Vanilla Blog

Sarah D. McDaniel, CFA

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May 01, 2026

May is prime wedding season. More couples marry this month than any other and this concentration of celebration creates a natural opening for financial advisors. Couples marking a major commitment are uniquely receptive to thinking about their shared future, including the financial one.  That future is more consequential than ever. The U.S. is in the early stages of the largest wealth transfer in history, with an estimated $124 trillion moving between generations through 2048. But before that wealth reaches the next generation, it will first move horizontally with approximately $54 trillion expected to pass to surviving spouses. How wealth is...

Vanilla

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Apr 30, 2026

Bellevue, WA – April 30, 2026 Vanilla, the modern estate planning platform built for financial advisors, has been named the winner of the Technology Start-Up category at the Thirteenth Family Wealth Report Awards 2026. Vanilla was also recognized as a finalist in the Innovative Use of AI category. The annual Family Wealth Report Awards celebrate innovation and excellence among the firms, teams, and individuals serving North America’s family office, family wealth, and trusted advisor communities. These prestigious awards shine a spotlight on those making a real impact in the industry. "Estate planning has never had a true technology category leader...

Jessica Lantz

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Apr 29, 2026

Great planning conversations don't happen by accident. April's updates are designed to reduce the friction between you and the moments that matter most. AI that elevates you Track every version of your V/AI estate summaries  The challenge: When a V/AI summary is edited, the previous version is overwritten, making it difficult to compare iterations, revisit an earlier draft, or validate changes. That uncertainty creates risk — without a record of how a summary has evolved, auditability and traceability become harder to defend. The solution: Every time a V/AI estate summary is edited, the previous version is automatically saved and accessible...

Vanilla

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Apr 28, 2026

Trust documents contain the instructions that dictate how wealth moves between generations, who controls assets, and when beneficiaries receive distributions, provisions that directly impact investment strategy, tax planning, and legacy outcomes. When advisors miss or misunderstand key trust terms, they risk recommending strategies that conflict with a client's actual estate structure. For advisors, trust document review isn't a legal exercise; it's a planning function that plays a key role in comprehensive wealth management. The advisor's role in reviewing trust documents A proper trust review identifies the provisions that matter for investment decisions, distribution planning, and wealth transfer strategy. Advisors need...

Sarah D. McDaniel, CFA

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Apr 03, 2026

Once a year, clients do something remarkable: they gather every meaningful financial document they own. W-2s, 1099s, brokerage statements, retirement account summaries, Social Security income, rental income, trust distributions, charitable contribution receipts are all collected in one place, often for the first time since last April. For a few weeks, your clients have a clearer picture of their complete financial life than at almost any other moment in the year. They know what they own, what it earned, who depends on them, and what they owe. That document gathering process is more than a tax compliance exercise. It’s a full...

Vanilla

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Mar 31, 2026

Bellevue, WA – March 31, 2026 – Vanilla, the leading platform in modern estate planning, has been selected as a finalist for the Thirteenth Annual Family Wealth Report Awards 2026 in the following categories: Technology Start-Up Innovative Use of AI The Family Wealth Report Awards recognize the firms and individuals driving meaningful change across the family office, family wealth, and trusted advisor communities in North America 2014 selected through an independent judging process that evaluates real impact, not just ambition. “Being recognized in both the Technology Start-Up and Innovative Use of AI categories reflects what we’ve been building toward since...

Jennifer Raess JD, CFP®, CLU®

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Mar 26, 2026

Most estate plans were written for a different world. A world where the federal exemption was heading back to $5 million, indexed for inflation, where the planning urgency was about beating a deadline, and where the core question was: how much can we shelter before the window closes? That world no longer exists. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) permanently extended the exemption, raising it to $15 million per individual in 2026, and indexed for inflation thereafter. This means no more sunset, no more deadline, no more countdown. For clients, that's genuinely good news. For their estate plans, it...

Jessica Lantz

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Mar 25, 2026

Starting this month, you'll notice something a little different about how we talk about what we're building. In 2026, we're anchoring our product enhancements around three commitments: Getting you faster to the moments that matter — less friction between where you are and the moment estate planning becomes meaningful for a client Arming you with confidence at every client conversation — giving you the conviction and coverage to go deeper with every client you serve Providing AI that elevates you — a partner that makes every advisor more prepared, more proactive, and more present with clients We'll connect each release...

Gene Farrell

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Mar 24, 2026

When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last July, I watched advisors exhale. The exemption sunset everyone had been bracing for didn’t happen. The $15 million per-individual exemption was locked in permanently. The deadline pressure was gone. That exhale worries me. Not because the law is bad — it isn’t. But because relief has a way of crowding out urgency. And right now, sitting inside millions of client files, is a problem that didn’t go away when the exemption did. It just got harder to see. The sunset created a habit. The OBBBA broke it. For years, the looming...

Vanilla

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Mar 10, 2026

The Wealth Engineering Family of Companies (WE) is pleased to announce the inclusion of the Vanilla patented estate planning platform as a core component ORLANDO, FL, UNITED STATES, March 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Wealth Engineering Family of Companies (WE) is pleased to announce the inclusion of the Vanilla patented estate planning platform as a core component of its Expert Sourcing Consortium; synchronized with our other expert sourcing firms and our elastic infrastructures – The FusionPowered Wealth Advisor and OpenOption Practice Engineering Dashboards. "The top-tier firms that we consult with build practices that go beyond investing, they advise on the...

Vanilla

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Mar 09, 2026

The partnership gives Vanilla customers access to the first personalized tax planning tool for advisors BELLEVUE, WA – March 9, 2026 Vanilla, the most trusted modern estate planning platform for financial advisors, today announced a partnership with Worthy, the AI-native tax intelligence platform built for financial advisors. Together, Vanilla and Worthy help advisors surface opportunities, deepen client conversations, and deliver more value across both estate and tax planning. Worthy will be available to Vanilla customers at special pricing. Tax and estate planning are deeply intertwined — the same life events that shape a client’s estate plan carry significant tax implications...

Sarah D. McDaniel, CFA

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Mar 02, 2026

As snowbirds enjoy their annual migration to warmer climates, most are focused on escaping icy roads and enjoying sunshine. But there's a critical financial consideration that many overlook: state estate taxes. With an estimated $124 trillion in assets transferring to younger generations over the next two decades, and states increasingly turning to wealth taxes to fund growing priorities, understanding the state tax implications of owning multiple properties has never been more important. The snowbird's dilemma: when a client’s winter paradise becomes a tax trap The appeal of owning a second home in Florida, Arizona, or another warm-weather destination is undeniable....