FAQ: Presenting complex estate waterfalls

Last updated: March 25, 2026

When working with complex households, full estate waterfalls can become difficult to read and overwhelming for clients.

This guide covers simple ways to present the same information more clearly.

Luminary Tip
Break complex estates into smaller, focused views. Clients will better understand how assets flow when each diagram tells a clear, specific story.

Why not use the full waterfall?

Full estate diagrams for complex families often:

  • Become difficult to read because they shrink to fit a page

  • Make it hard for clients to follow asset flows

Instead of showing everything at once, break the estate into simpler views.

Best practice: Separate summary and visuals

1. Start with the Summary page

Use the Summary page to explain:

  • Total estate value

  • In-estate vs. out-of-estate assets

  • Taxes, insurance, and charitable outcomes

  • What happens at each death event

This gives clients a clear, high-level understanding.

2. Use filtered waterfalls for clarity

Rather than presenting the full diagram, create filtered waterfall views to show specific parts of the estate.

Common examples:

  • In-estate assets

  • Out-of-estate assets

  • Individual spouse flows

To create a filtered view:

  1. Click Create Waterfall

  2. Name your view

  3. Select the death order

  4. Uncheck all entities

  5. Re-select only the relevant ones

  6. Click Create

These views are much easier for clients to read and follow.

Tips for cleaner diagrams

Keep diagrams compact

  • Aim for short and narrow layouts

  • This improves readability in presentations and PDFs

Important notes on filtered views

Estate tax tile

  • Always reflects the full household

  • Consider hiding it when presenting partial views

    • You can do this from the waterfall editing mode by clicking settings in the top left and checking "Hide tax tile"

Unexpected value changes

  • Values may increase due to flows from hidden entities

  • Add notes to clarify where assets are coming from

Using waterfalls in presentations

A simple structure:

  1. Start with the Summary slide (no diagram)

  2. Add filtered waterfall views (in-estate, out-of-estate, etc.)

This approach makes complex estates easier to understand without losing detail.