Patent ID: 8190502

Claim:
A financial planning method comprising: identifying, by a computing device comprising at least one processor, one or more financial planning objectives for a financial planning client; receiving, by the computing device, information relating to the one or more financial planning objectives; creating, by the computing device, a financial planning goal for the financial planning client based at least in part on an analysis of the information; associating one or more financial planning recommendations with the financial planning goal, wherein each of the one or more financial planning recommendations includes a proposed action to further progress towards the financial planning goal and a recommendation status; storing data identifying the financial planning goal and the one or more financial planning recommendations in a data store that is in communication with the computing device; storing, in a record of the data store, a first goal status associated with the financial planning goal and a first updated recommendation status of at least one of the one or more financial planning recommendations in response to receiving first input from a first application at a first time; storing, in the record of the data store, a second goal status associated with the financial planning goal and a second updated recommendation status of the at least one financial planning recommendation in response to receiving second input from a second application at a second time, wherein the second application is different from the first application; monitoring activity with respect to the financial planning client and at least one other financial planning client; detecting one or more financial planning trends based on the monitored activity; selecting a financial planning product in response to the one or more financial planning trends; and enabling incorporation of the selected financial planning product into subsequent recommendations.