I later discovered that if you scroll through to the bottom of the page, there is a picture of the data input screen. Click on the picture of the field about which you want further information, and context-sensitive help will appear. How's that for intuitive? When I finally found the "help" I needed, it was of limited value. I was told I could: a) get the information from a financial planning program b) Press F3 to use a built-in calculator or c) employ other means. Why they require the user to go through multiple levels of help to find a built-in calculator is beyond me!

When I asked a company spokesperson about the help section, I was told that the procedure for using help was clearly spelled out in the manual. My reply was that numerous studies have indicated most software users never open a manual, and that if you needed the manual to learn how to use the help section, something was amiss. You can draw your own conclusions.

Another problem I ran into was terminology. The program requires, among other things, the following inputs: "Adequacy Legal Instruments as %," "Health /LT Care Insurance as %," and "Occupational Stability/Volatility as %." Short explanations of these data fields are buried two or three levels down in the "help" section, but it sure would be nice if they were easier to find. There's a life expectancy adjustment field, but before you can use it, you have to know what you are adjusting. By now, I'll bet you can guess where you have to go for the answer.

Yet another major criticism of the program is its planning methodology. All calculations assume constant rates of inflation and constant rates of return throughout the model. No attempt is made to illustrate the impact of variable returns or their impact on the plan's probability of success.

OK. Enough already; there's no need to beat a dead horse. AdviserPlan is a great idea, but the execution is poor. Quick, easy inputs resulting in a solid, basic plan for the masses is a great idea. The concept of the Risk Capacity Index is excellent, as is the idea of linking the index to suggested model portfolios. PPC has to decide whether it wants to take this program to the next level-building a fast, intuitive, basic financial planning program-or not. If it does, the company should fix the design flaws, improve the help section and add a Monte Carlo engine. It probably should consider offering a Web-based version to complement the desktop edition as well.

Financial Planning Workflow Solution-A Good Deal

Financial Planning Workflow solution is a bundle of three PPC products at a discounted price. The bundle includes The Guide to Personal Financial Planning (CD version, regularly $240), Tax and Financial Planning Client Presentations (regularly $362) and AdviserPlan (regularly $261).

While I can't justify purchasing PPC's AdviserPlan on its own, purchasing the bundle gains you access to The Risk Capacity Index at no additional cost, assuming you have use for the two other products, and you just might.

PPC's Tax and Financial Planning Client Presentations software package is a well-conceived program that includes an extensive collection of educational documents, flow charts, financial calculators and PowerPoint presentations (including scripts) grouped by financial planning topic. Unlike some of its competitors, this product impressed me with its educational, unbiased prose. Among the subjects covered are charitable giving, estate planning, income tax, insurance retirement and Social Security. Documents can be grouped into individualized packages for clients. Documents can be moved to MS Word or another word processor for editing, if required.

A well-written set of documents and slide presentations is a necessity for both novice planners and seasoned professionals. Beginners will find this program useful as both a marketing tool and an occasional source of information. Experienced planners will probably use it primarily as an education tool. In either case, having a wealth of client-ready materials at your fingertips will save you enough time over a year to pay for the program many times over.