4 Must-Have Reports for Financial Advisors Looking to Grow

Quick Answer: What Reports Help Financial Advisors Grow Their Practice? Independent financial advisors grow their practice by pairing sound advice with client-facing reports that make the numbers visible. Four reports do most of the work: Roth Done Right for Roth conversion and IRMAA analysis, Annuity Alpha for comparing annuity income against a brokerage account, Legacy Done Right for estate and wealth transfer planning, and Total Tax Burden for a fast look at a saver’s projected retirement tax bill. Each turns a complex strategy into something a client can see for themselves in the meeting.

What makes a client take action? It is not trust alone. It is trust built on understanding.

Today’s savers are working through a retirement picture that keeps shifting: legislative changes, Medicare surcharges, and a tax code that adjusts every year. Advice by itself rarely moves someone to act. Clients want to see the impact of that advice, in real numbers, on their own retirement.

So how can advisors take a complex financial issue and turn it into a recommendation a client can actually follow?

Here are four reports independent advisors use to help clients see, quantify, and act on the biggest risks they are likely to face in retirement.

This article shares general, widely available information. At Stonewood, we are not CPAs. We build analysis tools that help advisors evaluate the tax and income implications of strategies like Roth conversions for their clients. Be sure to work with a qualified tax professional on any specific client situation.

1 | Roth Done Right

There is a reason Roth conversions come up in almost every retirement planning conversation this year. Many advisors and analysts expect federal tax rates to move higher over time, even with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) extending today’s lower brackets. A “permanent” rate in tax law only means Congress has to vote to change it again, not that it will not.

Even when a client understands why a conversion might make sense, they do not always understand how much to convert, over how many years, or what it could mean for their Medicare premiums.

The Roth Done Right report is built to close that gap. The software models the projected tax and IRMAA cost of a client’s conversion over a multi-year horizon, not just the current year, and helps an advisor identify a conversion pattern that may reduce those costs. It accounts for both the short-term IRMAA impact tied to the two-year MAGI lookback and the longer-term IRMAA exposure a client may be trying to avoid by converting in the first place.

The analysis itself runs deeper than most clients have seen. The report is built to be shown, not filed away: large fonts, clear charts, and a side-by-side comparison a client can follow without a finance background.

For the current rules governing how these conversions work in 2026, see our guide to Roth conversion rules. Advisors comparing Roth Done Right against other planning platforms can also see our 2026 tax planning software comparison.

You can get a sample Roth Done Right report for one of your clients here.

2 | Annuity Alpha

As advisors, we know a properly positioned annuity can help many clients manage real risks in retirement: running out of money, a market drop early in retirement, and the uncertainty of not knowing how long savings need to last. Clients often arrive with a few misconceptions about annuities, and without a way to quantify the trade-off, those misconceptions tend to stick.

Annuity Alpha changes that conversation. The report analyzes the brokerage account growth rate a client would need to achieve to match the income a fixed indexed annuity (FIA) could provide, based on the FIA’s guaranteed income, subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuer. Some advisors have nicknamed it the “Ken Fisher Killer,” since it makes the case for guaranteed income clear against a straight systematic-withdrawal pitch.

The software works with any FIA illustration that includes a lifetime income benefit rider (LIBR), including products with guarantees and step-up benefits. For many independent advisors, the annuity conversation is the first sale that opens the broader relationship, with additional planning work following from there.

You can see how Annuity Alpha works here.

3 | Legacy Done Right

A conversion analysis and an annuity comparison cover two pieces of the retirement picture. What happens to a client’s assets after they pass is a third conversation many advisors never quite get to, even though it often carries some of the highest stakes for the family.

Legacy Done Right gives advisors a client-facing way to open it. The report compares the after-tax outcome of leaving a traditional IRA to heirs as it sits today against a repositioned strategy, often using life insurance, so a family can see what heirs may actually keep rather than a headline balance.

The report can also connect to the Roth conversation already underway. For clients weighing a conversion, Legacy Done Right shows both the lifetime tax picture and what is likely to be left behind, so the two decisions are not modeled in isolation. Advisors often find this analysis becomes a natural bridge to a referral conversation, since clients tend to share it with adult children or other family members involved in the estate.

Legacy Done Right works alongside the two reports above rather than replacing either one. Learn more about Legacy Done Right. Or Request a sample report.

4 | Total Tax Burden

Many savers assume that by the time they reach retirement, it is too late to make changes that would meaningfully lower their tax bill. In many cases, that assumption does not hold up. Some savers can reduce what they pay in taxes over retirement by taking a few simple actions now, whether that means converting to a Roth, repositioning assets, or using a life insurance strategy.

The Total Tax Burden report is built to make that opportunity visible fast. It analyzes the total taxes a client’s current strategy is likely to generate, alongside the potential tax savings of a conversion strategy, whether the eventual tax-free vehicle is a Roth account, a life insurance policy, or another option. The report does not require a tax return to run, so an advisor can use it early in a prospect meeting.

Many advisors treat it as a conversation opener with prospects and existing clients alike, then move into a deeper Roth Done Right analysis once the client sees the number apply to their own situation. For more on how advisors sequence this conversation across a client’s working years and into retirement, see our guide to tax planning strategies for retirees.

You can see a sample Total Tax Burden report here.

Why These Four Reports Work Together

None of these reports is meant to stand alone. A prospect meeting might open with a Total Tax Burden snapshot to establish the size of the problem, move into a full Roth Done Right analysis once the client is engaged, and close with Annuity Alpha or Legacy Done Right depending on what the client’s situation calls for.

Some advisors like to go deeper on the conversion side specifically. Our piece on roth conversion strategies and the break-even math behind them walks through how to frame the “when do I actually come out ahead” question clients tend to ask once they understand a conversion has a cost attached.

Stonewood is a tools and enablement partner for independent advisors, not an IMO. We do not distribute products or take a commission cut, and every report above works with any carrier, through any IMO, on an advisor’s own terms.

Could Your Clients Benefit from These Reports?

Whether the goal is educating prospects, increasing wallet share with existing clients, or giving your marketing a stronger call to action, these four reports are built to support real conversations and, over time, real practice growth.

If you are ready to bring a more visual, client-facing analysis into your next meeting, grab a time on my calendar here. I will walk through how the software works and how advisors like you are using it in practice today.

When clients can see the numbers clearly, they tend to decide with more confidence. That is what good advising is about.

Frequently Asked Questions

What reports do financial advisors use to grow their practice?

Independent financial advisors often use client-facing analysis reports that make a strategy visible in the meeting rather than explained in the abstract. Stonewood’s four reports, Roth Done Right, Annuity Alpha, Legacy Done Right, and Total Tax Burden, each turn a different planning question into a report a client can follow on their own.

What does the Roth Done Right report analyze?

Roth Done Right models the projected tax and IRMAA cost of a Roth conversion over a multi-year horizon and can help identify a conversion pattern that may reduce those costs. It accounts for both the short-term and longer-term Medicare IRMAA impact of converting, not just the income tax bill in the year of conversion.

How does Annuity Alpha compare an annuity to a brokerage account?

Annuity Alpha shows the growth rate a brokerage account would need to achieve to match the income a fixed indexed annuity could generate, based on the annuity’s guaranteed income, subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuer. It works with any FIA illustration that includes a lifetime income benefit rider.

What does the Legacy Done Right report show a family?

Legacy Done Right compares the after-tax outcome of leaving assets to heirs as they sit today against a repositioned strategy, often involving life insurance, so a family can see what heirs may actually keep after taxes rather than a headline account balance.

What is the Total Tax Burden report used for?

Total Tax Burden gives a saver a fast snapshot of the total taxes their current strategy is likely to generate, along with the potential savings of a conversion strategy. It does not require a tax return, so advisors often use it early in a first meeting.

Did the One Big Beautiful Bill Act make Roth conversions less urgent?

At Stonewood, our view is no. OBBBA extended today’s lower tax rates, but a permanent rate in legislation only means Congress has to vote to change it, not that rates will stay low indefinitely. Many advisors still see today’s rate environment as a limited window.

Is Stonewood an IMO?

No. Stonewood is a tools and enablement partner for independent financial advisors. Stonewood does not distribute products or take a commission cut, and its reports work with any carrier through any IMO.

Sources and References

All information in this article is general knowledge and widely available.

1. “One Big Beautiful Bill: Provisions for Individuals and Workers.” Internal Revenue Service Newsroom. 2025. Available online: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/one-big-beautiful-bill-provisions-individuals-and-workers
2. CMS 2026 Medicare Part B and Part D IRMAA Thresholds. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2026. Available online: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets