompts ready to use out of the box. Select your prompt before generating summaries—whether you need a general estate document analysis, trust amendment progression review, automated initial document check, income tax planning powers analysis, or investment and lending powers summary. Set your most-used prompt as the default with a single click.

• Professional prompts designed by Vanilla deliver targeted analysis without requiring custom prompt creation
• Save favorite prompts as defaults to accelerate repeat workflows and maintain consistency across your team

Spend less time crafting prompts and more time analyzing results, while ensuring your entire team produces consistent, high-quality document insights that drive planning conversations forward. Available now.

Vanilla Document Builder: Back-end upgrades for an improved experience

This month, we’re rolling out a new version of Vanilla Document Builder with behind-the-scenes enhancements for an even smoother document creation process. 

• Because these enhancements are behind-the-scenes, you and your clients will not see a difference in the experience.
• For clients returning to update their already created documents, they will use the new upgraded version, but should see no changes to their experience.
• Clients with in-progress questionnaires will have until December 31st to finish their questionnaires. After that date, any incomplete questionnaires will be migrated to the new version and reset. Basic family information will be saved, but other questions will need to be answered again.

Ready to explore these updates?

This month’s releases reflect our commitment to removing friction from your daily workflows while giving you greater control over how you work. Whether it’s navigating the platform more efficiently, customizing estate visualizations for specific conversations, or eliminating manual data entry with robust integrations, these enhancements help you focus on what matters: delivering exceptional estate planning experiences to your clients.

Connect with your CSM or schedule a demo to see these updates in action and discover how they can transform your practice.

Note that all unpublished features and enhancements mentioned are subject to change in both content and timeline without notice. Vanilla reserves the right to modify or cancel roadmap items at any time.