Firm boosts capabilities for cash-flow planning, client-access capabilities. SunGard has tweaked WealthStation, its web-based wealth-management application, to include cash-flow-based retirement-planning, client self-service and Canadian financial-planning capabilities. The enhancements come about four months after SunGard rolled out WealthStation version 3.0.

The point of the enhancements is to give advisors more tools to shepherd their clients through phases of their financial lifecycle from accumulation through distribution, plan for unexpected events and navigate through periods -- like now -- of economic uncertainty, according to SunGard.

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"With investment options becoming more complex and market conditions in a state of flux, individual investors are increasingly turning to their advisors for professional guidance and access to diversified investment offerings," says Blaine Maxfield, COO of SunGard's wealth-management business. "WealthStation helps advisors gain a holistic view of clients and households, maximize productivity and face time with clients, deepen client relationships and effectively guide clients through life events."

WealthStation's retirement-planning module has been re-worked to accommodate a cash-flow planning approach that helps clients use assets on an as-needed basis and supports deferred taxation on qualified plans. Its expanded client-access capabilities lets advisors invite their clients to view their own account information as a basis for on-going collaboration. WealthStation's Financial Planning for Canada module is for, well, Canadians.

Other WealthStation modules have to do with client management, financial planning, investment management, asset allocation, data aggregation, trading and rebalancing, reporting, client access and compliance. -FWR

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