# Financial Needs Analysis Software That Builds the First Draft for You

Source: https://wealthstack.io/advisor-guides/financial-needs-analysis-software-south-africa

By Vincent Heys, Founder of Wealthstack and qualified actuary. Last updated 2026-10-01.

> **In short:** Wealthstack produces a first-draft financial needs analysis from the client's onboarding answers, covering retirement, education, emergency savings, debt, dread disease, life cover, income protection and wills. Advisors keep full control and can override any calculation with their own.

A thorough needs analysis is the backbone of good advice. It's also one of the most time-consuming parts of taking on a new client.

Retirement, education, emergency savings, debt, dread disease, life cover, income protection, wills: the same foundations need to be covered for every client, and setting them up from scratch eats into time you'd rather spend advising.

[Wealthstack](https://wealthstack.io/advisor-guides/wealthstack-platform-financial-advisors-south-africa) produces the first draft automatically from the client's [onboarding answers](https://wealthstack.io/advisor-guides/digital-client-onboarding-fact-find-financial-advisors-south-africa), and leaves the professional judgement with you.

## What does the automatic needs analysis include?

Goals are created in two groups, wealth creation and wealth protection, based on what the client tells us during onboarding.

**Always created:**

- A retirement plan
- An emergency fund goal
- Wills and power of attorney for each spouse

**Created where the client's situation calls for it:**

- An education goal for families with children
- A home deposit goal if the client doesn't own a home
- Debt goals such as a bond, using the amounts captured at onboarding
- Critical illness (dread disease) goals for each spouse under 75
- Life cover goals for each spouse where there are dependents
- Income protection goals for anyone under 65 and still working

You can open each goal to see the calculation behind the target amount.

## Seeing the gaps straight away

A new dashboard shows each goal's target, with progress at zero until you allocate policies or investments to it. Once the client's portfolios come through, you link them to the relevant goals.

The shortfalls become obvious, and the client can see them too. That turns the needs analysis into something the client understands, not just a report they sign.

## Adding goals of your own

Beyond the automatic set, you can add goals from the goals tab, such as a home deposit or an investment goal for anything else the family is saving towards. Set the target amount and date, and Wealthstack calculates the savings needed to get there.

## Keeping control of the numbers

Every advisor has their own view on assumptions. If you disagree with Wealthstack's calculation on any goal, you can replace it with a custom calculation, enter your own amount, add notes, and attach your supporting spreadsheet or Word document.

That applies to protection goals too, so your recommendations on life cover, dread disease or income protection can reflect your own analysis.

## Planning for both spouses

Goals created for one spouse can be shared so the other can see them on their own dashboard. Both partners see the same plan, and every goal contributes to the family's [WealthScore](https://wealthstack.io/advisor-guides/client-portal-software-financial-advisors-south-africa).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Wealthstack do a financial needs analysis automatically?

It creates a first-draft set of goals from the client's onboarding answers, covering retirement, education, emergency savings, debt, risk cover and wills. You then review and adjust it.

### Can I use my own calculations?

Yes. Any goal can be overridden with a custom calculation, notes and supporting documents.

### Does it include dread disease and income protection?

Yes. Critical illness (dread disease) goals are created for spouses under 75, and income protection goals for anyone under 65 who is working.

## See how it works

If the needs analysis is what slows down every new client, we'd be happy to show you what Wealthstack can take off your plate. [Book a Demo](https://wealthstack.io/book-a-demo)