Investment Portfolio Recommendation Tool for Financial Advisor

OVERVIEW A renowned independent financial advisor engaged us to develop a bespoke automation tool that streamlines the creation of personalised investment portfolio recommendations. Built entirely in Excel VBA, the solution transforms a previously manual, time intensive workflow into a fast, consistent, and scalable advisory process. It empowers the advisor to deliver high quality recommendations with improved accuracy, transparency, and operational efficiency. THE CHALLENGE The advisor needed a reliable way to produce tailored portfolio recommendations while managing a growing client base and an expanding universe of investment funds. Their existing process relied heavily on manual data handling, fragmented spreadsheets, and repetitive calculations. This created several challenges: • Maintaining an up to date and comprehensive fund database • Ensuring consistency across risk specific master portfolios • Incorporating clients’ pre existing investments without errors • Producing clear, graphical portfolio analyses • Managing multi user access securely in a SharePoint environment • Generating professional client ready outputs quickly The goal was to create a robust, secure, and user friendly tool that would eliminate manual bottlenecks and support the advisor’s high standards of service. SOLUTION We designed and built a custom Excel VBA application that automates the entire portfolio recommendation workflow. The tool centralises fund data, applies risk aligned model portfolios, integrates existing client holdings, and produces visually rich analyses. It supports multiple users, enforces secure login protocols, and generates polished PDF and email outputs for client communication. The result is a streamlined, repeatable, and audit friendly process that enhances both advisory quality and operational efficiency. KEY TECHNICAL FEATURES • Excel VBA Architecture Fully programmed in Excel VBA for maximum flexibility, compatibility, and maintainability. • Integrated in client's SharePoint environment. • Comprehensive Fund Database Centralised management of all investment funds, including updates, classifications, and filtering. • Graphical Portfolio Analysis Automated charts and visualisations that highlight allocation, diversification, and risk exposure. • Risk Specific Master Portfolios Maintenance and application of model portfolios aligned to defined risk categories. • Integration of Pre Existing Investments Seamless inclusion of existing client holdings for holistic recommendations. • Multi User Capability Supports distributed advisory teams with controlled access. • User Level Login & Password Protection Secure authentication with role specific permissions. • Automated Backup Facility Ensures data integrity and recovery readiness. • Email & PDF Output One click generation of professional client ready reports. IMPACT The advisor now produces personalised portfolio recommendations in minutes rather than hours. The tool ensures consistency across clients, reduces manual errors, and enhances the quality of client communication. With secure multi user access and automated backups, the solution supports long term scalability and operational resilience. Ultimately, it strengthens the advisor’s ability to deliver high quality, data driven investment guidance with confidence and efficiency.