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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Lee | Lee Financial Group LLC | Ladera Ranch | CFP, MBA | Ongoing planning fee, Percentage of assets |
| Austin Preece | Preece Financial Planning | Eau Claire | CFP, EA | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Autumn Knutson | Styled Wealth | Tulsa | CFP | Ongoing planning fee, One-time planning fee |
| Ben Earls | Earls Financial LLC | Fort Worth | CFP | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Bill Jensen | Acadia Financial Services LLC | Burke | CFP, EA | Ongoing planning fee, Percentage of assets |
| Bobby Cremins | Metanoia Financial | Philadelphia | CFP, CFA | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Brenda Hiscock | Objective Financial Partners | Toronto | CFP, RHU | Flat fee or retainer, Hourly |
| Brian Sirota | FirsTrust | Daytona Beach | CFP, ChFC, MBA, CFA | Percentage of assets |
| Brie Pio | Birch Point Wealth Management LLC | Rockport | CFP, MBA | Percentage of assets |
| Bryan Gum | Lighthouse Planning | Merriam | CFP, RLP | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Carmetta Joyner Practical, lecture-free planning that helps first-generation professionals organize their finances and put a custom plan into action. | Joyner Financial Planning LLC | San Francisco | CFP | One-time planning fee, Hourly |
| Cary Cates | Cates Financial Planning, LLC | Denton | CFP, EA, MBA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Cassandra Smalley | Cassandra Smalley Wealth Management | Seminole | CFP, CFA | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Chad Holmes Flat fee - fee only - fiduciary - Life Audit Creator | Formula Wealth | Fairhope | CFP, CPA | Flat fee or retainer, One-time planning fee |
| Chao Zhang | Think Different Wealth Advisors LLC | Allen | CFA, CFP, MBA | Percentage of assets |
| Charles Harper | Harper Financial Planning LLC | Columbia | CFP, ChFC, RICP | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Charles Stermetz | Equity For The Win (EquityFTW) | San Jose | CEP, CFP | Hourly, Fixed fees |
| Charles Terry | Shepherd Wealth Partners, LLC | Waxhaw | CAP, CFP | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Chris Haigh | Iconoclastic Capital Management LLC | Brooklyn | CFP, ChFC, RICP | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Christina Empedocles | Insight Personal Finance | San Francisco | CFP | Flat fee or retainer, Ongoing planning fee |
| Christopher Kehoe | R.W. Roge & Company, Inc. | Bohemia | CFA, MBA, AIF, CFP | Percentage of assets, One-time planning fee |
| Christopher Marrone | Marrone Wealth Management LLC | New York | CFP | Ongoing planning fee, One-time planning fee |
| Christopher Stroup | Silicon Beach Financial | Santa Monica | CFP, MBA, EA | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Courtney McKenna | Altfest Personal Wealth Management | New York | CFP, CLU, CFA, CPA/PFS | Ongoing planning fee |
| Craig Nelson | Red Sky Financial Planning, LLC | Wilsonville | CFP, CPA | Flat fee or retainer, Percentage of assets |
| Craig Toberman | Toberman Becker Wealth, LLC | St. Louis | CFA, CFP, CPA, MBA | Percentage of assets |
| DAN Honsberger Advice-only planning for complex situations, from taxes and insurance reviews to equity compensation and inherited IRAs, by the hour or ongoing. | Reel Financial Planning | Midlothian | CFP | Subscription, One-time planning fee |
| Daniel Wrenne | Wrenne Financial Planning | Lexington | CFP, ChFC | Flat fee or retainer, Ongoing planning fee |
| Daniel Yerger | MY Wealth Planners | Longmont | AIF, CFP, ChFC, MBA | Ongoing planning fee, Percentage of assets |
| Dave Rowan | Rowan Financial LLC | Bethlehem | CFP, MBA | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| David Lafferty | Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC | Philadelphia | CFP, MBA, JD, CAP | Percentage of assets |
| David Lyon | Lyon Wealth Advisory | San Deigo | CFP, EA, CRPC | Flat fee or retainer, Ongoing planning fee |
| Dominic Corabi | Wedmont Private Capital | West Chester | CFP, MBA | Flat fee or retainer, Ongoing planning fee |
| Ed Smith | Valor Wealth Partners | Washington | CFP, MBA | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Emily Rassam | Archer Investment Management | Austin | AIFA, CDAA, CFP, CRPS | Percentage of assets |
| Fabian Degen | FMD Wealth Advisors | White Plains | CFP, CFA, EA, CDFA | Hourly, Percentage of assets |
| Francisco Ayala | The Coleridge Group | Phoenix | CFA, CFP, MBA | Flat fee or retainer, Ongoing planning fee |
| Garrett Dresen | Harbor Horizon Financial | Wilsonville | CFP | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Gene Thompson | Iconoclastic Capital Management | Brooklyn | CFP, ChFC, RICP, Certified Student Loan Professional | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Gerardo Garcia Jr | Confianza Wealth Management | Vista | CFP, MBA | Flat fee or retainer, Ongoing planning fee |
| Glen Monroe | Monroe Wealth Management | San Francisco | CFP | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Glenn Brown | PlanDynamic, LLC | Framingham | CFP, CRPC, MBA | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Greg Gorski | Owl & Ore Wealth Planning | Pleasant Hill | CFP | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Hannah McVean | Objective Financial Partners | Markham | CFP, CIM | Flat fee or retainer, Hourly |
| Hannah Szarszewski | Blue Mountain Financial Planning, LLC | Lubbock | CFP, AFC | Ongoing planning fee, One-time planning fee |
| Harrison Hinz | First Pacific Financial | Portland | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| Hazel Secco | Align Financial Solutions | Hoboken | CDFA, CFP | Ongoing planning fee |
| Heather Townsend | Townsend Financial, LLC | Scottsdale | CFP, CPA, BBA, RLP | Ongoing planning fee |
| Helen Stephens | Aspen Wealth Management | Fort Worth | CEPA, CFP, EA, ChSNC | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Hui-chin Chen | Jade & Cowry | Arlington | CFP | Flat fee or retainer, Ongoing planning fee |
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.