Financial Planning Integration

Core Concepts

Financial Planning System Architecture

The financial planning engine is the analytical hub of the advisor technology stack. It ingests client data from multiple systems, models the client's financial future, and produces outputs that drive portfolio construction, cash management, and ongoing advisory recommendations. (For the planning methodology those engines implement, see financial-planning-workflow.)

Relationship to other systems in the advisor technology stack:

• CRM (client relationship management): Source of client demographic data, household composition, employment status, life events, and planning review triggers. The CRM is the system of record for client facts; the planning tool consumes these facts as inputs.
• PMS (portfolio management system): Source of current portfolio holdings, asset allocation, and account types. The plan produces a required return target and risk capacity that feed back to the PMS as constraints for portfolio construction.
• Custodian: Source of account balances, positions, and transaction history. Custodial data feeds ensure the plan reflects actual account values rather than stale estimates.
• Aggregation platform: Source of held-away assets — accounts at other custodians, employer retirement plans, bank accounts, real estate equity estimates, stock options. Aggregation fills the gap between what the advisor custodies and what the client actually owns, which is essential for a complete financial picture.

Common financial planning platforms (as of 2026; verify current vendor lineups): eMoney Advisor, MoneyGuidePro (Envestnet), RightCapital, Naviplan (InvestCloud), and planning modules embedded within all-in-one platforms (e.g., Orion Planning, Advyzon). Platform selection depends on firm size, integration requirements, planning complexity, and client-facing presentation needs. Some platforms emphasize interactive client portals (eMoney, RightCapital); others emphasize advisor-facing analytical depth (MoneyGuidePro, Naviplan).

Goal Data Model and Status Tracking

Goals are the structured records that flow between the planning tool, CRM, and client portal. Each goal carries a defined set of attributes that downstream systems consume: