Tag: Estate Planning

How Financial Integrators Turned Estate Planning into a Scalable, Revenue-Generating Service

About Luke & Financial Integrators

Based in Joplin, Missouri, Luke Taggart is a Financial Advisor at Financial Integrators, where he helps business owners and families bring clarity and confidence to every financial decision. His firm takes a holistic approach to financial planning, integrating retirement, tax, and estate strategies to create truly comprehensive solutions.

Luke is passionate about simplifying complex processes, especially estate planning, which many clients find intimidating. “Our clients want simplicity without compromising quality, and they want us involved in the process, not sidelined,” he explains.

He began his career as a paraplanner, gaining hands-on experience building strategies and supporting client relationships. Today, he continues to honor that foundation through a fiduciary approach centered on education, transparency, and long-term trust.

The Challenge: High Costs, Low Clarity

Estate planning was a persistent roadblock for clients at Financial Integrators. The traditional attorney route often came with high fees, opaque processes, and little collaboration between legal teams and advisors. As Luke explains, clients were discouraged by:

  • Cost barriers: Traditional estate planning felt overpriced, especially for those with simpler needs.
  • Disconnected processes: Advisors were often cut out of the loop, creating gaps in implementation and client understanding.
  • Client inertia: Many clients delayed estate planning simply because it seemed too difficult to start.

“People were overwhelmed or priced out of the process altogether. We needed something that clients could actually start—and finish—with confidence,” said Luke.

 

The Solution: Wealth.com

Luke and his team explored several platforms before choosing Wealth.com. The key differentiator was comprehensive functionality built for financial advisors.

“We tried other solutions, but none were as comprehensive. Wealth.com offers everything from document creation to visualization tools like Ester®, which are useful no matter where someone is in their estate journey,” Luke said. 

Wealth.com’s digital-first experience was a game-changer for Financial Integrators. Advisors can guide clients from onboarding and document creation to post-plan visualization and analysis. And because it’s built for advisors, it integrates seamlessly into existing workflows.

“It was very seamless getting started. We just plugged it into our process and hit the ground running,” said Luke.

 

The Impact: Better Client Engagement, Clear ROI

Since adopting Wealth.com, Financial Integrators has seen a measurable uptick in client engagement and satisfaction:

  • Increased trust: Clients now see the firm as a full-service provider, including estate planning.
  • Faster action: Clients who previously stalled are now completing their estate plans with confidence.
  • Visual feedback: Reports and visualizations make the value of the estate plan immediately clear.

In fact, Wealth.com has become so integral to Financial Integrators’ estate planning process that it’s now monetized as a core service, with pricing based on client complexity.

“We have seen more people trust our process as a one-stop shop for all things financial planning,” Luke said. “This is an integral part of our brand, and it has become our main solution for most clients.”

Luke notes that clients frequently comment on how easy the sign-up process is, how helpful the document creation tools are, and how visually impressive the estate plan reports have become.

“Wealth has given many clients peace of mind,” Luke said. “We have so many people who have wanted to get started with estate planning but have found the costs and process too cumbersome. This tool gives people the opportunity to set their estate up for success or reinforces what they need to know for documents that have already been created.”

Wealth.com has been a seamless addition to the firm’s existing processes and they’ve received excellent customer support from the Wealth.com team. “The usability for the advisors has given us no problems. Everyone at Wealth.com from the customer service team to the relationship managers have been superb,” Luke said.

 

Looking Ahead: Wealth.com as a Pillar of Planning

For Financial Integrators, Wealth.com isn’t just another tech tool—it’s become a foundational part of their financial planning ecosystem.

“This is the satisfier of our estate planning pillar. Whether a client needs simple documents or a revision, this is what we use,” Luke said.

To other advisors who are still evaluating their options, Luke offers simple advice:

“Give it a try with your clients. I think you’ll be impressed with the results and how naturally it fits into your practice.”

 

Want to See How Wealth.com Can Elevate Your Practice? Schedule a demo today at wealth.com/demo.

A special thanks to Luke Taggart for sharing his valuable insights on how Wealth.com has helped Financial Integrators streamline estate planning and offer more value to their clients.

 

How CLC Investment Advisors Added $30K in Revenue and Won a $1M Client in 4 Months

The Challenge: Referring Out and Losing Opportunities

Before Wealth.com, David Cadarette would refer clients to outside attorneys for estate planning, a process that was both cumbersome and created unnecessary complexity for his clients, many of whom faced analysis paralysis when it came to estate planning decisions. Despite his passion for estate planning education, referring clients elsewhere meant losing control of an essential part of the financial planning process.

“I can’t even count how many clients I’ve sent to local attorneys in my network for estate planning documents through the years,” David recalled. “This meant my clients had to schedule another meeting, drive across town, and juggle another relationship.”

The breaking point came when a promising prospect, whittled down from five competing advisors to just two, ultimately chose another advisor who offered estate planning in-house. “He told me, ‘I really like you, but this other guy does estate planning,’” David said. “That moment hit me hard. I knew I was missing something critical in my practice.”

The Solution: Bringing Estate Planning In-House with Wealth.com

Shortly after that experience, David attended a conference where his broker-dealer announced the rollout of Wealth.com.

“As soon as they introduced it, I walked to the front of the room and said, ‘Sign me up.’ I knew this would change my business,” he said.

Wealth.com allowed David to integrate estate planning directly into his client workflow. The onboarding was fast and intuitive, and his clients immediately saw the value. “The conversation is simple,” he explained. “‘Do you have your will and trust done?’ If they say no, I tell them we can collaborate and have Wealth.com create these documents right here in the office.”

David built a two-step client process: the first meeting walks through creating documents inside Wealth.com; the second is a formal signing appointment with printed, tabbed binders and notarization in-house. Each client leaves with both a physical binder and access to their digital vault.

He also introduced a pricing model with two tiers, one for clients and another for non-clients. The structure creates a powerful incentive for prospects to become ongoing advisory clients. “We had someone today who said, ‘I’ll take the one that’s $2,200 less,’ and became a client on the spot,” he said.

The Results: $30K in New Revenue and a $1M Client Win

“Within the first week, Wealth.com paid for itself,” David said. “Since onboarding, we’ve generated over $30,000 in new revenue and even converted a $1 million prospect who chose us because we offer estate planning.”

That single conversion came directly from a simple email to 300 seminar attendees announcing his new estate planning service. One recipient responded, scheduled an appointment, and ultimately brought $700,000 in managed assets and $300,000–$400,000 in annuities.

“For our firm, that was huge,” David said. “And it started with a three-line email that just said, ‘We can help you with estate planning.’ Wealth.com opened the door to conversations I couldn’t have before.”

David’s firm has added $25,000 to $30,000 in new revenue from Wealth.com within the first four months and continues to grow through regular estate planning seminars, where he introduces the concept of “simplified estate planning” as a cornerstone of comprehensive financial advice.

Client Impact: Emotional Wins that Build Loyalty

“I’ve had clients in tears after completing their estate plan,” David said. “For many, it’s something they’ve been putting off for decades. Wealth.com makes it easy, and it’s transforming how we serve our clients.”

One client, an 82-year-old man named David, had been procrastinating his estate plan for nearly 50 years. “We completed his documents, and when the progress bar turned green across the screen, he stood up in tears and started high-fiving me,” David recalled. “It was incredibly powerful to witness.”

Stories like that inspired David to design a creative client recognition idea. Each time a client completes their estate plan, he sends a framed “Estate Planning Achievement” certificate as a reminder of the milestone and a conversation starter with their peers.

“It’s an accomplishment worth celebrating,” he said.

The Future: Making Estate Planning a Core Growth Strategy

David believes Wealth.com has redefined how his firm delivers holistic advice. “Adding estate planning makes us a more well-rounded firm,” he said. “The opportunity is massive. Only a fraction of Americans have complete estate documents. Offering this service helps us reach a much broader audience.”

He also sees it as a differentiator in an industry where most advisors offer similar pricing and investment services. “We all charge roughly 1%. What sets you apart? For us, it’s that we can say, ‘We’ll help facilitate the creation of your will, trust, and healthcare directives right here in our office.’ Clients see that and immediately understand the value.”

When asked what he would tell other advisors considering Wealth.com, David didn’t hesitate: “It’s not another shiny object. It’s a genuine business growth opportunity. And the best part is, it helps clients accomplish something deeply meaningful.”

 

Want to See How Wealth.com Can Elevate Your Practice? Schedule a demo today at wealth.com/demo.

A special thanks to David Cadarette for sharing how Wealth.com helped CLC Investment Advisors bring estate planning in-house, drive measurable growth, and deliver greater value to clients.

 

 

 

How to Talk to Clients About Estate Planning Services

Editor’s note: This article provides general information for financial professionals. It is not legal advice. Follow your firm’s policies and the rules in your state.

Estate planning touches money, family, health, and legacy. Clients delay it because it feels complex or emotional. Advisors who frame the conversation with care help clients act, build trust, and show real value, while staying well inside the boundaries that avoid the unauthorized practice of law. The key is simple. Educate and facilitate, do not give legal advice or draft legal instruments. Use Wealth.com to guide clients through a structured process so they can complete their plan, then coordinate with an attorney when legal advice is needed.

Why Communication Matters in Estate Planning

Clear messaging reduces anxiety and sets the right expectations about roles.

Guiding principles

  • Lead with outcomes clients care about, such as clarity for family and reduced friction during stressful moments.
  • State your role up front. You educate, organize, and coordinate through Wealth.com. You do not provide legal advice.
  • Normalize the emotions, then make the next step simple.
  • Use plain language, avoid legal jargon.
  • Close with one concrete action, such as a scheduling link or a short intake.

Role clarity you can say verbatim

  • “My role is education and coordination. You will complete your estate plan in Wealth.com. If any additional legal guidance is needed, we will involve an attorney.”
  • “I can explain concepts in general terms. I cannot tell you which clauses to choose or interpret how a document would be enforced. During each step of the process, Wealth.com includes helpful educational guidelines.” 

Adapting Your Message to Different Pricing Models

Each talk track below positions Wealth.com as the client’s tool, keeps you out of legal advice, and makes the next step easy.

1) Included at no additional cost

Goal
Celebrate added value, clarify roles, invite immediate action.

In‑meeting talk track
“Protecting family and reducing headaches are top priorities for you. We have added estate planning support to your service at no extra cost. You will complete your plan in Wealth.com using a guided experience. My team will help you prepare information, answer planning questions in general terms, and coordinate with an attorney if you choose to involve one. Let’s schedule your estate planning session.”

Follow‑up email line
“Your service now includes access to Wealth.com. You can start your intake here [Link]”

2) Optional, stand‑alone service

Goal
Offer a clear choice, define scope and price, keep control with the client.

In‑meeting talk track
“Given your goals for the kids and the house, a clear estate plan would reduce stress and keep decisions in your hands. We offer an optional service that uses the industry’s leading estate planning platform, Wealth.com, for a flat fee. You complete the plan in the platform. We handle preparation, education in general terms, and coordination. If you would like legal advice, we will loop in an attorney. Would you like to review scope, timeline, and fee so you can decide?”

Follow‑up email line
“Attached is a one‑page overview of our Wealth.com service. If you want to proceed, reply yes and we will schedule your kickoff.”

3) Firm‑wide fee increase

Goal
Be transparent, connect the change to outcomes, outline what improves.

In‑meeting talk track
“Beginning January 1, our planning fee will increase. The change ensures every client receives a complete estate planning process. You will complete your plan in Wealth.com with our help on preparation and coordination. We will review for financial alignment and connect with an attorney for legal questions. Here is what is included and how it benefits your family.”

Follow‑up email line
“Our updated fee schedule takes effect on January 1. Your service now includes access to Wealth.com, along with an annual check‑in on beneficiaries and key roles. Use this link to begin your intake.”

Leading With Value and Empathy

Use this conversation framework to keep discussions clear and compliant.

C‑A‑R‑E Framework

  • Context. “Tell me what matters most for your family and how you want decisions handled.”
    Align. “Estate planning supports those priorities and removes guesswork. I can explain the concepts in general terms.”
  • Roadmap. “We will use Wealth.com to guide you through discovery, decisions, and documents. You complete the plan in the platform.”
    Engage. “Would you like to start with a short discovery session next week, or review an overview first?”

Plain‑language explanations

  • Advance directive, “Instructions for medical care if you cannot speak for yourself.”
  • Executor or personal representative, “The person who carries out your wishes.”
  • Funding a trust, “Moving the right accounts and property into the trust so it works as intended.”

High‑empathy phrases that keep clients in control

  • “At your pace, with your permission.”
  • “We will take this one decision at a time.”
  • “You decide who to involve. We will coordinate the process.” 

UPL Guardrails: What Advisors Can Do and What They Must Avoid

Advisors can

  • Educate clients on estate planning concepts in general terms.
  • Help clients organize information and beneficiaries, and prepare for decisions.
  • Facilitate client use of Wealth.com, including intake and next steps.
  • Review financial alignment, such as titling and beneficiary coordination across accounts.
  • Coordinate with the client’s attorney or refer the client to their attorney for legal questions. Wealth.com’s Attorney Partner Network is a nationwide network of vetted estate attorneys available to the platform’s users and financial advisors in all 50 states and US territories.

Advisors must not

  • Provide legal advice, recommend specific legal clauses, or interpret how a document will be enforced.
  • Draft legal language or modify legal provisions inside documents.
  • Select a document type for the client in a way that constitutes legal advice.
  • Represent that the advisor or the firm is providing legal services.

Red‑flag phrases to avoid and safer alternatives

  • Avoid “We will draft your documents.” Use “You will complete your documents in Wealth.com.”
  • Avoid “I recommend this clause.” Use “Here are common options and the trade‑offs at a high level. Your attorney can advise on the right clause for your situation.”
  • Avoid “This language will protect you in court.” Use “For legal guidance or interpretation, please consult an attorney.”

Strengthening Client Relationships Through Estate Planning

Estate planning creates valuable touchpoints that go beyond portfolio reviews.

Operational tips

  • Segment and prioritize. Life events such as a new child, home purchase, business sale, marriage, divorce, caregiving, or relocation are natural entry points.
  • Standardize your workflow. Intake, education session, client completes plan in Wealth.com, execution and storage, annual check‑in.
  • Clarify roles by title. Advisor educates and coordinates. Paraplanner prepares data. Attorney addresses legal advice.
  • Document the value. Track estate planning milestones in your CRM and surface them during reviews.
  • Nurture the next generation. Offer an onboarding session for adult children or trusted contacts that focuses on education and logistics.

Compliance tips

  • Use template language for disclosures.
  • Capture notes that confirm clients were advised to consult an attorney.
  • Route legal questions to counsel promptly. 

How technology helps

Wealth.com removes friction for clients and your team. Guided workflows organize information, keep everyone aligned, and make it easy for clients to complete their plan. Advisors stay focused on planning and coordination. Legal advice remains with attorneys.

Ready‑to‑Use Scripts and Snippets

Short opener for any meeting
“Before we wrap, I would like to spend five minutes on planning for life events. Estate planning keeps decisions in your hands. We use Wealth.com to make the process simple. I can explain the concepts and help you get started, and your attorney can address legal questions. Can we review next steps?”

Subject lines

  • Estate planning made simple, here is your next step
  • Your plan, your wishes, one easy process
  • Add peace of mind to your financial plan

One‑sentence value statement
“Estate planning turns your values into clear instructions your family can follow, completed in Wealth.com with our help on education and coordination.”

Call to action choices

  • “Schedule your estate planning kickoff.”
  • “Complete this two‑minute intake in Wealth.com so we can personalize your plan.”
    “Share the contact information for the person you would like to name in key roles.”

The Bottom Line

Great communication turns a sensitive topic into confident action. Whether estate planning is included, offered as an option, or introduced with a fee change, your message should highlight outcomes, clarify roles, and make the next step easy. Use Wealth.com to empower clients to complete their plan, keep legal advice with attorneys, and deliver a modern experience that clients appreciate.

Explore how Wealth.com helps advisors bring estate planning to every client. You can request a demo today.

Financial Advisors: Estate Planning, The Practice of Law, and You

By Jim Doppke, Esq., Robinson Stewart Montgomery & Doppke LLC

Financial advisors can assist clients in planning for their financial future, and their families’ futures, in many ways, and an important component of a holistic plan for financial well-being is an estate plan. Advisors who don’t have law licenses are not permitted to practice law.

Traditionally, lawyers have assisted clients with creating an estate plan. However, modern estate planning technology designed by lawyers now puts the power in the clients’ own hands, including by assisting their clients in creating an estate plan to weigh their personal situations against their legal options, and to create their own estate plans.

How can advisors make sure that they adequately address their client’s needs, while providing only the services they are authorized to provide?

What is the Practice of Law?

Only lawyers, or someone acting under their direct supervision, can engage in “the practice of law.” But how do we know what “the practice of law” is? The term doesn’t have a precise definition, but many authorities define it generally as performing any service that involves legal knowledge or legal skill. The “practice of law” can also be said to involve applying a legal principle to specific facts, even hypothetical facts that haven’t actually arisen.

Regulatory authorities have analyzed companies that provide estate planning services to consumers – especially services particularly relating to Living (or Revocable) Trusts. For example, in the estate planning space, one regulator found that a non-lawyer crossed into the practice of law by concluding, on behalf of another person (e.g., a client), that the person should have a Revocable Trust based on that person’s facts and circumstances. That’s because the decision of which estate planning vehicle is most appropriate for another person involves applying legal principles to that other person’s specific situations. That is the practice of law. If someone is not able to determine the appropriate estate planning vehicle for themselves, then a lawyer must identify whether a Will or Trust is most appropriate for that person.

So how can Wealth.com help?

Using Wealth.com

If a Wealth.com user is uncertain whether the foundational document for their estate plan should be a Will or a Revocable Trust, Wealth.com presents the user with an intake quiz. That quiz contains the factors that an attorney might normally use to determine if a Will or a Trust is most appropriate. The user responds to the prompts based on their own circumstances, and is presented with an option for a will-based plan or a trustbased plan – and with explanations for how the information they provided was reflected in the option presented. Importantly, the user then may choose one route over the other. Throughout the process, the advisors serving Wealth.com users do not give legal advice or legal services to the users.

Using the Advisor Dashboard, the advisor can review some of the information that the client enters into the software. But the advisor does not enter that information. Nor does  Wealth.com allow advisors to edit or create estate planning documents, or provide legal advice to clients about what legal means or objectives to pursue. The advisor can, however, review the client’s information – including, for example, summaries of key terms in estate planning documents and designations of trustees – and, if need be, refer the client to an attorney for legal advice about particular estate planning documents. At every stage in the process, Wealth.com makes advisors and clients aware that they are not giving or receiving legal advice or legal services.

Using the Wealth.com Advisor portal, the advisor can review the information that the client enters into the platform and send nudges and reminders to the client. That helps to make sure that the client completes the Wealth.com process. But the advisors themselves cannot make elections or decisions that could have a legal effect on behalf of the client, such as editing or creating estate planning documents, and they cannot provide legal advice to clients about what legal means or objectives to pursue, or how to pursue them.

The advisor also has full visibility into the client’s estate plan and tools. They can receive visual reports that help summarize, digest, and understand the structure and key provisions within the client’s estate plan. If need be, the client or advisor can generate a report that contains insights into the client’s estate plan. That report can highlight opportunities for updates, and it can signal when the client might want to consult with an attorney within Wealth.com’s carefully vetted network of trusts and estates attorneys.

At every stage in the process – and as early as the client registration process – Wealth.com makes advisors and clients aware that the advisor is not giving or receiving legal advice or legal services.

Legal Information & Financial Advice

What kind of advice can advisors give to clients?

While advisors must avoid giving legal advice – applying legal principles to specific facts – they can provide clients with both legal information and financial advice.

Legal information is factual and generic. It does not address any one particular client or set of facts. Governmental or regulatory websites often contain legal information regarding the statutes that govern a particular industry or area, and regarding an agency’s processes. As long as advisors do not analyze legal information with regard to the client’s particular situation, or recommend specific actions in light of the legal information, they can pass that kind of information along to clients.

Financial advice consists of recommendations of certain investments, products, or vehicles designed to help consumers meet their present and future financial goals. Financial advisors can analyze a client’s assets, liabilities, and other financial data in order to assist in planning the client’s strategies and holdings. Qualified financial advisors who are not authorized to practice law can provide many kinds of financial advice, as long as they do not draft legal documents, speculate on legal outcomes, or recommend that the client choose one particular legal course of action over another.

Examples

Below are some examples of the kinds of services an advisor using Wealth.com to assist his clients might provide, and brief discussions of whether those services could be considered the unauthorized practice of law (UPL).

  1. Providing the client the text of an IRS Alert: Not UPL, unless accompanied by specific advice, or recommendations for courses of action, based on the client’s particular circumstances.
  2. Advising the client regarding stock market trends with a view to making sure client has allocated assets appropriately for their goals: Not UPL, as this would be financial advice.
  3. Noticing that the client has no Will or Trust and advising the client what kind of estate planning document would be appropriate under the circumstances: Potentially UPL, as the advice involves determining a legal course of action. Wealth.com’s intake quiz can help guide the client in the right direction. Or an advisor can guide the client to seek legal advice, including by using Wealth.com’s network of attorneys.
  4. Noticing that the client has no Will or Trust and providing the client with access to Wealth.com for assistance in creating estate planning documents: Not UPL, as advisor is suggesting that the client seek appropriate assistance and directs client to the platform, on which the client can create documents for themselves.
  5. Noticing that a particular provision in a client’s Trust could cause assets to be distributed in a manner not in accord with client’s wishes, and advising the client to change that provision: Potentially UPL, as the application of laws to the client’s situation could give rise to giving legal advice. To avoid UPL, the advisor can provide the client with access to Wealth.com so that client can enter and analyze their own estate plan information. Or the advisor can recommend that the client seek the advice of an attorney, including one of the attorneys within Wealth.com’s network.
  6. Conducting a meeting with the client where the client clicks through the platform and makes decisions through the document creation workflows: Not UPL as long as the advisor does not answer questions regarding the legal implications of choices the client makes beyond the generalized information from the FAQs or other educational materials provided by Wealth.com.
  7. Suggesting to the client that either the client or the financial advisor can reach out to Wealth.com support if there are further questions: Not UPL. The Wealth.com support team is trained to triage, and to answer factual or product-related questions. Any legal questions are then forwarded to the legal department, which can then direct the client to the consulting attorneys in Wealth.com’s network for further assistance.

Contact Wealth.com today to start helping your clients to effectuate their estate plans and to achieve their financial goals. See the platform in action at www.wealth.com/demo.

 

2026 IRS Inflation Adjusted Numbers Reference Guide for Estate Planning

The IRS has officially released its inflation-adjusted numbers for the 2026 tax year. These can have a significant impact on transfer tax and estate planning. 

Due to the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the lifetime estate and gift tax exemption was previously announced in July with a new base of $15 million per individual. The IRS has confirmed this number for 2026 and further clarified that for tax years beginning after 2026, this new $15 million dollar base will again be adjusted annually for inflation.

In a notable departure from recent trends, the annual gift tax exclusion will remain at $19,000 for 2026. This breaks a four-year streak of increases. For those accustomed to the $1,000 yearly increase, it will be key to inform your clients that this amount is remaining unchanged. 

That’s why it is critical to review these 2026 numbers alongside your clients’ plans to understand if there is any impact or opportunities for new estate tax strategies next year.

We reviewed Revenue Procedure 2025-32 and pulled out the most relevant numbers for transfer tax planning to provide you, and your clients, a simple reference chart. View it below or download a version that you can keep handy.

Actionable takeaways & impacts

While the impact of these transfer tax planning numbers on your clients’ estate plans will depend on their financial situation, for example, individuals with a taxable estate well under $15 million are likely to be unaffected by the lifetime exemption, there are potential strategies you can employ for those that could be impacted.

Here are some examples of how you can use these numbers to create a strategy for affected clients in 2026:

1. Maximize lifetime wealth transfer

Your clients can contribute significantly to irrevocable trusts and/or make substantial gifts without incurring taxes due to the increase in the lifetime estate and gift exemption to $15 million for individuals and $30 million for married couples. 

This allows you and your clients to optimize their estate planning strategies.

2. Monitor taxable gifts

Next year, the annual gift tax exclusion is remaining at $19,000. 

If a client already has a gifting strategy in place, for example providing gifts to their grandchildren every year, make sure they know that unlike in previous years the non-taxable gifting amount should remain the same. 

You should also ensure that you’re helping them track their gifting amounts. If they exceed the $19,000 they will need to file a Form 709 to report taxable gifts.

3. Evaluate trust tax implications

If your clients are considering irrevocable trusts, you should assess who will be the taxpayer for the trust. If the trust is considered a grantor trust, your client (and not the trust) will report and pay the taxes on income generated inside the trust.

This evaluation helps your clients weigh potential estate tax savings against higher income taxes, providing a clearer financial picture for them. 

4. Understand non-resident alien tax implications

Be mindful of the different estate and gift tax thresholds that apply to non-resident aliens. These can have a significant impact on planning strategies. 

This chart will help you navigate those complexities more effectively.

5. Address expatriation and foreign gifts

For your clients that are considering moving to a foreign country, renouncing their citizenship or green card status and/or receiving large gifts from abroad, you should be aware of the reporting requirements and tax implications.

Staying proactive now will help ensure your clients are fully prepared for the 2026 changes. Use these updated thresholds to revisit their plans, refine your strategies, and position yourself as the trusted advisor who helps them make the most of every opportunity.

Closing the AI Divide: How Ester® Is Driving Measurable Enterprise Impact

According to a new report from MIT, 95% of enterprise GenAI pilots fail to scale. Wealth.com’s Ester® has defied the odds and is proving what success can look like for purpose-built AI in financial services. With 30,000+ documents processed in the last year, an 800% YoY growth spike in jobs completed, Ester shows that when AI is built for workflows, compliance, and measurable ROI, adoption follows.

The Enterprise AI Divide is Real

A new report from MIT’s NANDA initiative, covered by Fortune on August 18, 2025, reveals a stark reality: 95% of enterprise generative AI pilots fail to deliver meaningful revenue impact. Only about 5% of promising AI pilot programs achieve rapid revenue acceleration, while the vast majority stall out despite a flood of new AI products and features entering the market. 

After analyzing 300 public AI deployments, MIT researchers found a sharp divide between success stories and failed experiments. Importantly, the issue isn’t the quality of the models themselves. Instead, the report highlights a persistent “learning gap” inside enterprises: AI that isn’t embedded into workflows, budgets that over-index on sales and marketing instead of back-office automation, and fragmented adoption strategies that never scale.  

For financial services, the challenge is even more acute. Compliance, auditability, and operational accuracy are non-negotiable. Generic chatbots may offer flexibility for individuals, but they can’t support enterprise-grade adoption where regulators demand transparency and firms require consistency. Firms need tools that learn from the work, fit the work, and can be documented for regulators.

As the report notes: “Generic tools like ChatGPT excel for individuals because of their flexibility, but they stall in enterprise use since they don’t learn from or adapt to workflows.” — The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025 (MIT via Fortune, 8/18/25)

How Ester Solves the Enterprise AI Adoption Gap

Most AI pilots fail because they aren’t built for enterprise workflows. Ester is different. It was designed from the ground up for estate planning and real advisor use cases, which is why it’s gaining adoption across leading broker-dealers, RIAs, and custodians.

Where generic tools fall short, Ester succeeds because it’s:

  • Workflow-native: Embedded directly into the advisor experience, Ester makes it easy to upload estate documents, extract key details like trust terms, appointments, and assets, and produce a structured summary in seconds. This isn’t an add-on chatbot. It’s built into the way advisors already work.
  • Compliance-first: Every output is explainable, audit-ready, and securely contained. Information uploaded to Ester is treated like data in a vault: it will never be reused, reshared, or exposed to outside models.
  • Deeply integrated: Beyond summaries, Ester generates clear visualizations of complex estate structures, making it easier for clients to understand roles, outcomes, and amendments. It also supports real-time Q&A, helping advisors clarify terms and explore scenarios.
  • Purpose-built for financial services: Ester isn’t a wrapper on someone else’s LLM. It’s Wealth.com’s in-house AI, trained and tuned on the unique patterns, compliance requirements, and disclosure rigor that define financial services.

MIT’s research reinforces this approach: enterprises succeed more often when they partner with specialized vendors rather than trying to build generic tools internally. Internal AI builds succeed only one-third as often as building a partnership. Ester is proof of that principle. Firms don’t need to experiment with fragile DIY builds. They can adopt a domain-built, enterprise-ready AI that is already scaling in production.

Proof Points: Ester’s Measurable Impact

Ester’s growth is not theoretical. It’s measurable, repeatable, and happening inside enterprise workflows today. While most generative AI pilots never make it past the proof-of-concept stage, Ester is scaling across broker-dealers and RIAs with adoption metrics that speak for themselves.

  • 30,000+ documents processed all time (as of September 2025).
  • Sept 8–14: ~800% year-over-year growth compared to the same week in 2024.
  • Power users: Our top three most active enterprise customers each used Ester 100+ times in a single month, a signal of daily reliance, not experimentation.

What advisors are using Ester for
The most frequent workload? Revocable trusts with supporting documents, including amendments. This is important: advisors are turning to Ester for complex, high-stakes reviews, not trivial tasks. That trust signals Ester’s role as a workflow engine, not a novelty tool.

And it’s not just the numbers. Advisors themselves are validating the impact.

Danny McAuliffe, President of Brookstone Capital Management, explains how his firm uses Ester to simplify complex estate plans:

“Wealth.com’s AI extraction tool is one of the most useful features that we’ve come across so far. We’ve plugged some pretty complex estate plans in there, and it is really good. You can get an Ester summary in two to three minutes, and get a report that breaks a very complex estate plan down into a summary that is actually useful for clients to understand.”

 

Taken together, the usage growth and advisor feedback make one thing clear: Ester isn’t a pilot or a “chat layer.” It’s a workflow engine for estate planning designed to learn from document patterns, standardize advisor output, and deliver consistent attorney-grade documents at scale. It’s an enterprise-grade solution, already embedded in production workflows, delivering measurable ROI across financial services. 

What Financial Advisory Firms Can Learn

The MIT research is clear: enterprises succeed more often when they select specialized partners rather than trying to build their own generic tools. Ester’s success reinforces this. For financial institutions, the lessons are straightforward:

  • Choose domain-built AI. Generic chatbots weren’t designed for regulated industries and high-stakes work. Industry-specific models and tooling outperform because they’re designed with compliance, policy, and disclosure requirements in mind. Wealth.com’s Ester is purpose-built for estate planning and wealth management, with compliance and policy rigor baked in.
  • Start where ROI is measurable. The fastest wins come from automating back-office and review workflows, not flashy front-of-house demos. That’s where Ester has proven to cut time, reduce exceptions, and create measurable efficiencies.
  • Empower managers and advisors. Adoption scales when the people closest to the work can use AI directly in their day-to-day workflows. Ester is designed to fit seamlessly into those processes.
  • Make compliance foundational. Auditability, controls, and data safeguards aren’t optional. Compliance and security are foundational for AI to scale in financial services. With Ester, everything is secure.
  • Measure business impact, not hype. Real results come from metrics like jobs completed, documents processed, and reduced rework, not vanity stats. Ester’s enterprise adoption is proof of that.

The takeaway is clear: enterprises succeed when they partner with specialized platforms like Wealth.com, not when they attempt to reinvent AI in-house. Ester combines a powerful AI model with deep workflow integration and compliance alignment, delivering the kind of measurable ROI that generic tools can’t.

Where Estate Planning AI is Headed

Ester has already proven it can scale where most generative AI projects stall. But we’re only getting started. The next chapter of Ester includes:

  • Agentic capabilities that will automate multi-step advisor workflows end-to-end, saving even more time on complex estate planning tasks.
  • Deeper integrations across custodial platforms, CRMs, and document management systems—embedding Ester even further into the advisor tech stack.
  • Broader document coverage beyond trusts and supporting documents, with richer cross-document reasoning that gives advisors a full-picture view of every client’s estate plan.
  • Expanded governance controls for supervisory review, evidence capture, and regulatory alignment, ensuring compliance remains a core strength as usage grows.

Ester isn’t an experiment. It’s a proven, enterprise-grade AI platform that financial institutions are already using at scale to achieve measurable ROI. Where 95% of AI pilots fail, Ester is the counterexample, delivering results today while building for the future.

If you’re a broker-dealer, RIA, or enterprise ready to move past pilots and see real outcomes, now is the time to act.

👉 See Ester in action. We’ll map Ester to your current review workflows and show you benchmarks for time savings, quality improvements, and compliance alignment.

Sources

  • MIT NANDA, The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025, summarized by Fortune, Aug 18, 2025 (Sheryl Estrada).
  • Wealth.com internal product analytics, Sept 2025 (usage and adoption figures cited above).

Monetizing Estate Planning as a New Service for Financial Advisors and Firms

This article is based on general legal principles concerning this topic, and is not based on any specific jurisdiction’s laws and regulations or any financial advisor’s specific facts. Each financial advisor is encouraged to understand their compliance needs and seek their own legal advice on the unauthorized practice of law. Wealth.com is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

Financial advisors are navigating a shifting landscape. Clients expect more holistic planning, competition is increasing, and firms need to find ways to deepen relationships while also driving new growth. Estate planning has emerged as a critical, yet underutilized, service that not only enhances client relationships but also offers significant monetization opportunities. 

One of the most overlooked but powerful levers available to advisors today is estate planning.

Traditionally seen as a legal-only process, estate planning is now a cornerstone of true financial well-being. For advisors, it represents a rare dual benefit: the chance to deliver life-changing value to clients while creating measurable business upside.

The Growing Demand for Estate Planning

The United States is on the cusp of the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history. According to Cerulli Associates, an estimated $124 trillion will be passed down from baby boomers to younger generations by 2048 (Cerulli, 2024). This unprecedented transfer creates a pressing need for comprehensive estate planning services. Yet, a 2024 Caring.com survey found that only 34% of Americans have a will or estate plan, underscoring a significant gap in the market.

Advisors who can facilitate access and education to estate planning either directly or through strategic partnerships are better positioned to bridge this financial gap for the modern American investor and distinguish their firm in a crowded marketplace. Offering estate planning support fits naturally within clients’ evolving expectations for integrated solutions that address all aspects of their financial lives, and better position advisors to attract high-net-worth individuals and win the next generation. Three advisors using Wealth.com to offer estate planning report the following: 

  • Brad Gotto (Fiat Wealth Management): Brad said that Wealth.com has created a stickier relationship with clients who might otherwise shop around. “Wealth.com makes us sticky. Clients feel like we’re looking out for their legacy, not just their portfolio.” For his firm, that retention has real revenue impact.
  • Jason Oestreicher (Path Financial Partners): Jason emphasizes that estate planning isn’t just about protecting client families; it’s a growth driver. His firm has won new AUM as a direct result of offering Wealth.com, often enough that, in his words, “the software pays for itself.”
  • Will O’Roarke (Prime Capital Financial): Will has seen how estate planning changes the tone of client conversations. “Once clients see that we’ve addressed their estate plan, they open up to other planning discussions. It creates a level of trust you can’t get any other way.”

Together, these stories underline the real bottom-line truth: estate planning isn’t just a compliance box to check. Estate planning is a business growth strategy that can increase client retention, client engagement, and revenue.  

How Advisors Monetize Estate Planning

Digital estate planning platforms, like Wealth.com, sit at the center of this evolution. Wealth.com streamlines document creation, visualization, and collaboration, reduces administrative burdens, and safeguards advisors from unauthorized practice of law, all while enhancing client value. By lowering costs for clients and increasing advisor capacity, Wealth.com enables advisors to serve more households at scale. The result is stronger retention, deeper referral networks, and new revenue streams, all while positioning advisors as the central hub of their clients’ financial lives.

With this foundation in place, advisors have the flexibility to choose the monetization model that best fits their practice. The most common approaches include:

  1. Fee-Based Services: Some advisors charge flat fees or hourly rates for review of any existing estate planning documents, new estate plan creation or update, and annual maintenance. Since attorney fees for a basic estate plan typically run between $2,500 to $5,000 (and up to $15,000 and beyond for complex cases), advisors can offer a more affordable, client-friendly alternative. Advisors can charge flat fees or hourly rates for estate planning consultations, document preparation, and ongoing maintenance. 
  2. Subscription & Retainer Models: Other firms roll estate planning into an ongoing service tier, charging monthly or annual fees. This creates predictable revenue, builds consistent touchpoints with clients, and encourages deeper, long-term client engagement.
  3. Bundled Wealth Management Packages: Estate planning can be integrated into holistic wealth packages, for example, a “legacy planning package” that includes investment management, tax strategy, and estate planning. Integrating estate planning into comprehensive wealth management packages allows firms to increase their overall fee base.
  4. The “Software Pays for Itself” Approach: Some advisors choose not to bill directly for estate planning. Instead, they use their estate planning service as a differentiator to deepen client loyalty, attract new assets, and generate referrals. In these cases, the AUM growth more than offsets the cost of the software. One of our favorite examples of this strategy is when an advisor invites a client’s child at no cost to the child or client to set up the child’s foundational estate planning documents, such as a power of attorney, as part of their graduation milestone at age 18.

Implementation: Making Estate Planning Work in Your Practice

Understanding how estate planning can drive revenue is only the first step. Successful advisors also know how to put these strategies into practice. Implementing estate planning requires a balance of segmentation, smart use of technology, and effective client education. When done well, it transforms estate planning from a theoretical value-add into a core driver of trust, retention, and growth.

  1. Segment Your Clients and Assess Client Needs: While estate planning is relevant to every client, certain segments, such as business owners, retirees, and multi-generational families, stand to benefit immediately. Advisors who proactively review estate plans annually often uncover overlooked gaps and open new planning conversations. Estate planning should be positioned not as optional, but as the capstone to a truly holistic financial plan that ensures a client’s wishes and legacy are fully protected.
  2. Leverage Modern Technology: Digital platforms like Wealth.com transform what was once a high-friction, outsourced process into a scalable client experience. With tools such as document creation (wills, trusts, POAs, and more), secure digital vaults for critical records, and collaborative workflows that connect advisors, clients, and attorneys, technology increases knowledge and reduces complexity for all parties involved. Just as important, platforms like Wealth.com are designed with compliance in mind, and advisors are clear of practicing law while still elevating the client experience. By integrating these tools, firms can increase efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver a differentiated client experience that scales.
  3. Market Your Estate Planning Service: Even with the right systems in place, client engagement doesn’t happen automatically. Many individuals avoid estate planning due to discomfort, procrastination, or misconceptions. Advisors can break through that inertia by reframing the conversation around estate planning as an act of love for their families, a safeguard for their legacy, or a way to prevent future conflict and unnecessary costs.
  4. Educate Your Clients: Education is the key. Firms that use webinars, seminars, client newsletters, and digital content to illustrate real-world benefits, such as avoiding probate or minimizing estate taxes, position themselves as trusted experts. Sharing success stories and case studies makes the value tangible and helps clients see estate planning not as a task to postpone, but as a proactive step toward peace of mind.

The integration of estate planning into wealth management isn’t a passing trend. It’s fast becoming an industry standard. Advisors who embrace estate planning today can achieve higher client retention, create stronger referrals, deepen client trust, and launch new revenue streams.

The future of wealth management belongs to firms that can grow portfolios and protect legacies. Estate planning sits at the heart of that promise and advisors who adopt it now will lead the industry into its next era.

Wealth.com is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

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