Empowering the Next Generation: Advanced Planning with Voyant

How to use Voyant to plan for younger clients. 

Transcript

In today's training, we will be looking at how to use Voyant when planning for the next generation of investors. The goal of Voyant is to help you achieve and visualize a long-term plan for your client that accounts for goals, market fluctuations, and changing life needs. Voyant is the perfect tool to take a long-term view of your client’s financial health and help them stay on track to meet their goals.

To demonstrate, I’ll start from scratch and create a client plan. From the home screen, click the plus button in the bottom right corner and select Create Client. Enter the client’s name, date of birth, and set the plan start date (e.g., January 1 of this year) with an estimated retirement age of 65. Click Done to open the plan.

Next, we’ll add the rest of the family:

  • Click the plus buttonPeople

  • Enter the spouse’s details and save

  • Enter their child’s details and save

You can now see all three people in the plan by expanding the bottom arrow.


Step 1: Enter Expenses and Goals

Current living expenses:

  • Navigate to Expenses → Multi-Year

  • Enter an amount of $6,000 per month

  • Set the timing to stop when the primary client retires

  • Click Done

  • Pre-retirement years will now show these expenses in red

Goals:

  1. Future Home Purchase

    • Budget: $650,000

    • Linked mortgage: $600,000, 6% interest, 30-year term

    • Set the start year a couple of years out

    • Click Done

  2. Retirement Spending Goals

    • Annual spending: $85,000

    • Timing: From retirement to plan end

    • Click Done

  3. Retirement Travel Goals

    • Annual spending: $5,000

    • Start at retirement, end at age 75

    • Step down to $3,500 at age 75

    • Add step-ups around age 85 for increased health expenses

    • Click Done

  4. Education Goal (Son’s College)

    • Enter $20,000 for Felix

    • Set the timing to start when Felix turns 18

    • Click Done

Currently, the plan shows a shortfall of 0% because we haven’t added income or assets yet.


Step 2: Add Income

  • Primary client’s salary: $95,000 annually

  • Spouse’s salary: Enter details

  • Timing: Automatically set from now until retirement

  • Click Done

The plan now reflects incoming cash flow.


Step 3: Add Assets

High-Yield Savings Account (Joint):

  • Balance: $20,000

  • Monthly contributions: $200

  • Timing: Now until the primary client retires

  • Minimum balance: $10,000

  • Click Done

Brokerage Account (Joint):

  • Balance: $85,000

  • Growth: 9% pre-retirement, step down to 6% at retirement

  • Click Done

Qualified Accounts:

  1. Roth 401(k) – Primary Client

    • Balance: $55,000, cost basis $1,500

    • Contributions: 8% of income, employer match 6%

    • Growth: Adjust step-down at retirement to 5.5%

    • Click Done

  2. Traditional 401(k) – Spouse

    • Balance: $75,000

    • Contributions: 10% of income, employer match 4%

    • Link to spouse’s income

    • Click Done

Cash flow now reflects withdrawals from taxable savings, 401(k)s, and Roth 401(k) in retirement.

Education Savings (529 Plan – Felix):

  • Balance: $20,000

  • Annual contribution: $5,000 until age 18

  • Growth: 6%

  • Click Done


Step 4: Insights and Recommendations

Investment Returns Insight:

  • Required overall rate of return to avoid shortfall: 6.67%

  • Year-by-year view shows modeled growth in each account

Annual Savings Insight:

  • Additional annual savings needed: $7,889

  • Hover over each year to verify available surplus income

Retirement Spending Insight:

  • Maximum sustainable spending: $78,000 annually


Step 5: Create a “What-If” Recommendation Plan

Adjust goals and contributions:

  • Reduce retirement spending to $80,000

  • Add $8,000 annual contribution to brokerage account until primary client retires

  • Click Done

Compare plans using the LET'S-See screen:

  • Visualize red (shortfall) disappearing

  • Compare asset charts at plan end

  • Turn on legend and remove non-liquid assets to see remaining resources


I hope this training was helpful. For questions, reach out to support@planwithvoyant.com. You can also click the client name in the top right corner and select Request Support to share client access.