As we wrap up Q3 and look to the outset of Q4, it seems as good a time as any to share a few pointers and give a heads up regarding some of the technology and service structure we’ll be going through in Q4 and into 2026. Today, we’re discussing how to achieve the most successful Q4 planning cycle for comprehensive planning clients, the rollout of updated service agreements, the adoption of our first dedicated AI tool, and how to utilize key takeaways in Q4 most effectively.
Q4 Planning Activities
In Q4, we primarily focus on end-of-year tax planning. This means uploading documentation for all sources of income, making note of any deductible activity such as charitable donations, and ensuring we identify tax creditable items such as the purchase of an electric vehicle before the credits expire (today!) Along with this review of cash flow documentation, we would like to provide feedback on open enrollment, as both Medicare and many employer plans reset options and selections toward the end of the year.
For the upload of relevant cash flow documentation, we typically want to see all items in the portal at least a week prior to a Q4 meeting to ensure we have time to build out the income model and run it through our tax planning software for scenario analysis. Omissions or leaving it to the last minute can have a negative impact on the quality of the model, or prevent us from having the time to work through multiple versions of a tax model to ascertain the best approach for both short- and long-term tax impacts.
For open enrollment and workplace benefits, it’s better to have the information uploaded immediately so we can give feedback in a timely manner. While open enrollment for ACA plans through the state Healthcare exchange last for two months, many times employer plans have a quick one or two week turnaround, so it’s important to share the options with us as soon as possible so we can give feedback in a timely manner, rather than trying to thread the needle between receiving your enrollment and getting on the calendar for a Q4 meeting before the enrollment window expires.
Updated Service Agreements
As mentioned in our blog on August 26th, we are updating our comprehensive planning service model to a 3-meeting annual structure starting in 2026, with the exception of honoring 1st-year service agreements to completion that were established in 2025, rolling into 2026. The update agreements also clarify our annual review process for recalculating net worth and adjusting fees accordingly, providing greater clarity on the service cycle.
It also notably shifts the language of our current service agreement, which presents optionality around our investment management services from a “may” orientation to a “shall” orientation. This does not preclude instances where a client’s best interest is better served by holding assets away for any number of valid reasons, and such actions will be implemented on a fiduciary and best interest basis, first and foremost. We will also continue to honor legacy agreements for those clients who were onboarded at a particular time in which they elected to self-manage, and where they have demonstrated a clear self-efficacy for managing their own investments.
In the interest of making the adjustment to the new service model easier, we will be forgoing any upward fee adjustments for clients in January 2026. We will still perform our annual review and report net worth adjustments to clients, but other than those instances where net worth has declined and a fee should decline in kind, we will not make any increases to client fees in 2026 other than those that automatically occur with investment account balances that are directly billed under the average daily balance method.
Our First Major AI Tool
While MY Wealth Planners has dabbled and experimented with LLM AI over the past few years since its widespread public release, we have not otherwise used AI tools in a client-facing environment to date. After a great deal of due diligence, we have elected to adopt the use of Jump, an AI tool that will provide several meaningful enhancements to our service model.*
Jump is primarily a note-taking app, but with several key features that will help effectuate more timely planning and financial activities for clients. With integrations into eMoney, our primary planning software, and Advyzon, our core CRM and reporting software, Jump presents an efficient opportunity to better enhance the client experience. Take this as an example:
- A client schedules their regular planning meeting via Calendly, which generates a meeting on the calendar, sends emails to the planner and client, and is recognized on Advyzon.
- Jump will recognize that the meeting has been created, and with a general agenda for that meeting period already programmed into it, will pull all relevant notes from Advyzon and data from eMoney for reference in a meeting prep document.
- This can be internal or shared with a client as appropriate.
- Jump is then present as an AI notetaker during an in-person meeting, Zoom, or phone call.
- At the conclusion of the meeting, it will generate a record and summary of the meeting, automate a recap email to all participants, and generate a list of financial plan edits and updates that can be pushed back into eMoney and documented in Advyzon.
All of this automates what otherwise can take several hours in both meeting prep and follow-up, as well as getting recommendations or necessary support to clients much more rapidly in the aftermath of a meeting.
*See data security and privacy information for Jump.
Taking the Best Out of Q4
The primary goal of Q4 is to ensure that your income and tax position are optimized for the 2026 tax season and beyond. This means that planning is important, but taking action is even more so. For clients with RMDs, Roth Conversions, or other calendar-year-sensitive activities, we recommend scheduling your Q4 meeting earlier in the quarter to ensure ample lead time to complete these activities. For those clients aiming to reduce taxes owed or otherwise shrinking their net tax liabilities for the year, keep in mind this is a particularly important year for strategies such as charitable bunching, as changes to the donation deduction rules passed as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July will reduce the value of deductions for those who itemize their taxes starting in 2026.
It’s also important to get in touch with your tax preparation professional sooner rather than later to ensure you’re on the roster for the 2026 tax season, and to get your organizer started sooner rather than later, so both you and they are aware of any changes that require action on your part before the end of 2025. If you don’t work with a tax professional but would like to and need a recommendation, please let us know. We would be more than happy to introduce you to several who are part of our professional network, and are certain we can help find you a good fit.
As a reminder for scheduling, our team will observe a holiday “on-call” hiatus through the week of Thanksgiving and begin its winter holiday hiatus on December 20th. We are available for emails or calls on an as-needed basis during these times, but will not schedule meetings or t6ake appointments outside of bona fide emergencies during these holiday periods. So, we recommend getting your tax planning items organized earlier in the quarter and your appointments scheduled well in advance to avoid last-minute issues as we approach the new year.
We are very much looking forward to implementing these next-step planning items and tools, and appreciate your enthusiastic engagement in the wealth planning process with us. As always, let us know if you have any questions, and we’ll be more than happy to assist!