Creating a Household
Creating a Household
A household is the central unit of organization in Sterling. It represents a client relationship and contains all their financial data, documents, and advice history. Before you can enter facts or generate recommendations, you need to create a household.
Starting the Process
Click the Add Household button in the top navigation bar. You'll find it in the upper-right corner of the screen. A form will appear where you can enter the basic information.
First-Time Users
If you don't have any households yet, Sterling will prompt you to create one. Look for the "Create Your First Household" button on the welcome screen.
Fill out the Facts
Household Status
Choose whether this is a Client or Prospect. Prospects are potential clients you're evaluating. Clients are engaged relationships. You can change this status later as the relationship evolves.
Client Information
Enter the primary contact's first name, last name, and email address. The first and last name are required. The email address is optional but recommended for communication tracking.
Adding a Spouse
If the client is married, check the Married option. Additional fields will appear for the spouse's information. Enter the spouse's first name at minimum. Sterling uses this to generate appropriate advice for married filing jointly.
Automatic Naming
Sterling automatically creates the household name based on the people you enter. For example: "John Smith" for individuals or "John & Jane Smith" for married couples.
After You Click Create
Sterling creates the household and takes you directly to the Facts page. This is where you'll enter detailed information about the household's finances, assets, and circumstances.
The household is now ready for data entry.