2025 Guide Audit Summary [June 2025]
fpPathfinder constantly strives to provide informative checklists and flowcharts that help advisors be more diligent in their planning process. To maintain the highest standards of accuracy and clarity, we've recently conducted a comprehensive review of our entire guide library.
Led by Guide Editor Chris Granger, CFP®, our audit team meticulously reviewed each guide to ensure they meet the needs of today’s advisors. Below is the full list of updated guides, as well as a brief description of each change.
Check out the list below to see if your favorite guide has been updated.
List Of Updated Guides
- We expanded the language for Pooled Income Funds to include “or custodian” to the question “Who sets this vehicle up?”
- We added “e.g.,” introductory abbreviations to parenthetical content to maintain stylistic consistency with our guide library.
- We added three new bullet points of language to the question, “Will your healthcare coverage or needs change? This new content helps expand the question in a meaningful way to help advisors have a more productive conversation with their clients.
- We made changes to areas that reference planning strategies to consider if valuations are low. Previously, the guide used language such as “while valuations are low” in several areas. However, this language is assumptive, and may not accurately reflect the current market environment. To fix this, we changed the language to say “if valuations are low”.
- We changed (and added) references to important and relevant dates.
- We added additional language that clarified which types of loans are relevant.
- We spelled out the acronyms LTCGs and STCGs to make the guide more client-friendly and for stylistic consistency.
- We changed the title of the guide on the PDF to better reflect what the flowchart is accomplishing.
- Old title: Will I Receive A Step-Up In Basis For This Gifted Property?
- New title: What Is My Basis For This Gifted Property I Received?
- We added “i.e.,” introductory abbreviations to parenthetical content to maintain stylistic consistency with our guide library.
- Standardized guide references by adding “the” after “reference” to align with formatting used across all guides.
- Expanded the question “Are you a business owner?” by adding “(or do you have 1099 income)” to make it more inclusive and applicable to a broader range of client situations.
- Added “(if at least age 70.5)” to clarify the age requirement for making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).
- Updated the PDF title to “Can I Deduct My Traditional IRA Contribution?” to more clearly reflect the guide’s purpose.
- Standardized language throughout the flowchart by changing vague references like “IRA contribution” to “Traditional IRA contribution”, emphasizing the focus on contributions that may be deductible.
- Clarified a confusing transition in the flowchart: Previously, a question about Roth IRA contributions led to a follow-up box that referenced whether a contribution might be deductible, without specifying it was now referring to a Traditional IRA contribution. This caused some confusion about whether Roth contributions could be deductible (they are not). We resolved this by explicitly adding “traditional IRA” in the follow-up response to eliminate ambiguity and ensure a more intuitive experience for both advisors and clients.
- We redesigned the flowchart and removed all references to the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). The GPO and WEP are no longer relevant due to the passing of The Social Security Fairness Act.
More updates are on the way! Follow this post to stay informed as guide updates are released.
Our Purpose
All of us at fpPathfinder are here to facilitate more diligent communication between you and your clients about financial planning topics. To support you, our team creates checklists, flowcharts, and summary guides so you can navigate client communications with confidence. The process our team follows speaks to the purposeful craftsmanship with which we approach every guide.
If you are an fpPathfinder member, you already understand how important the updates are. It’s wonderful to have what you need at your fingertips. You’ll never wonder if you’re looking at the most current, relevant information, and you can proceed with confidence.
Not yet an fpPathfinder member? We can help you with that. You can visit the Become A Member page to explore Premier, Deluxe, and Essentials membership and select the one that moves you closer to your goals. If you’d like a more personalized experience, register for a live demo with the fpPathfinder team. Bring your questions and we’ll be happy to answer them on the spot.