CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business — ViewPlan Advanced

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From the June/July 2008 Review of Estate Planning Systems

CCH’s ViewPlan Advanced is a professional system designed to focus specifically on estate planning and gift taxation as methods of reducing or eliminating wealth transfer taxes. The program offers full support for the spectrum of family, grantor and charitable trusts, as well as pooled income funds. It provides scenario creation tools that enable comparison of various plans and the effects of variables on outcomes. The system can be used to generate an unlimited number of plans for any number of clients with graphically enhanced output and auto-generated explanatory text for client communications and reporting. Support is available for federal and all state (plus D.C.) inheritance taxes. ViewPlan Advanced costs $1,659 per year for a single user; additional networkable licenses can be added.

In addition to the ProSystem fx suite of accounting products, CCH also produces several other planning-related publications and programs, including the Federal Estate and Gift Tax Reporter, the Financial and Estate Planning Library and the Estate & Gift Tax Module for ProSystem fx Tax. ViewPlan is one of only two programs in this review (along with BNA’s system) that is developed by a vendor who also offers estate and gift tax return preparation programs.

Ease of Use/Basic Functionality -- 4.5 Stars
The primary interface for ViewPlan Advanced provides a full screen with traditional pull-down menus across the top, a customizable navigation control panel below these menus, a work area taking up the bulk of the window, and a vertical side menu that gives access to the system’s core feature areas: The Client list, Estate Details, Plans, Comparisons and Presentations.
Client plans are saved in a Windows Explorer format within “Databases” that can contain multiple clients and client files.

ViewPlan Advanced’s client selection function allows searching by a variety of information and provides sorting and filtering options. When client files are opened or created, an additional icon-based toolbar is available, giving access to planning-specific functions, such as calculators, notes, customizable shortcuts, and access to charts and graphs. The work screen within a client plan defaults to the Basic Flowchart, from which the user can easily access and enter estate details, compare the plan with other scenarios, or run reports. An array of “quick calculators” is available, allowing the user to see the basic effects of variables on estate tax, GST or gift tax related issues.

Data-entry subwindows provide intuitive forms with pull-down selection lists where applicable. During entry of Estate Details, for instance, users can select from several pre-defined asset types or create their own, while also having the option to view a QuickPlan View or a Detailed View. ViewPlan Advanced can support an unlimited number of assets for each client in 10 categories. The QuickPlan View displays a simple summary of client data, while the Detailed option enables drilldown capabilities.

Additionally, tabs provide an easy way to move between data-entry tasks, such as when entering beneficiaries, when the user can move between General Information, the Client’s Estate, Spouse Estate and QTIP. Up to three client plans can be viewed, side-by-side, at any time or printed on the Comparison Report. ViewPlan Advanced can be used in conjunction with CCH’s Tax Research Network and other offerings, alerting users to potential tax issues and providing an easy-to-access research function. The system Calculation Log maintains a full-time audit trail that shows all of the calculations that went into arriving at specific results.