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Financial Planning Programs
| Company | Product Name/Cost | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Advisory World 800/480-3888 | Power Optimizer $395/year, plus $86 for monthly updates or $201 for quarterly updates | Features advanced computer models to analyze performance, risk/return and style characteristics of portfolios • Capable of optimizing portfolio mixes, running “what if” scenarios • Finds alternative assets and securities |
| Ramcap $395/year, plus $52 for monthly updates or $115 for quarterly updates | Offers analysis of existing or proposed portfolios • Reviews forecasted or historical performance • Includes planning for all major life events • Features NASD-compliant graphics, tables and reports | |
| Blaze SSI 732/223-5575 | Distribution Planner $500, plus $250/year | Educates clients about income and tax implications of retirement planning options • Includes reports on IRS minimum distributions, federal taxes, value payouts and alternative retirement benefit forms |
| Brentmark Software 800/879-6665 | Charitable Financial Planner $349, plus $99/year | Handles split-interest charitable transfers • Addresses charitable remainder trusts, lead unitrusts, annuity trusts, farm/residence remainders, pooled income funds and gift annuities |
| Estate Planning QuickView $249, plus $99/year | Presents up to eight disposition plans for each spouse to reveal which strategy provides the most for a family • Includes customizable flow charts and graphs | |
| Estate Planning Tools $395, plus $99/year | Features comprehensive estate planning tools and financial planning models, with 99 different calculations | |
| Investment Scenario Generator $299 | Calculates optimum balance between fixed-rate investments for income and investments in stocks for growth • Provides a personalized approach to retirement | |
| IRS Factors Calculator $149 | Figures the values of annuities, life estates and remainders • Can be used in most estate valuation issues | |
| Minimum Distributions Calculator $79 | Calculates retirement distributions • Handles both the old and new required minimum distribution rules | |
| Pension & Roth IRA Analyzer $449, plus $129/year | Evaluates various strategies of taking distributions from IRAs and qualified plans • Handles pre-59½ distributions, Roth IRA conversions, valuation of stretchout and more | |
| Pension Distributions Calculator $149 | Handles old and new required minimum distribution rules, as well as pre-59½ distributions | |
| PFP Notebook $695, plus $199/year | Completes a personal financial plan • Uses a modular approach to risk management, investments, retirement planning, estate planning, education funding and income tax | |
| Roth IRA Conversion Analyzer $249 | Focuses on Roth IRA conversions • Handles any type of required minimum distribution, including 1998 or later | |
| Roth IRA Conversion Calculator $49 | Functions simply and on one screen • Makes several reasonable assumptions, including automatic spousal rollovers and normal life expectancy | |
| Savings Bond Toolkit $249 | Helps manage savings bonds • Simplifies retitling of bond by automatically filing in and printing government forms | |
| Cheshire Software 617/527-4000, 800/734-6734 | Financial Planning Suite $1,799 first year, $600 subsequent years | Provides comprehensive financial planning analysis • Includes all seven of the modules described below |
| Asset Allocation Planner $339 first year, $120 subsequent years | Offers a risk tolerance questionnaire for clients • Calculates historical rates of return for current and proposed portfolios • Sorts assets by class, taxation or specific holdings | |
| Distribution Planner $299 first year, $90 subsequent years | Compares taxation options for lump-sum distributions, including rollovers, ordinary income and others • Illustrates account balances and payout year by year | |
| Education Planner $199 first year, $60 subsequent years | Includes a database of tuition costs for more than 300 colleges and universities • Allows up to six children per plan • Adjusts for inflation rates | |
| Estate & Trust Planner $499 first year, $150 subsequent years | Illustrates common estate planning trusts • Calculates estate and income tax on IRAs • Breaks assets into 13 categories • Allows annual gifting from any asset class | |
| Life & Disability Insurance Planner $499 first year, | Analyzes survivor income needs • Incorporates Social Security, pension and retirement accounts • Illustrates the term life insurance needed year by year | |
| Net Worth & Cash Flow Planner $199 first year, | Acts as first step in determining client's financial condition • Recalculates net worth based on securities prices • Determines if client has positive or negative cash flow | |
| Retirement Planner $499 first year, $150 subsequent years, plus $150/year for Monte Carlo | Introduces new Monte Carlo probability analysis • Takes into account current/projected investments, pensions, Social Security, other inflows and expenses • Separates rates of return by asset class • Sets liquidation order for assets | |
| Concise Financial Planning Software 503/644-0777 | Financial Playbook 1.21 $169 | Functions as basic financial planning software • Incorporates modules addressing assets, income, college expenses, cost of delay and account analyzer • Produces color graphs and tables • Saves favorite scenarios and allows customization for each client |
| Financeware 877/883-7526 | AASim $495 first year, $250/year for updates | Designed to provide a more realistic picture of the future • Models mortality and investment risk simultaneously using Monte Carlo probability tests • Simulates a rate of return based on average and standard deviation |
| Financial Planning Consultants 513/424-1656, 800/666-1656 | ProPlan $795, plus $95/month; | Offers simplified input and comprehensive input options depending on client's need • Produces detailed output, printing four- to 10-year projections • Includes income tax planning, cash flow planning, estate distribution and other features • Guides user with help messages |
| Financial Profiles 760/431-9400, 800/237-6335 | Profiles + $1,295, plus $700/year | Offers complete client needs analysis system in 14 modules for key planning areas • Features fully integrated asset allocation module that models portfolios to match risk parameters and time horizon • Brings together 150 concepts in key presentation pages |
| First Financial Software 407/857-8580, 800/719-8761 | FPlan Professional Advisor + $395, plus $10/month | Features preretirement and postretirement modules • Addresses budgets, net worth, asset allocation, life insurance, disability insurance, estate liquidity, long-term care needs, required distributions and other topics • Limits data entry by integrating answers from one seven-page questionnaire |
| FPlan Quick-Pro $95, plus $20/year | Performs basic, quick analysis • Includes eight integrated modules on budgets, net worth, life insurance, education funding and others • Features client-oriented reports | |
| Frontier Analytics 858/552-1268 | Allocation Master $495, plus $99/quarter | Optimizes and forecasts portfolio performance • Profiles risk/return estimates, cash flows and risk tolerance • Uses modern portfolio theory to address holding limits, characteristics and calculations • Features an implementation module to manage the practical aspects of asset allocation |
| Fact Master $395, plus $99/quarter | Analyzes historical performance, investment styles and investment suitability • Offers hypothetical model portfolios with a 20-year database that includes indexes and mutual funds • Projects asset values and portfolio return ranges | |
| Ibbotson 800/758-3557 | EnCorr Allocator $1,500, plus $1,050/year | Develops a targeted asset allocation by using individual managers and benchmarks • Determines the mix of mutual funds or managers that closely replicates a given benchmark |
| EnCorr Analyzer $2,000, plus $1,400/year | Analyzes historical data for capital markets • Uses a central database that can be updated on demand via the Web • Designed for use with EnCorr Allocator and Attribution | |
| EnCorr Attribution $7,000, plus $4,900/year | Reviews and analyzes various manager styles • Determines which managers have the best performance relative to a given benchmark | |
| Ibbotson Fund Strategist $600, plus $420/year | Simplifies fund selection for asset allocation by using returns-based analysis • Covers more than 5,000 U.S. mutual funds • Determines investment style and consistency over time • Reviews managers' value through stock selection or market timing • Provides one-page profiles for each fund | |
| Ibbotson Portfolio Strategist $1,100, plus $700/year | Evaluates clients' goals, risk tolerance, current assets, and spending and saving habits • Imports client information from a variety of contact management programs • Capable of both taxable and tax-deferred portfolios • Can customize client reports with Microsoft Word or PowerPoint | |
| Investment Technologies 212/724-7535 | The Expert Allocator $4,000 | Measures risk in both normal and skewed return distributions • Opts between standard deviation or downside risk for a particular investment goal • Analyzes two frontiers simultaneously, such as risk measures, goals, tax status, asset mix constraints and diversification |
| The Expert Performance Analyst $2,000 | Analyzes history of indexes, managers and mutual funds • Measures risk in both normal and skewed return distributions • Screens and ranks portfolios and indexes by a variety of measures • Offers a selection of 30 statistics | |
| Kettley Publishing 800/777-3162 | Back Room Technician $299, plus $110/year | Provides planning concepts for estate, retirement and business portfolios • Pick and choose from the database to create client proposals • Can be personalized to provide 28 financial calculators and custom presentations |
| Business Quick-Plan $199 | Analyzes business needs by performing business and employee evaluations • Can provide growth projections and compare alternatives to funding a buyout • Models buy-sell or key employee protection plans | |
| Charitable Quick-Plan $199 | Provides side-by-side comparison of keeping, selling or gifting an asset • Shows income tax deductions and cash flow for each approach • Compares various trusts and annuities • Shows how to reduce estate costs | |
| Estate Cost Estimator $299 | Analyzes estates by comparing trusts and gifting strategies side by side • Compares the impact of the order of spouse deaths • Prepares a detailed balance sheet listing assets and projected growth • Calculates settlement costs | |
| Estate Quick-Plan $199 | Analyzes estate expenses to forecast settlement costs • Includes specialized reports for business owners and alternatives for family-owned businesses • Assists with probate avoidance and credit shelter trusts | |
| Leimberg & LeClair 610/924-0515 | NumberCruncher $395, plus $99/year | Assists in estate planning analysis by providing more than 100 calculations • Covers valuation, planning techniques, taxes, trusts and future value • Can insert calculations and explanatory text into Microsoft Word or WordPerfect documents for presentations |
| Quick View $249, plus $49/year | Assists in estate planning by offering flowcharts and graphs • Determines maximum reduction of taxes and highest amount of capital for death • Enables comparisons of multiple scenarios and situations on one screen | |
| LifeGoals Corp. 503/885-0220, 888/326-0006 | LGX Financial Planning Software $1,195, plus $529/year | Simulates various scenarios and portfolios • Produces reports and comprehensive plans • Offers client fact-finding forms • Includes database of stocks, mutual funds and subaccounts, as well as Peterson's database of college costs • Features a self-check feature to avoid errors |
| Lumen Systems 800/233-3461 | Financial Planning Professional for Windows $1,995 single user, plus $650/year; | Covers net worth, income and expenditures, business valuation, insurance, retirement, lump-sum distribution, estate and tax planning • Automatically transfers data from client questionnaire to appropriate areas • Offers custom reports that account for client goals and concerns • Highlights funding needs for optimal returns on investments |
| MasterPlan Financial Software 707/451-8985, 800/229-5080 | MasterPlan $1,495 single user, plus $500/year; | Provides financial analysis of taxes, cash flow, business valuations, real estate and refinancing, budgeting, education, insurance and retirement • Includes asset allocation and tracking, as well as database management and mailing features • Capable of modular reports or complete plans • Compares hypothetical and current situations |
| Mobius Group 919/549-0444 | M-Plan $1,195 single user, plus $500/year; | Functions as an integrated financial planning system for retirement, estate planning and capital needs analysis • Produces more than 100 reports • Combines historical returns and standard deviations with in-depth modeling • Features four levels of detail for simple to complex plans |
| Money Tree Software 877/421-9815 | Easy Money for Windows $750, plus $250/year | Performs a range of analyzes, including net worth, estate taxes and education funding • Transfers information from a client questionnaire to reports automatically • Features improved data entry • Offers a new unified database enabling global updating, sorting and searching |
| Golden Years $750, plus $250/year | Performs “what if” scenarios • Makes up to five changes for one comparison • Can be applied to inflation, earned income and pension plan amounts • Can be used with or without IRS tax brackets • Offers “audit trail” feature to trace calculations and sources through detailed reports | |
| Retirement Solutions $400, plus $100/year | Calculates and displays effects of time and taxes on retirement accounts • Addresses lump-sum distributions, RMD/72(t) income options, retirement capital projections, qualified plans, cost of waiting, retirement plan exchange, tax planning, break-even comparisons and more | |
| Silver Financial Planner $350, plus $75/year | Projects annual living expenses adjusted for inflation • Estimates Social Security and pension benefits • Determines surplus or shortage of income during retirement | |
| Net Worth Strategies 541/383-3899 | StockOpter $695/year | Designed to evaluate employee stock option exercise and sell strategies via Excel-based program • Models ISOs, NQSOs and RSPs • Automatically integrates current tax code • Calculates maximum return without triggering AMT • Can audit results with intermediate calculations |
| MRD-Determinator $295/year | Calculates minimum required distributions for IRAs or qualified retirement programs via Excel-based program • Supports results with relevant tax regulations • Reports exact date and amount for first distribution, as well as distribution schedule for future years | |
| OSI Software 800/432-6947 | TrustWise 4.0 $189.95 | Capable of multiple scenarios for estate planning • Toggle between specifics of scenarios for comparison • Creates personalized flowcharts and graphs • Includes additional liquidation, irrevocable life insurance trust, charitable remainder trust and gifting modules |
| Sawhney Systems 609/987-5000, 888/729-4639 | ExecPlan $1,995 single user, plus $695/year; | Builds comprehensive plans with an emphasis on flexibility • Produces more than 125 types of reports • Capable of unlimited hypothetical scenarios • Includes automatic cash management, as well as analysis of capital needs, education funding, retirement planning and estate planning |
| Scherrer Resources 215/542-5710 | Broker's Ally Financial Planner $495 | Designed for commission- or fee-based practices • Includes core modules for education funding, estate liquidity, disability and life insurance, retirement analysis, economic assumptions, net worth and budgeting • Addresses long-term care, goal funding and more in special modules |
| Sequoia Retirement Services 310/859-1961 | Estate Registry $20 | Produces balance sheets, income statements and retirement analysis for estates • Bases yearly savings on current income and expense data • Capable of developing budgets and projecting yearly income for retirement |
| Sungard Insurance Systems 800/337-2677 | Finpack $595 one user, plus $195/year; | Offers comprehensive needs analysis through retirement planning, survivor needs, education funding, disability analysis and Social Security projection • Analyzes cash flow, net worth and asset allocation • Develops estate planning with tax calculations, gifting and trusts • Integrates with Microsoft applications for reports |
| The Advisor's Edge 800/341-9727 | Harvest-Time $795, plus $300/year | Calculates projected retirement savings and needs • Displays results in spreadsheets and graphs • Allows user-defined asset classes to show allocations • Provides for early and minimum distribution • Allows for Roth conversions and planned expenditures |
| Unger Software Corp. 888/864-3776 | Methuselah Bronze $30/month | Addresses life and disability insurance, education funding and retirement planning • Offers a “Quick-Plan” option not in Gold or Platinum product that creates reports in moments • Capable of three- to five-page reports per module • Incorporates new 2001 IRS minimum distribution regulations |
| Methuselah Gold $39/month | Offers comprehensive needs analysis through retirement planning, survivor needs, education funding, disability analysis and Social Security projection • Analyzes cash flow, net worth and asset allocation • Develops estate planning with tax calculations, gifting and trusts | |
| Methuselah Platinum $69/month | Includes all features of Methuselah Gold • Features advanced trust planning • Can plan for specific events and manage multiple retirement goals • Includes database of expenses for the majority of universities in the United States |
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