Vanilla, Callan partner on estate software for UHNW families

Vanilla announced a strategic partnership with Callan Family Office to co-develop estate planning software aimed at families and family offices with $25 million or more in investable assets. The companies said the work will pair product development with a joint go-to-market plan for wealth management firms and family offices that serve ultra-high-net-worth clients.

The collaboration grew from Callan’s evaluation and use of Vanilla’s existing tools and from a long-standing connection between Callan founder and CEO Jack Ginter and Vanilla board chair Bill McNabb. Gene Farrell, Vanilla’s chief executive, said those conversations produced detailed feedback that the company will add to its product roadmap.

Planned features will address complex financial arrangements such as multiple legal entities, family businesses, holding companies and diversified investment portfolios. The software is to provide a single view of current ownership and value, control rights and the timing of wealth transfers so families and advisors can see relationships among assets and planned transfers.

Farrell said client input already drives most of Vanilla’s roadmap and that Callan’s access to its internal team and processes revealed specific workflow requirements for very wealthy families. He added that the partnership will use that input to refine data models and user interfaces.

Vanilla plans to incorporate artificial intelligence to speed analysis and flag accounts or holdings that need attention. “AI is going to make that much simpler, and you’re going to have better plans, and you’re probably able to do it with less effort,” Farrell said regarding faster insights for advisors and family offices.

The agreement covers coordinated marketing, thought leadership and events to introduce the software to wealth managers and family offices serving the ultra-high-net-worth segment. Callan participated in testing and evaluation of Vanilla’s tools; Vanilla described Callan as an innovator in the space and said the collaboration also opens further opportunities for customer feedback.

Both firms framed the effort as a response to growing complexity in the investments held by wealthy families, including more frequent use of nontraditional assets. They said clearer visualization and a unified data source should help advisors and family members review multigenerational ownership and plan transfers with clearer timing and control information.