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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Mishoe | Absher Wealth Management | Chapel Hill | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Kevin Pira | Pira Wealth Management | Coralville | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Kevin Tucker | ProActive Capital Management | Topeka | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Kevin Zywna | Wealthway Financial Advisors | Norfolk | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| Kirsten Calambro | Oxford Planning Group | Woodstock | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Kirt Rezek | Professional Financial Management | Appleton | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Kirti Bhanushali | Dversify | Georgetown | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee |
| Kory Lackey | Cloud Capital Management | Seattle | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Kristian Fisher | Kachkovsky & Fisher | Phoenix | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Kristy Groth | Precedent Wealth Partners | Spring | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Kyle McGrath | Riverpoint Wealth Management | Chicago | CFA | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Kyle Smith | Precedent Wealth Partners | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Lance Pieper | Concentrum Wealth Management | San Jose | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Larry Denson | MDT Financial Advisors | Webster | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Lauren Mance | RiversEdge Advisors | Wilmington | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Lee Generous | Generous Wealth Management | Marshfield | CFP, ChFC | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Li-Wei Chang | 7Summit Advisors | Los Angeles | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| Lily Beitel-Horton | BSW Wealth Partners | Boulder | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Lindy Yoshida | BSW Wealth Partners | Boulder | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Lisa Brummett | Keen Wealth Advisors | Overland Park | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Locke Bielefeldt | Willamette Wealth Partners | Eugene | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| Logan Richard | Denver Private Wealth Management | Denver | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Lucas Kuchenberg | FORM Wealth Advisors | Lake Geneva | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| Lucas Mansberger | Breakwater Capital | Kalamazoo | CFP, CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Luke Delorme | Tableaux Wealth | Great Barrington | CFP, ChFC | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Luke Eberly | Drost Financial | Golden Valley | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Lynda Gregory | Boulder Canyon Financial | Lafayette | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| Lyndsey Monahan | Precision Wealth Strategies | Frisco | ChFC | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Malek Hage Hassan | RJ Patterson Group | San Diego | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Manuel Ortiz Aquino | Occidental Asset Management | Burlingame | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee |
| Margaret Swanson | Modus Advisors | Excelsior | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Maria Quintana-Pilling | North Berkeley Wealth Management | Berkeley | CFA | Percentage of assets |
| Mariah Champness | Christian Financial Advisors® | New Braunfels | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Marianne Inforzato | Fairman Financial | Berwyn | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Mario Payne | TOAMS Financial | Jacksonville | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Marisol Andreoni | Utopia Wealth Management | Coconut Creek | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Mark Andraos | Regency Wealth Management | Ramsey | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Mark Burka | Mendel Money Management | Northbrook | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Mark Hull | Mission Hills Financial | San Diego | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Mark Nortman | Capitol Family Office | Beaverton | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Mark Reitsma | Regency Wealth Management | Ramsey | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Mark Tracy | KM Capital Management | Austin | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Mark Vanderlinden | Professional Financial Management | Appleton | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Mark Witaschek | Aurelius Family Office | Bedford | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Marshall Brannock | Balentine Wealth Advisors | Atlanta | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Marvin Taylor | Taylor Financial Group | Roanoke | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Mary Boland | Brass Capital | Leesburg | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Mary Dal Nogare | Fairman Financial | Chesterbrook | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Mary Jo Staniszewski | Walkner Condon Financial Advisors | Verona | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Mary Van Nostrand | Van Nostrand Wealth Management | San Diego | CFP | Flat fee or retainer |
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.