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Meeting Worksheet (Homework) — How Your Meeting Worksheet Is Built

This article explains exactly how the Meeting Worksheet is generated, including where each data point comes from, how it's calculated, and what you can customize.

Updated over a month ago

The Meeting Worksheet (also called the Homework Sheet) is an internal advisor tool for conducting client meetings. It combines a financial data snapshot with meeting logistics, cash flow tracking, tax information, action items, and retirement account details — all in one place.

This article walks through every section of the worksheet, explains where each value comes from, and outlines what is automatic vs. manually entered.


What Is the Meeting Worksheet?

The Meeting Worksheet is an internal working document designed for advisor use during client meetings. Unlike other value adds (1099, Guardrails, Buckets, Beneficiary, Net Worth), this is not a client-facing report. It has no disclaimer and is meant to be a living document that the advisor fills in and updates during the meeting.

It includes:

  • A financial snapshot pulling from all household data (accounts, assets, liabilities, insurance)

  • Manually entered information (cash flow, tax data, outside investments, meeting notes)

  • Client information with temporary overrides for employer and retirement date

  • A dedicated Page 2 for tracking withdrawals, deposits, and RMD requirements

Note: The Meeting Worksheet is a Pro-only feature and must be explicitly enabled. Enable it under Settings → Value Adds → Homework Settings.


1. Header & Branding

Logo

  • Pulled from your firm's saved company logo

  • Editable under Settings → Firm Settings

Branding Color

  • Uses your firm's branding color

  • Default color is a dark navy

Worksheet Title

  • Default title: "Homework Sheet"

  • Can be customized at the firm level

  • Editable under Settings → Value Adds → Homework Settings


2. Reported "As-Of" Date

  • Reflects the most recent valuation date found across all household accounts

  • Fully automatic — cannot be manually edited

  • Display format: M/D/YYYY (e.g., "2/4/2026")


3. Client Name Line

  • Pulled from all clients linked to the household

  • Displayed as: Last, First with superscript ages

  • Deceased clients are automatically filtered out if at least one living client exists


4. Two-Page Layout

The Meeting Worksheet uses a unique two-page format. Here's what each page covers.

Page 1: Meeting Overview & Financial Snapshot

Page 1 is the main working area for the meeting. It contains eight color-coded sections:

  1. Meeting Information (white) — Meeting type, date/time, and timezone

  2. Client Information (light gray) — Client names, ages, birthdates, employer, retirement date, and birthday indicators

  3. Financial Snapshot (light blue) — All accounts, physical assets, liabilities, and life insurance, grouped by type with per-client columns and a net worth total

  4. Cash Flow (light green) — Manually entered checking, savings, income, spending, and debt figures

  5. Outside Investments & Debts (light orange) — Free-form lists of financial items not tracked in the system

  6. Tax Information (light pink) — Manually entered AGI, taxable income, total taxes, and marginal tax bracket

  7. Agenda & Notes (light yellow) — Free-text area for meeting notes

  8. Action Items (light yellow) — Split into two columns: "For Firm" (advisor tasks) and "For Client" (client homework)

Page 2: Tax-Advantaged Account Details

Page 2 focuses on retirement account activity and RMD compliance:

  1. Withdrawals Table — A 12-month grid showing withdrawals from tax-advantaged accounts (IRAs, 401ks, etc.) with per-account totals

  2. Deposits Table — Same 12-month grid structure for deposits/contributions

  3. RMD Section (light purple) — Accounts eligible for Required Minimum Distributions, with 12/31 values and blank fields for the advisor to fill in RMD amounts


5. The Edit Homework Settings Modal

Most of the manually-entered data on the worksheet is managed through the Edit Homework Settings modal. You can access it from the Meeting Worksheet page by clicking "Edit Homework."

Fields Available in the Modal

Meeting Information:

  • Meeting Type (e.g., "Zoom", "In-person", "Phone")

  • Meeting Date & Time (date picker)

Taxes:

  • Tax Year (auto-calculated)

  • AGI

  • Taxable Income

  • Total Taxes

  • Marginal Tax Bracket (%)

Cash Flow (Manual):

  • Income

  • Spending (monthly)

Outside Investments:

  • Label and value rows, with an "Add Row" button to add more

Save & Refresh — After saving, the worksheet regenerates with the updated data.

Additional Fields

Beyond what's visible in the modal, HomeworkSettings also stores: checking and savings balances, outside debts, meeting timezone, general notes, firm action items, and client homework assignments. These are populated from the worksheet interface itself.


6. Client Override System

The Meeting Worksheet has a unique feature: you can temporarily override a client's employer or retirement date without changing their permanent record. This is useful for:

  • Pending updates — A client changed jobs but the system hasn't been updated yet

  • What-if scenarios — Discussing hypothetical retirement dates during the meeting

  • Discussion purposes — Using different values for meeting context

How Overrides Work

  • Go to Edit Homework Settings and enter an employer name or retirement date for a specific client

  • The worksheet will display the override value instead of the permanent record

  • The permanent Client record is not changed — the override only applies to this worksheet

  • If no override is entered, the system falls back to the client's permanent employer or calculates retirement date from their "years until retirement" field

You can override values for one client while leaving the other client's data unchanged.


7. Financial Snapshot (Automatic Data)

The Financial Snapshot section on Page 1 pulls data automatically from the system. It includes:

Accounts

All household accounts are displayed, grouped by type (IRA, 401k, Brokerage, etc.) with per-client ownership columns (Client 1, Client 2, Joint). The worksheet includes all accounts — it does not apply the same exclusion filters as Guardrails or Buckets. This gives the advisor a complete picture during the meeting.

Account values are pulled from the most reliable available source. The system checks for data from integrations like Plaid, Yodlee, and MX first, then falls back to manually entered balance fields. This ensures the most current value is always displayed.

Physical Assets

All physical assets (real estate, vehicles, etc.) are shown with their values and ownership.

Liabilities

All liabilities are displayed with outstanding balances and ownership.

Life Insurance

Life insurance policies with cash value are included (using cash surrender value, not face amount).

Net Worth Total

A net worth line is calculated at the bottom: Total Accounts + Total Assets + Total Insurance Cash Value − Total Liabilities.


8. Cash Flow, Tax Info, and Outside Investments

These sections are all manual entry — they do not automatically sync from system data. This is by design, allowing advisors to:

  • Use the most current numbers from the client directly

  • Round values for discussion purposes

  • Track items that may differ from what's in the system

Cash Flow

Five manually entered fields: Checking balance, Savings balance, Income, Spending (monthly), and Debt.

Tax Information

Four manually entered fields: AGI, Taxable Income, Total Taxes, and Marginal Tax Bracket (%).

Tax fields have a special distinction between blank and zero. A blank field means the value hasn't been entered yet. A value of $0 means the advisor explicitly entered zero. This matters because a blank AGI field displays differently than an AGI of $0.

Outside Investments & Debts

Free-form lists for financial items not tracked in the system. Use these to document a client's 401k at a previous employer, rental properties the firm doesn't manage, personal loans, or any other financial items outside the firm's view.


9. Meeting Notes and Action Items

Notes / Agenda

A free-text area for meeting notes, discussion points, or a pre-meeting agenda. This is stored and preserved between worksheet regenerations.

Action Items (Two Columns)

The bottom of Page 1 has a two-column layout separating responsibilities:

  • Firm Action Items (left) — Tasks for the advisor or firm to complete (e.g., "Update beneficiaries on IRA accounts," "Research tax-loss harvesting opportunities")

  • Client Homework (right) — Tasks assigned to the client (e.g., "Gather estate planning documents," "Provide updated income information")


10. Birthday Detection

If a client's birthday falls within 7 days (before or after) of the scheduled meeting date, a birthday indicator appears next to their name in the Client Information section.

This is a simple reminder to help advisors build rapport by acknowledging the client's birthday during the meeting. The detection only works when a meeting date has been set in the Homework Settings.


11. Page 2: Withdrawals & Deposits

Page 2 shows a 12-month grid for tax-advantaged accounts only (IRAs, 401ks, 403bs, etc.).

Withdrawals Table

Shows each tax-advantaged account with monthly withdrawal amounts across the trailing 12 months, plus tax withholdings per account and a total row at the bottom.

Deposits Table

Same structure as withdrawals, showing monthly deposits/contributions for each tax-advantaged account with a total row.

These tables help advisors monitor: systematic withdrawal patterns, whether contributions are on track for the year, catch-up contribution eligibility, and tax withholding adequacy.


12. Page 2: RMD Section

The RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) section tracks accounts that are subject to IRS-required withdrawals.

Which Accounts Are RMD-Eligible?

An account appears in the RMD section if both conditions are met:

  1. Account type is IRA or 401(k) — The system checks the account type for these patterns

  2. Either: The account is an Inherited IRA (always eligible regardless of age), or at least one account owner is age 73 or older

The age threshold of 73 reflects the SECURE 2.0 Act change.

What the RMD Table Shows

  • Account name and owner(s)

  • Owner age

  • 12/31 Value — The system prefers the explicit December 31 value field (per IRS requirements). If that's not available, it falls back to the current account value.

  • RMD Amount — A blank field for the advisor to fill in manually

  • Taken? — A blank checkbox for the advisor to mark once the RMD has been distributed

Why Aren't RMD Amounts Calculated Automatically?

RMD calculations involve IRS life expectancy tables, special rules for inherited IRAs, spousal exceptions, first-year delay rules, and account aggregation rules. Because of this complexity, the worksheet surfaces the account data and leaves the actual calculation to the advisor.


13. No Disclaimer

The Meeting Worksheet is the only value add that does not include a disclaimer. This is intentional — it's an internal advisor working document, not a client-facing report. It contains working notes, draft information, and action items that may change during the meeting.

The footer still shows your firm's contact information (address, phone, website), but no compliance disclaimer appears.


14. Common Questions

How do I edit the cash flow, tax, and meeting information?

Click "Edit Homework" (or "Edit Fields") on the Meeting Worksheet page. This opens the Homework Settings modal where you can enter meeting type, date/time, tax information, cash flow figures, and outside investments.

Why are some fields showing "- -" or $0?

  • "- -" or blank means the field hasn't been entered yet

  • $0 means the value was explicitly set to zero

  • For cash flow and tax fields, use the Edit Homework Settings modal to enter values

Can I override client information without changing their permanent record?

Yes. The client override system lets you temporarily change the employer and retirement date shown on the worksheet. These overrides are stored separately and do not affect the Client record used elsewhere in the system.

Why doesn't the financial snapshot match the Guardrails or Net Worth report?

The Meeting Worksheet includes all accounts in its financial snapshot — it doesn't apply the same exclusion filters used by Guardrails (which excludes cash, education, custodial, and inherited accounts) or other reports. This gives advisors the most complete view during meetings.

Is the Meeting Worksheet shared with clients?

No. It's designed as an internal advisor tool. It has no disclaimer and contains working notes and draft action items. If you need a client-facing document, use the other value add reports (Guardrails, Buckets, Beneficiary, Net Worth, or 1099).


15. Firm-Level Configuration

Setting

Where to Edit

Default

Enabled

Settings → Value Adds → Homework Settings

Disabled (Pro-only, must opt in)

Worksheet Title

Settings → Value Adds → Homework Settings

"Homework Sheet"

There are no rate settings or calculation parameters — the worksheet is primarily driven by automatic account data and manual advisor entry through the Homework Settings modal.


In Summary

The Meeting Worksheet is:

  • An internal advisor tool — not given to clients, no disclaimer

  • Two pages — Page 1 for the meeting overview and financial snapshot, Page 2 for retirement account activity and RMD tracking

  • A mix of automatic and manual data — Accounts, assets, liabilities, and insurance are pulled automatically; cash flow, taxes, outside investments, notes, and action items are entered manually

  • Override-capable — Employer and retirement date can be temporarily overridden without changing permanent records

  • Meeting-oriented — Includes meeting type/date/time, birthday indicators, agenda, and separate columns for firm action items vs. client homework

  • RMD-aware — Surfaces eligible accounts with IRS-compliant 12/31 values, leaving RMD amount calculation to the advisor

  • Pro-only — Must be enabled under Settings and is part of the Pro feature set

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