Frequently Asked Questions

MoneyGuide is compatible with the following platforms/devices:

• Windows PCs
• Apple Macs, iPads, iPhones
• Tablet PCs

MoneyGuide is compatible with the following web browsers:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer: version 11 (must not be used in compatibility mode)
• Microsoft Edge: latest version
• Mozilla Firefox: latest version
• Google Chrome: latest version
• Apple Safari: latest version

Browser settings that must be enabled:

• Javascript
• Cookies
• Font Downloads

Browser plug-ins required:

• Adobe Acrobat Reader or other pdf reader

This means you need to allow the use of third party cookies. To do this follow the steps below:

In Internet Explorer

1. Click "Tools" on the Menu Bar at the top of your browser.
2. Select "Internet Options"
3. Open "Privacy" tab
4. Press "Sites" button
5. If trying to launch MoneyGuide through your broker dealer's website, in the text box labeled "Address of website:" enter the url of your broker dealer's website and press the "Allow" button
6. In the text box labeled "Address of website:" enter "https://www.moneyguidepro.com" and press the "Allow" button
7. Press "OK" in "Per Site Privacy Actions" window
8. Press "OK" in "Internet Options" window

MoneyGuide combines sophisticated financial planning with ease-of-use (for advisors) and clear, concise results (for clients). We believe that's a winning combination. MoneyGuide is the only comprehensive financial planning package that is completely web-based, and is the only goal-based planning system sophisticated enough to produce a high quality Financial Plan.

We developed the MoneyGuide financial planning software for the "real world" where you and your clients live. We believe that the proper focus for financial planning software is the client, and our design philosophy and planning approach centers on what is most important to clients. Our mission is to assist you in providing reliable, complete, and understandable Plans for your clients.

We begin with what's most important to clients -- their goals. Clients want to know how they can use their financial resources to accomplish their goals. Next, we focus on presenting results that are clear and understandable. If clients don't understand their results, they are less likely to take action, and more likely to be dissatisfied with recommendations.

Third, we provide What If Scenarios so that you and your clients can explore multiple alternatives, and can see how sensitive a Plan is to tax changes or increased longevity. Fourth, we provide "Stress Testing" and Risk Management so that the client can see what might happen to a Plan across a range of real world uncertainties (e.g., down markets, premature death, or the need for long-term care).

Finally, MoneyGuide is interactive—you can make adjustments during a client meeting, clients can be involved in the creation of their Plan, and clients can access their Plan, via the web, from their home or office.

In the MoneyGuidePro^® Planning System, you can create Financial Plans (goal-based planning, including risk management), Asset Allocation Plans, and Lifetime Income Plans (Monte Carlo simulations on a single income stream). MoneyGuidePro^® Planning also has a uniquely powerful "sharing" capability that allows you to collaborate with your client or with other advisors over the internet. The key features of MoneyGuidePro^® Planning are provided below.

Overall Planning

• One version of the system for both advisors and clients. Simple enough for clients to use, sophisticated enough for the range and complexity that advisors need in comprehensive financial plans.
• Plans can be copied and modified, so creating multiple plans is quick and easy
• Configuration options for advisors include use of historical and/or projected returns, selection of asset classes, input of model portfolios

Goal Planning

• Either single or multiple Goals can be in a Plan
• Shows how all Goals interact
• Funds Goals in Priority Order, which may be different than chronological order
• Initial entries are defaulted for ease and speed
• Flexible entry of assets - in summary or detail
• Flexibility in assigning assets to specific Goals, using assets in Priority Order, or both

College Planning

• Can include one child or all children in a Plan
• Includes average estimates for Public, Private, 2-year, and 4-year schools
• Includes Peterson's college cost database
• Identifies alternate funding sources (loans, scholarships, etc.) used to offset costs

Retirement Planning

• Can be used alone or with other Goals
• Three expense periods
• Realistic life expectancy default calculation
• Allows adjustments to future expenses
• Allows fixed expenses (e.g., no inflation)
• Allows for change in state of residence, which affects state taxes
• Automatic calculation of Social Security
• Allows unlimited other Retirement Income Sources (pension, alimony, rental, part-time work, etc.)

Post Retirement Planning

• Unique capability separates basic living expenses from discretionary expenses (e.g. Travel, Major Purchases)
• Focuses on the clients' needs and goals to help them create the retirement they want

Other Goal Planning

• Can include single or multiple Goals in any Plan
• Supports periodic goals (annual, biennial, every five years, etc.)

Assets

• Supports all standard Employer Retirement Plans (ERPs) and IRAs
• Limits contributions on each ERP and IRA based on current tax laws
• Allows selection of "maximum" contribution for Traditional and Roth IRAs
• Supports all types of tax-deferred, tax-free, and taxable asset types
• Supports Coverdell IRAs and 529 Plans
• Supports qualified, tax-deferred, taxable, and tax-free lump sum additions
• Includes personal and business assets, and selection of whether to use to fund goals
• Supports both current and future Deferred Compensation plans
• Includes robust Stock Options module that compares results when varying exercise scenarios and return assumptions

Goal Planning Results

• Capability to see Results for one Goal or multiple Goals combined
• Option for graphs and detailed charts
• Extensive What If capability allows for different scenarios, quickly and easily
• Each What If Plan allows assumption changes in rates of return, inflation, goals, and savings
• What If Plans allow new investments or retirement incomes
• What If Plans show sensitivity to longevity, taxes, and SS retirement income
• Monte Carlo simulation includes additional features -- compares two What If Plans, supports expense adjustments, and allows elimination of lower priority goals
• Historical Back-test and Historical Rolling Periods Stress Tests show Plan Results if returns going forward were like historical returns
• Bad Timing Stress Test shows Plan Results with "low returns" in one or two years
• Class Sensitivity Stress Test shows Plan Results if one or more asset classes get lower than expected returns
• Goal Funding Strategies allow you to show the impact of:
  - converting investment assets to an immediate annuity
  - establishing a 72(t) distribution
  - utilizing NUA strategies

Insurance Needs Analysis

• Illustrates life insurance, disability, and long-term care insurance needs
• Defaults initial values for ease of use
• Uses Goal Plan goals and assets (e.g., fully integrated with Goal Planning)
• Can illustrate multiple scenarios for each type of insurance
• LTC analysis includes city and state cost estimates for Nursing Homes, Assisted Living, and Home Health Care
• Shows how purchasing an LTC policy would affect the Goal Plan (i.e. can client afford to purchase an LTC policy)

Net Worth

• Supports entry of all liabilities
• Supports entry of personal and business assets. Any of these may be sold and used to fund goals or held.
• Provides summary Net Worth Statement
• Detailed balance sheet with asset ownership

Estate Planning

• Determines clients' needs for estate planning
• Shows how By-Pass Trusts, Life Insurance Trusts, and Gifting increase liquidity, save taxes, and provide larger estates to heirs
• Fully integrated with Goal Planning, illustrating how funding trusts and gifting strategies will affect the Goal Plan

Asset Allocation

• Uses same asset entry as Goal Planning
• Provides for Lump Sum or Full Allocation
• Includes standard Risk Tolerance Questionnaire and nine Model Portfolios
• Allows advisor to create a Custom Portfolio for a specific client
• Allows advisor to by-pass Risk Tolerance Questionnaire
• Uniquely shows trade-off between Risk and Return
• Shows changes needed to match Target Portfolio

Lifetime Income

• Uses same asset entry as Goal Planning and Asset Allocation
• Provides Monte Carlo simulation for single income stream
• Shows range of possible results using the historical returns of the selected portfolio in random sequences

Client Reports

• Prints clear, useful reports that clients can use to make decisions
• Standard Reports are included in the system
• Advisor can create customized Report templates
• Reports can be saved in "Report History"
• Allows advisor to control whether clients can print Reports

Advisor Options

• Allows Advisors to configure their version of MoneyGuidePro
• Advisors can create their own asset classes and model portfolios
• Advisors can use Historical Returns (by selecting indices and a historical period), Projected Returns (by entering returns for each asset class), or both
• Advisors can enter disclosure information that will print on Client Reports

Sharing

• Unique Sharing Feature allows collaborative planning
• All Plans can be shared on the Internet between Advisor and Client, or between Advisor and Advisor
• Two Sharing Modes (View Only, Update All) so that Advisor controls what information can be changed

Technology

• Web-based. Advisors need only Microsoft Internet Explorer: version 11 (must not be used in compatibility mode) or the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Apple Safari on their computer.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader needed for display and printing of Client Reports

The Asset Allocation portfolios were created for MoneyGuide by Harold Evensky, CFP, who is an advisor to Envestnet MoneyGuide. Harold has thoroughly documented his process for portfolio development in his book, Wealth Management (Irwin, 1997). Chapters 7, 8, and 9 (titled Investment Theory, Asset Allocation, and Optimization, respectively), pp. 175 - 279, provide an in-depth explanation of the underlying theories and Harold's application of those theories to the practicalities of real-world investing.

The Advisor Options section (accessed from the Main Menu page) provides the capability for you to configure your version of MoneyGuide. In Advisor Options, the "Create Portfolios" section allows you to change (i.e., add, delete, or rename) the asset classes and model portfolios. Also in this section, you can enter "projected" return and correlation information if you want to use the MoneyGuide projected (rather than historical) returns feature.

See the MoneyGuide terms of service.

Envestnet MoneyGuide, the developer of moneyguidepro.com, is committed to protecting your clients' privacy and ensuring the security of their information on our web site.

Envestnet MoneyGuide will never disclose or share clients' personal information with any third party, unless required by law to do so (for example, to comply with a subpoena).

We use secure server software (SSL) encryption, which is the industry standard for secure data transfer software, to ensure data transmitted through the Internet is protected against unauthorized access. The secure server software (SSL) encrypts all information you and your client input before it is sent to us, and all data we collect is protected against unauthorized access. This technology helps ensure that clients' personal and financial information remains safe and private.

For a more detailed explanation, see the Privacy Policy and Security Information for MoneyGuide.

If a client feels uncomfortable having their data "out on a web site," offer the client to enter their information into MoneyGuide using an "assumed" last name. (If you do this, please remember that the "assumed" last name is the name that will print on the Client Reports.) You might even put their actual last name in the Notes field (also in the Client Profile), so you can remember who they really are.

Finally, there are probably some clients who just won't be comfortable with having their data "out there on some web site," and there may be nothing you can say that will make a difference.

If you want to maintain your own copy of information that you've entered into MoneyGuide and/or presented to your client, you can save copies of Client Reports to your own computer. When you create a Client Report, it is displayed as a PDF, with the Adobe Acrobat Reader control bar just above the Report. Click on the "diskette" icon, and you can enter the directory, folder, and file name where you'd like to save the Client Report. This electronic file is stored on your computer and you can access it at any time.