Last reviewed: September 2026.
Value Adds work best when they are timely, relevant, and intentional. Knowing when and how to present them matters as much as knowing how to generate them. This article lists the best moments to use Value Adds, so your client communication has the most impact.
Why Timing Matters
Clients rarely remember performance charts or long technical discussions. They remember clear, concise visuals that arrive at the right moment. Delivering Value Adds on a schedule helps you:
Reinforce the value of your planning work.
Start deeper conversations about estate planning, spending, insurance, and taxes.
Reduce fee pressure by showing real output at billing time.
Keep clients confident in your process, even in down markets.
Key Moments to Deliver Value Adds
1. Quarterly or annual reviews
Use a Value Add to anchor the meeting on one theme.
Example: share the Guardrails report during a retirement income check-in.
Benefit: the meeting stays focused, and the client is not overloaded.
2. Just before billing
Deliver a Value Add right before fees are collected, to show the work you have done.
Example: run the Net Worth report before an AUM debit.
Benefit: clients see proactive value at the moment they pay you.
3. Surge meeting prep
Prepare your team with the Meeting Worksheet, and send clients the letters that give them something to act on before the meeting.
Example: use the Meeting Worksheet (Homework) internally to prepare for each Surge meeting. It gathers the client details, cash flow, withdrawals, deposits, and RMDs in one place.
Example: send the 1099 Letter in January, or the Roth Conversion Letter after tax returns arrive, so clients come to the meeting with questions ready.
Benefit: shorter, more productive meetings.
4. Seasonal or life-stage moments
Some Value Adds fit a time of year or a client milestone.
Beneficiary: in the fall, before the holidays and family gatherings.
1099 Letter: in January, before the tax forms arrive.
Roth Conversion Letter: after tax returns arrive and the household's Taxes tab is updated.
Net Worth: right before billing, or at the annual review.
Framing Value Adds in Client Conversations
How you introduce a Value Add matters:
Use plain language. Replace percentages with dollar amounts.
Keep it visual. Let the one-page summary do the heavy lifting.
Highlight action. Focus on what the client should do or think about next.
Example: instead of saying "Your allocation is 60/40," you could say: "Based on your Buckets, you have 7 years of spending set aside in safe, liquid assets. That means your lifestyle is protected even if markets are rocky."
Best Practice: Rotate and Reuse
You do not need brand-new Value Adds every quarter. Rotating and recycling them every couple of years is highly effective:
Clients forget details and appreciate reminders.
Life changes such as divorce, inheritance, or new accounts make the same Value Add newly relevant.
Your team can systematize delivery instead of reinventing it each year.
Summary
Value Adds are more than documents. They are moments of value. Use them before billing, in reviews, during Surge prep, and at key milestones to remind clients why they trust you with their financial future.