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How to Remove a Spouse from a Plan in AdviserGo

There may be situations where it is necessary to remove a spouse from a plan, such as due to divorce or death. This article walks through the recommended process to safely remove a person from a plan while preserving the integrity of the remaining data.

Before You Begin

A person cannot be deleted from a plan if they are still associated with:

• Goals
• Income
• Assets or investments
• Pensions
• Events or timing references

You must first remove or reassign all items linked to that individual.

Step 1: Review Items Owned by the Spouse

1. Open the plan and select the spouse you intend to remove.
2. Click Show Details.
3. Review the list of items where the spouse is listed as an owner or joint owner.

This list determines what must be updated or removed before deletion.

Step 2: Update Goals

1. Open any retirement or lifestyle goals associated with the spouse.
2. Remove the spouse from the goal ownership.
3. Review the Timing section:
   • Replace any events tied to the spouse (such as mortality or retirement)
   • Use Plan Start or Plan End, or the remaining spouse’s events instead
4. Save the changes.

Step 3: Remove or Reassign Income

1. Navigate to Income.
2. Delete income sources belonging solely to the spouse being removed.
3. If income should remain in the plan:
   • Reassign ownership to the remaining spouse instead of deleting it.

Step 4: Update Savings and Investments

1. Open each investment or savings account that includes the spouse.
2. Remove the spouse from the ownership.
3. Review the Timing tab to ensure no events reference the spouse.
4. Save the changes.

Step 5: Remove or Reassign Pensions

1. Navigate to Pensions.
2. Delete pensions that belong only to the spouse being removed.
3. If a pension should remain:
   • Change ownership to the remaining spouse instead of deleting it.

Step 6: Confirm No Remaining Linked Items

Return to the spouse’s profile and confirm:

• No remaining goals
• No income
• No assets
• No pensions

Once all items are removed or reassigned, the spouse can be deleted.

Step 7: Delete the Spouse from the Plan

1. Delete the spouse from the plan.
2. Once removed:
   • Their retirement and mortality event icons are automatically removed from the timeline
   • All references to that individual are cleared from the plan

Final Checks

After deletion:

• Review the Timeline to confirm no orphaned events remain
• Review Cash Flow and Assets to ensure projections still make sense
• Adjust any goals or assumptions as needed for the remaining household

Important Notes

• Deleting a spouse permanently removes them from the plan
• Always confirm ownership and timing before deletion
• Consider creating a What-If plan first if you want to preserve the original structure for reference

Need Help?

If you have questions or need assistance removing someone from a plan, contact Voyant Support in the usual way.