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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veronica Dibble | Goodwin Investment Advisory | Woodstock | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Warren Burger | Luminary Financial Advisors | Cocoa Beach | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee |
| Warren Spoor | Sagace Wealth | St. Petersburg | PFS | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Wendy Wyatt | Prentice Financial Planning | Olympia | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Weston Bryan | Accruent Wealth Advisors | Winston-Salem | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Blake | PMG Family Office | Plano | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Bost | Absher Wealth Management | Raleigh | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Brilliant | Century Management Financial Advisors | Austin | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| William Cameron | Third Millennium Advisors | Barboursville | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Claiborne | Brockenbrough | Richmond | CFA | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| William Dippell | Milestone Money | Chicago | Not listed | Flat fee or retainer, Ongoing planning fee |
| William George | Luminary Financial Advisors | Cocoa Beach | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee |
| William Grant | Diamond Client Group | The Woodlands | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Hiatt | Red Door Wealth Management | Memphis | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| William Hudson | Miller Gesko Wealth Management | Buffalo | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Kennedy | RiskBridge Advisors | Norwalk | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Larson | William B. Larson, CPA | Dallas | Not listed | Hourly |
| William Martin | Steel Grove | Memphis | CFA | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| William McDavid | Flavin, Nooney & Person | Gainesville | PFS | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Moore | Whitney & Company | Rochester | CFA | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| William Scorpio | Diamond Client Group | Fair Oaks Ranch | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Velgersdyk | Strong Tower Wealth | Minneapolis | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Warnke | Pavlic Investment Advisors | Delafield | CFA | Percentage of assets |
| Yehoshua Sternbach | Yields4U | Melville | ChFC | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Yvonne Marsh | Marsh Wealth Management | Knoxville | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Zachary Gutermuth | Legacy Financial Independent Advisors | Louisville | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Zachary Harris | Bellars Harris Wealth Management | Virginia Beach | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Zachary Means | Means Wealth Management | Bangor | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Zachary Robinson | Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Zachary Willie | Oakridge Financial Planning (OFP) | San Antonio | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee, One-time planning fee |
| Aaron Downs | TSN Wealth & Tax Management | Brownsburg | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Aaron Izenstark | IRON Financial | Northbrook | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Performance-based fees |
| Aaron Jeffries | Nicholas Hoffman & Company | Atlanta | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Aaron Stern | Main Street Research | Lakeville | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Aaron Stolpen | Legacy Advisors | Plymouth Meeting | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Abel Reyes | Rimac Capital | Bayonne | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Abigail Chao | Cosmos Wealth | La Jolla | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Adam Bederov | Geometric Advisors | Oxnard | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Adam Dani | Napier Financial | Braintree | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Adam Powell | Private Advisory Group | Redmond | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Performance-based fees |
| Adrian Kutko | Lynx Investment Advisory | Washington | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Aina Moliner I Serra | Lynx Investment Advisory | Washington | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Albert Brown | Wealth Management Partners | Tucson | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Alejandra Peña | Modernist Financial | Portland | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Alexander Gambrell | Nicholas Hoffman & Company | Atlanta | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Alexander MacKnight | Rimac Capital | Bayonne | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Alexander Marek | Ironwood Wealth Management | Chandler | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Alexander Puziol | Manchester Capital Management | Montecito | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Alexandra Boyles | Alpha Capital Family Office | Greenwood Village | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Alexandra Day | Council Oak Wealth Advisors | Tulsa | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
Guides
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.