The Vanilla Resource Center

Gene Farrell

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Sep 28, 2023

Vanilla Strengthens Its Leadership Team with Two Exceptional Hires Los Angeles, CA,  – Vanilla, the industry-leading Estate Advisory Platform, is thrilled to announce the latest additions to its leadership team. Nathan Hunt joins Vanilla as Head of Finance and Doug Rybacki is joining as Vanilla’s Chief Product Officer. "We are excited to welcome Nathan and Doug to the Vanilla family. Their impressive backgrounds and strong functional leadership will help accelerate our mission of building the complete estate planning platform.” - Gene Farrell, CEO Nathan Hunt We are excited to introduce Nathan Hunt as our Head of Finance. Nathan brings a...

Simona Ondrejkova

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Sep 26, 2023

Beyond helping clients reduce capital gains taxes or income taxes, advisors are uniquely positioned to help clients preserve more of their wealth through proper estate tax planning. Imagine that just a few months after the unfortunate death of one of your clients, their surviving spouse or children find out they have to pay a large unexpected estate tax bill. What if this tax bill could’ve been avoided?  Taking advantage of estate tax planning tools like gifting, trusts, and the marital deduction can help clients achieve their unique goals, maximize tax savings, and reduce survivors’ financial stress. Here, you’ll learn how...

Jim Sinai

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Sep 15, 2023

Introducing Vanilla’s first-ever State of Estate Planning report Advisors are at a crossroads. Technology is shaking things up, economic policies are evolving, and new generations of clients are knocking on the door. Finding ways to future-proof your business in the face of change and uncertainty can be daunting, so we decided to shine a light on clients' ever-changing needs and help advisors anticipate where the industry might be headed. This summer, we surveyed more than 1,000 Americans to capture the pulse of public opinion on a wide spectrum of estate planning issues.  Today, we are thrilled to share the result...

Simona Ondrejkova

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Sep 05, 2023

Do your clients struggle to structure their estate plan in a way that aligns with their wishes while providing for their heirs in cases of need? They might want to consider a pot trust. A pot trust is a type of trust that puts clients’ assets into a single pool for a certain group of beneficiaries. It gives the trustee the flexibility to distribute the assets as needed to benefit any given beneficiary. While some advisors highly recommend pot trusts because of their unique benefit of allowing for equitable, but not necessarily equal distribution, others view pot trusts differently. No...

Daniel Brockley

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Aug 24, 2023

We are a nation obsessed with our pets. In the US alone, we spend $123.6 billion on our furry (and scaly) friends every year. It feels like my household alone must account for a sizable chunk of that for our derpy golden retriever Alfie, between healthcare, food, grooming, toys, the occasional boarding, more toys. You get the idea. When it comes to our dog, we are stupid in love and spare no expense.  So, what happens if we’re no longer around to take care of our pets? Just as we make arrangements for our kids in the event something should...

Daniel Brockley

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Aug 22, 2023

Life is unpredictable. Even if you’re at the pinnacle of health, running marathons and doing one-handed pushups, you could find yourself injured in a car wreck tomorrow. That’s why an advanced directive is so important.  An advanced directive is a legal document that gives specific instructions regarding your healthcare wishes if you are incapacitated. There are any number of reasons you might not be able to communicate, including being under anesthesia, in a coma, or simply not well enough to speak coherently. In these instances, medical professionals will look to your advanced directive to guide them on how you want...

Simona Ondrejkova

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Aug 18, 2023

Knowing how to generate leads as a financial advisor is key to expanding your book of business and achieving sustainable growth. That’s why it’s important to have several financial advisor prospecting tools you can lean on anytime to bring potential clients into your pipeline. While lead generation for financial advisors has usually relied on traditional channels such as networking events, cold calls, or referrals, embracing innovative marketing strategies could help advisors tap into new pools of prospects faster. This article is a comprehensive guide on how to generate leads for financial advisors who want to establish themselves as trusted experts,...

Rachel Pettis

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Aug 17, 2023

Today, we are launching a refreshed Balance Sheet Builder to help advisors bring client financial information into Vanilla more quickly. The new ownership-driven balance sheet makes it easier to enter client accounts and data.  Instead of creating individual assets, entering a client’s information now begins at the account level through one centralized drop-down menu. New dynamic fly-outs for each account or asset type require minimal information to get set up which allows for a faster and more intuitive data entry process. Or if you’re using one of our integration partners, your client’s data will be reflected in the balance sheet...

Jessica Crosby

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Aug 15, 2023

In the next decade, 37% of financial advisors plan to retire. While this is an exciting milestone that many look forward to, it can also produce a fair amount of anxiety for advisors. Whether you’re a business owner or simply want to ensure your portfolio of business goes to good hands, it’s important to have a solid succession plan as you approach retirement. Your clients will be reassured to know that they’ll remain in good hands even after you’re gone, and it will give your employees and colleagues added confidence as well. As an added benefit, having a roadmap for...