Building meaningful, thorough financial plans for your clients needn't involve loads of repetitive data entry. The following tip shows how to avoid reentering details common to most plans by creating new client cases from templates.
Any existing client file could be used as a template in Voyant Adviser. Start by opening one that contains the basic entries you want to replicate - e.g. various expenses, incomes, a home with a mortgage, a pension. Change the name of the primary client and when saving, allow the Voyant to create a new client file. Then with a few edits, additions and deletions, customise the new case with your client's specifics. Common scenarios might even be included a source template.
1. First, open a source client case file. This file could be a past client case or a specially made generic template (e.g. Mr. Template Case 1).
2. Go to the People screen.
3. Select the primary client - the first person listed on the People panel to the right side of the screen.
4. Change the name of this person to the name of primary client in your new plan. Click Continue, bottom-right.
5. Click the Client: Save button, top-left, to save this update.
A message will appear stating, "The name of the primary person or spouse in the base plan is different from the client record. Would you like to save this plan(s) into a new client record ....?".
6. Click Yes to create a new client record using the original as a template.
A new client file will be created and saved under the name entered for the primary client. Using the source file as a template, you have created a new client case that can now be edited with your client's details.
Build a Library of Templates
A library of templates could be created based on the client situations you frequently model. These basic templates might include:
• Couple - Working
• Couple - Retired
• Couple - Working, with One or More Children
• Individual - Working
• Individual - Retired
Add Frequently Discussed Scenarios to Templates
Frequently discussed scenarios could also be built into your templates. Scenarios modelling the early mortality of a primary client or the client's spouse or partner, the future downsizing of a home, saving for a child's education, paying down a mortgage early, maximising savings to ISAs, early retirement, critical illness and long term care. This standard series of scenarios would likely vary depending on your client's situation, whether your client is single or married, if they have children and depending on whether they are working or retired. The options are unlimited.
Any scenarios that don't apply can be easily removed by clicking Manage Plans (top-left) and clicking the delete button X next to the superfluous plan.
Should you ever need to rename the scenario, click its name, highlighting the scenario and then click the name a second time. A dialogue will display allowing you to rename the plan.
