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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Black | Calrivan Wealth Management | Randolph | Not listed | Hourly |
| Erik Giard-Chase | Blue Slate Investment Management | Shelburne | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Erik Margetts | Prostatis Group | Winter Park | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Erik Thompson | Peerless Wealth | Columbus | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Erin Barry | Means Wealth Management | Bangor | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Erin Eliason | RiversEdge Advisors | Wilmington | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Erin Kerr | Choate Wealth | Boston | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Erin McMenemon | BCM Advisors | Lafayette | CFA | Percentage of assets |
| Ethan Braid | High Pass Asset Management | Denver | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Ethan Caldarelli | Atlantic Edge Wealth | Jacksonville | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Eugene Binunsky | Burton Enright Welch | Walnut Creek | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Evan Evans | Onyx Bridge Wealth Group | Exton | ChFC | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Evan Mills | Scholar Financial Advising | Winston-Salem | Not listed | Flat fee or retainer |
| Evan Moog | Wills Financial Group | Richmond | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Evgeniy Yashin | Signet Financial Management of Southwest Florida | Sterling | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Frank Alvarez | Tidemark Financial Partners | San Diego | Not listed | Flat fee or retainer, Percentage of assets |
| Frank Greene | Private Wealth Partners | Mill Valley | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Frederick Pryor | TFC Financial | Boston | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Gabriel McMennamy | Soulence Wealth Management | Amarillo | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Gabriel Newhof | JVL Wealth Strategies | Wyoming | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Gary Dorfman | Thryve Wealth Management | Santa Barbara | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Gary Gragg | Gragg Financial | Shelby | PFS | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Gary Lutes | Tillman Hartley | Denver | CFA | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Gene Hamstra | Lauer Wealth Management | Valparaiso | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Geoffrey Dougall | Wealth Advisors Northwest | Portland | PFS | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| George Boudreau | Oliver Wealth Management | Towson | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee |
| Gerald Skalsky | Clear Harbor Wealth Management | Destin | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Gerald Smith | Barnes Pettey Financial Advisors | Grenada | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Gerwin de Haan | Burton Enright Welch | Walnut Creek | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Gina Reeves | KEB – Kerber, Eck & Braeckel | St. Louis | PFS | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Gladys Limones | LifeSteps Financial | Claremont | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Goran Ognjenovic | Independent Investment Advisors | Hillsboro | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Grafton Howland | Howland Advisory | Dallas | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Grant Ball | Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Grant Germscheid | All Star Financial | Minneapolis | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Grant Hamstra | Lauer Wealth Management | Valparaiso | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Gregg Auerbach | Meadowbrook Advisors | Bedminster | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Grover Musser | Adams Brown Wealth Consultants | Hays | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Guillermo Amoretty | Amoretti Capital Management | San Francisco | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Harold Sawyer | Westover Capital Advisors | Wilmington | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Harrison Odaniell | Choate Wealth | Boston | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Henry Ford | LifeSteps Financial | Claremont | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Henry Winship | Pacific Point | San Diego | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Herbert Kraus | Teamwork Financial Group | Laredo | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Herman Hugo | Goodwin Investment Advisory | Woodstock | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Holly Cloutier | Alliance Private Wealth | North Reading | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Hossameldin Abdelkarim | Poise Investment Advisors | Germantown | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Howard Holmes | Holmes Investment Management | Brockton | CFA | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Hoy Grimm | LeConte Wealth | Maryville | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Ian McIlvaine | Vandalia Wealth | Charleston | 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.