Sophisticated planning
made simple

In minutes. The biggest breakthrough of Vanilla Scenarios is that you don’t need to wait for documents or a full client profile — you can use the “Quick Add” top-down approach to start modeling with high-level net worth inputs, or use the Balance Sheet approach for bottom-up detail when you’re ready.

Vanilla’s calculations are designed to reflect as closely as possible what would actually appear on a filed transfer tax return, not simplified estimates. Vanilla’s proprietary, patented waterfall engine estimates federal estate tax, state resident and non-resident estate tax across all 12 states and D.C.,  resident and non-resident inheritance tax across all 5 states that impose it, and GST tax calculations for both direct skips and taxable terminations.. Vanilla also models DSUE (portability) at the federal level and for the two states that have it — Hawaii and Maryland. Tax calculations can be modeled with either client or co-client dying first to see whether death order impacts tax outcomes and, with projections enabled, can be used to model future asset growth and estimated future transfer tax liabilities. Calculations have been validated across thousands of real-world estates. To maintain accuracy, Vanilla’s estate tax monitor crawls for proposed tax law changes every weekday, ensuring the calculation engine reflects the latest federal and state transfer tax legislation.

Yes. You can analyze strategies side-by-side or stack them for layered planning. Interactive charts and waterfall projections update in real time, so you can show clients exactly how different combinations of strategies impact their wealth transfer goals, estate tax liability, and beneficiary outcomes.

Clients see clear, visual outputs — high-level summaries plus detailed waterfall analyses that show the impact on individual beneficiaries. Advisors can toggle between views to keep conversations either at a strategic level or dive into the details, depending on the audience. Important note: clients do not have direct access to Vanilla Scenarios in the client portal. Vanilla Scenarios is an advisor tool — clients see the output when the advisor walks them through it on a shared screen during a meeting, or when the advisor sends the final modeled output as part of the Vanilla PDF report.

No. That’s a deliberate design choice. Vanilla Scenarios supports both quick illustrations for a first prospect meeting and high-fidelity models that factor in the specifics of a client’s assets and existing plan, so the same product grows with the relationship.

Once a client’s estate is built out in Vanilla — through V/AI summaries, Abstraction Services, or Vanilla Document Builder — Vanilla Scenarios uses that data automatically. You can also flow scenario outputs into branded client deliverables and use them as the foundation for future check-ins.

Yes. Vanilla models state estate tax for all 12 states and D.C. and inheritance tax across all 5 states that impose it — including Maryland, which is the only state with both. Calculations account for both resident and non-resident exposure, so if a client lives in a no-tax state but owns real estate in a state with estate tax, that liability is captured. Vanilla also handles state-level DSUE (portability) for Hawaii and Maryland, the only two states that offer it. State-specific nuances — like Hawaii’s credit for taxes paid to other states and Maryland’s offset of estate tax by Maryland inheritance tax due — are all factored in automatically.