Estate & legacy planning
Estate and legacy planning covers the coordination of wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, lifetime gifting, generation-skipping and dynasty planning, and the implementation work that sits between the attorney's documents and the household balance sheet. Advisors listed here coordinate closely with trusts-and-estates counsel and carry the plan forward through life events.
By the numbers
The Wellspent public graph lists 6,173 fee-only financial advisors focused on estate & legacy planning at 2,325 firms, most in Houston, San Diego and Austin. 44% hold the CFP certification. Of the 6162 with fees on file, 91% charge percentage of assets.
- Advisors listed
- 6,173
- Firms
- 2,325
- Cities
- 1,184
- Hold the CFP
- 44%
- Other credentials: CFA 9% · CPA 2% · EA 1%
- How they charge (of 6162 with fees on file): percentage of assets 91% · fixed fees 54% · hourly 44% · ongoing planning fee 12%
Source: Wellspent public graph, data as of . Shares are of advisors listed here; an advisor can hold several credentials or fee types. Methodology
Advisors with depth in estate & legacy planning
| Advisor | Firm | City | Credentials | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hideyoshi Watanabe | Choate Wealth | Boston | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Hogan Roberts | investgro | Brentwood | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Hubert Lenczowski | Private Wealth Partners | Mill Valley | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Hunter Smith | Keen Wealth Advisors | Overland Park | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Ian Cobb | Fluent Financial | Dallas | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Ian Robertson | Fouts Law Group | Manchester | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Ian Skurdal | RiskBridge Advisors | Eugene | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Ian Starkel | Starkel Wealth Advisors | Sarasota | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Isabella Tam | Beyond Wealth Advisory | South San Francisco | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jace Prows | Luminary Wealth Advisors | Mckinney | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Jackson Burk | FORM Wealth Advisors | Lake Geneva | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Jaclyn Gilbert | Saxon Financial Group | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jaclyn Gruber | LRC Aviation Advisors | Milwaukee | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Jacob Artz | Econ Wealth Management | Harrisburg | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Jacob Higgins | Campbell Asset Management | Chattanooga | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jacob Mardian | American Financial Planning | Roanoke | Not listed | Flat fee or retainer, One-time planning fee |
| Jacob Martin | S.E.E.D. Planning Group | Binghamton | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jacob Rosemeyer | Rosemeyer Management Group | Platteville | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Jacob Wandel | Plan Group | Fayetteville | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Jada Fouch | Blue Water Wealth | Portland | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Jadyn Kerns-Funk | Blue Water Wealth | Portland | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Jaime Boyer | Kachkovsky & Fisher | San Diego | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jake Cooper | High Probability Advisors | Albany | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Jake Miller | Rosemeyer Management Group | Platteville | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Jake Pendl | Sagace Wealth | St. Petersburg | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| James Billingsley | Plan Group | Oklahoma City | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| James Bode | Beck Bode | Dedham | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| James Demarest | Consilium Wealth Advisory | Frisco | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| James Forsyth | Keen Wealth Advisors | Overland Park | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| James Gallagher | Waterstone Financial Advisory | Fort Myers | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| James Garrison | Knightsbridge Wealth Management | Newport Beach | CFA | Percentage of assets, Performance-based fees |
| James Gissy | Fouts Law Group | Manchester | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| James Hershberger | Round Table Investment Strategies | Lincoln | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| James Hua | Opal Advisors | Bellevue | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Performance-based fees |
| James Leopold | Arkos | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| James Pritchett | Fouts Law Group | Woodstock | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| James Ridgeway | Leeward Financial Partners | Bellevue | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| James Schmidt | Schmidt Wealth Management | Fargo | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| James Spoor | Sagace Wealth | St. Petersburg | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| James Zagelmeyer | Lionshead Wealth Management | New York | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Jamie Langlow | TrueWealth Financial Partners San Diego | Bellevue | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Jamie Shelton | S.E.E.D. Planning Group | Binghamton | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jamie Tulip | Forth Capital | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jared Pearson | StrategyCap | Bend | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jared Van Slyke | KEB – Kerber, Eck & Braeckel | Springfield | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jared Vitztum | Adams Brown Wealth Consultants | Wichita | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jason Aluague | Haynie Wealth Management | Fort Collins | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Jason Fink | Graves Light Lenhart Private Wealth Management | Harrisonburg | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Jason Grohman | PLW Financial | New Braunfels | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee |
| Jason Kleinschmidt | Fairman Financial | Chesterbrook | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
Guides
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Estate attorney vs financial planner: who does what in an estate plan
An estate attorney drafts and signs the legal documents: wills, trusts, powers of attorney. A financial planner works out what those documents should do and keeps beneficiaries, accounts and taxes lined up. Most people need the attorney for the documents and a planner for the rest.
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Estate planning in Canada: what you need and what it costs
A Canadian estate plan is a will, two powers of attorney, up-to-date beneficiary designations and a plan for the tax due at death. The documents come from a lawyer or notary; a one-time plan from a fee-only planner costs a median C$1,900.
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Setting up an estate plan: the documents and the order
A basic estate plan is a will, a durable financial power of attorney, a healthcare directive and up-to-date beneficiary forms, plus a revocable trust for many families. Federal estate tax starts at $15 million in 2026, but some states tax estates from $1 million. A one-time plan from a fee-only planner costs a median $2,000.
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After a death in the family: the first 90 days
In the first 90 days, get death certificates, secure the home and accounts, find the will and let the deadlines set the order. Most money decisions can wait. A few can't, including Social Security paid for the month of death and, for estates that need one, an estate tax return due 9 months after the death.
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How to review your beneficiary designations
Beneficiary forms decide who receives your retirement accounts, life insurance and transfer-on-death accounts, whatever your will says. Check every form after a marriage, divorce, birth or death. A divorce doesn't reliably remove an ex from a workplace plan, and a 401(k) generally goes to your spouse unless they sign a witnessed waiver.
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Financial planning for a blended family
In a second marriage, the default rules often leave everything to the new spouse and nothing to children from before. Beneficiary forms, trusts and a written agreement fix that. A one-time plan from a fee-only planner costs a median $2,000.