Wealth Planning: Using technology to create a unified financial planning dashboard

09 Dec 2025

First seen in Money Marketing

Pensions, property, investments and everyday income have traditionally been managed separately from one another, with consumers forced to sign on to different platforms to see the full scale of their wealth, rely on their own spreadsheets or use budgeting apps (which keep closing). This, obviously, is not optimal. With the pensions dashboard ecosystem on the horizon, now is a good time to consider how technology can create a more unified and straightforward system, where money can be managed and modelled in one location.

Inheritance tax changes increases importance of integrated financial planning

The recent changes to inheritance tax, with pensions set to be included in taxable assets upon death from April 2027, mean it is more important than ever to see pensions directly alongside existing assets. This tax change raises the stakes for families with considerable pension pots, potentially pushing their estate value above key thresholds.

Likewise, property values have continued to climb steadily, with the average house price now roughly £269,000 and plenty worth more than that. Estate values are rising, and more than ever will cross the threshold into taxable territory. Seeing assets in one place would make wealth planning in later life considerably easier.

It follows, therefore, that effective retirement planning can no longer ignore the integration of pensions and property. Everything must be tested against tax, cashflow and legacy objectives to achieve the optimum retirement plan that aligns with an individual’s personal desires.

Evolving wealth planning tools

The good news is many tools already exist that can be built upon and enhanced to reach more and different assets. At Dunstan Thomas, for example, we use stochastic modelling tools that come with pre-built calculators and have been configured for cashflow modelling. It is not a stretch to suggest these tools could be extended to allow users and advisers to explore multiple assets including drawdown, real estate equity release, and surplus income.

The pension dashboard ecosystem, mandated for connection by the end of 2026 for large schemes, provides the technology to connect historically disconnected assets. Integrating this key technology into a location that is accessible for all boosts the chances of wide-scale engagement, allowing retirees to visualise the impact of selling their home, taking tax-free cash or deferring their state pension.

Multi-asset planning tools could also go some way to closing the advice gap, as non-advised savers could better understand and map out their finances, empowering them to make better, tax-efficient decisions about their money. Alternatively, they present an opportunity to engage savers in a way that they actively seek out and better appreciate the value of advice.

To keep users interested and ensure the best outcome possible for consumers, any asset planning tool should make use of clear visuals and use plain, accessible language. By doing this, savers can be sure of themselves and more confident in what they are looking at.

The regulatory framework is adapting to be open to the idea of tech as a key problem solver. The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) discussion paper DP24/3 signals openness to reviewing how multi-asset, tech-driven tools can play an increasingly important role. In it, the regulator acknowledges that “effective tools and encourages pension savers to think about and better plan for retirement in all stages of their pensions journey,” and “initiatives such as pensions dashboards are likely to increase consumer demand for digital tools to help them better understand their pensions and plan for retirement.”

In addition to this, parallel frameworks like Guided Retirement and Targeted Support are nudging firms to empower consumers at every touchpoint, delivering real improvement in outcomes.
Stochastic Modelling Tool

Data interoperability

Crucially, the next wave of innovation depends upon data interoperability. API standards from regulators can help to facilitate tool integration, ensuring modular planners, stochastic modelers and scenario tools can draw on up-to-date pension, property and income data, regardless of provider.

The retirement landscape must reflect the reality of today’s interconnected wealth landscape, incorporating property, pensions and income into one coherent, agile plan. With support from the FCA, and using existing tools as building blocks, next-generation technology can unlock better outcomes for consumers and provide major support in light of the new inheritance tax landscape.

It has been fascinating to see how Open Banking has changed consumer behaviour regarding everyday banking and how providers have adopted the technology. I can now see my bank balances from different providers on my app of choice. I hope pensions dashboard technology is the start of Open Investment and I wonder if it will be the traditional saving providers or the banks that will embrace the technology to its fullest to enable the holistic view to be created.

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