Tag: Industry Trends

How to Navigate Next Generation Estate Planning Conversations With Millennial Clients

Many Millennial clients view estate planning as something they can address “later.” They may be building careers, raising young children, buying homes, or launching businesses, yet formal planning often sits at the bottom of their financial to-do list.

Advisors hear variations of the same refrains repeatedly:

  • “I am still young. I do not need a will yet.”
  • “We are not wealthy enough for an estate plan.”
  • “My partner knows what I want. That is enough for now.”

At the same time, Millennials are increasingly holding meaningful assets and decision-making rights that require structure. This includes equity compensation, concentrated employer stock, early-stage business interests, digital property, and young children who would require guardianship.

The misconception that estate planning is only for older or high-net-worth individuals can leave significant gaps. Advisors are in a strong position to correct that narrative and show next-generation clients that planning is about control, clarity, and protection of the people and values they care about most.

Why Estate Planning Matters for Millennials

Millennial clients often have complex profiles, even if their liquid net worth is still growing. Planning matters whenever there are people who depend on them, assets that need direction, or decisions that would otherwise default to state law.

Consider these common scenarios.

New parenthood
A couple in their early thirties has a toddler and another child on the way. They have life insurance and retirement accounts, but no will and no named guardian. If one or both parents die unexpectedly, family members may disagree over who should care for the children. A court will decide, and the process may be slow and emotionally draining.

Long-term unmarried partners
A client has lived with a partner for eight years. They share a home, but the deed and most accounts are in one person’s name. Without an estate plan, the surviving partner may have no legal right to remain in the home or to inherit assets, even if that was the clear intent.

Equity compensation and employer stock
A Millennial tech employee accumulates restricted stock units and stock options at a fast growing company. They assume everything will automatically transfer to their spouse if something happens. In reality, outdated beneficiary designations, plan rules, or lack of coordination with their will can lead to unintended outcomes or delays.

Entrepreneurial ventures and side businesses
A client runs an online store and holds intellectual property, trademarks, and vendor contracts. Without planning, it is unclear who can access business accounts, manage inventory, or sell the enterprise if the owner is incapacitated. Value that took years to build may quickly erode.

Blended families
A Millennial remarried parent has children from a prior relationship and a new baby with a current spouse. Without explicit instructions, state intestacy rules may not align with their intent to provide for all children and support the current partner in a balanced way.

Student loan and debt considerations
Some private student loans and personal debts may not be discharged at death, affecting co signers or spouses. Planning helps clarify how these obligations would be handled and how to protect the financial position of surviving family members.

Digital asset control
Clients store photos, creative work, and financial value across cloud services, social platforms, and crypto wallets. Without documented access and clear instructions, families may be locked out of accounts or lose digital value permanently.

Medical directives and decision making
A young professional has strong views about medical care and end of life decisions. If they do not have a health care proxy or advance directive, loved ones may face painful uncertainty, and medical decisions will default to statutory hierarchies rather than personal intent.

These situations are not theoretical. They play out in probate courts and family disputes every day. The role of the advisor is to translate these risks into practical, values based conversations that resonate with Millennial clients.

Advisor Talking Points and Conversation Starters

Advisors can normalize estate planning by integrating it into routine reviews and life event check-ins. The goal is to focus on clarity and education, not fear.

Here are conversation starters that support that tone:

  1. “If something unexpected happened tomorrow, who would you want to make medical decisions for you, and have you documented that preference anywhere?”
  2. “If you and your partner were both unavailable, who should care for your children, and would a court know that from your current documents?”
  3. “Do you know who would have legal access to your digital accounts, photos, or crypto wallets if you were not here to log in?”
  4. “Your equity comp and RSUs may not transfer the way you assume without updated documentation. Have you reviewed how those benefits fit into your broader estate plan?”
  5. “How would you want your partner or children supported financially if you were not here, and have you put instructions in place to make that happen?”
  6. “You have invested a lot of energy into your business. If you were unable to run it for six months, who could legally step in and make decisions?”
  7. “You mentioned causes you care deeply about. Would you like some portion of your estate or future liquidity events to support those organizations?”
  8. “Right now, state law has a default plan for your assets and decisions. Would you like to design your own plan instead?”
  9. “We review your investments regularly. I would like to do the same for your estate documents so you stay aligned with your goals.”
  10. “What would peace of mind look like for you when it comes to your family’s financial future?”

These prompts open the door to deeper dialogue without relying on worst case scenarios or scare tactics. Advisors can use these prompts to surface goals, family dynamics, and planning gaps. Legal advice and document drafting belong with an estate planning attorney or attorney supported solution. 

How Advisors Can Reframe the Value of Planning
Millennial clients respond well when estate planning is positioned as part of their overall life design. Advisors can:

  • Present planning as a tool for control, not fear; clients are choosing who makes decisions and how their assets support the people and causes they care about.
  • Emphasize that a thoughtful plan reduces avoidable legal burdens for loved ones, which aligns with many clients’ desire to “not leave a mess.”
  • Connect estate planning to milestones Millennials already prioritize, such as protecting children, securing a home, formalizing a long term partnership, or documenting ownership in a side business.
  • Frame planning as a pillar of financial wellness, in the same category as emergency funds, insurance, and retirement savings.

When clients see estate planning as an extension of the work they are already doing with their advisor, the process feels more approachable.

Practical Tips for Advisors During These Discussions
Advisors can improve engagement and follow-through by making the process concrete and manageable.

Practical mini checklist for an estate planning conversation

  1. Confirm life stage details: children, partner status, business interests, major assets.
  2. Ask one or two open questions from the list above to surface priorities.
  3. Identify the most pressing gaps, such as guardianship or lack of a health care proxy.
  4. Outline a simple sequence, for example: “First, we will confirm beneficiaries; next, we will establish key documents; then we will revisit annually.”
  5. Agree on clear next steps, including introductions to legal resources or a digital planning platform.

Additional best practices:

  • Tailor examples to the client’s life stage and values, for instance focusing on guardianship for new parents or business continuity for entrepreneurs.
  • Emphasize flexibility and remind clients that plans can be updated as careers, families, and assets evolve.
  • Bring both partners into the conversation early so each person understands the plan and feels ownership of the decisions.
  • Use simple visuals or checklists to break down the components of a plan, such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and directives.
  • Introduce estate planning during natural transition moments such as job changes, stock vesting events, home purchases, or the birth or adoption of a child.

Why Technology Matters for Next Gen Clients

Millennial clients are accustomed to integrated digital experiences in banking, investing, and day to day life. They expect clarity, transparency, and relatively quick execution. Estate planning that relies solely on paper forms, long delays, and opaque processes can feel out of step.

Modern estate planning platforms can help close that gap. They typically offer:

  • Guided workflows that reduce friction, translate legal concepts into plain language, and help clients identify which documents they need.
  • Digital document creation with real time visibility into progress, so clients can see where they are in the process and what remains outstanding.
  • Secure collaboration environments where advisors, attorneys, and clients can share information without email chains and version confusion.
  • Mobile-friendly experiences and intuitive interfaces that meet clients where they already manage much of their financial life.
  • Clear compliance features and audit trails that document activity, support fiduciary oversight, and reinforce trust.

For advisors, using technology in this area is not about replacing professional judgment. It is about making the planning process more accessible and aligned with how next-generation clients already interact with financial services.

How Wealth.com Complements the Advisor’s Role
Platforms such as Wealth.com are designed to bring financial strategy and legal structure into closer alignment. When advisors integrate a modern estate planning tool into their practice, several benefits often follow.

  • Attorney-supported workflows help ensure that documents reflect current legal standards and that clients receive appropriate legal guidance while the advisor focuses on financial strategy.
  • Collaborative tools allow advisors to stay involved, from initial education through implementation and ongoing updates, without needing to manage every legal detail themselves.
  • Centralized digital storage and organization of estate documents reduce the risk that critical paperwork is lost or outdated, and make it easier to revisit the plan as life changes.
  • Time savings result from simplified data gathering and document preparation, which can free advisors to focus on higher-value planning discussions.
  • The overall client experience feels more modern and consistent with other digital financial tools, which is especially important when serving Millennials and other next-generation stakeholders.

In this model, the advisor remains the trusted guide who frames the “why” behind planning and helps clients connect estate decisions to their broader financial objectives. Wealth.com functions as an infrastructure layer that supports efficient, compliant, and understandable execution.

Millennial clients may not always see estate planning as urgent, but many already have the relationships, responsibilities, and assets that make planning essential. Advisors who introduce these conversations early, in a calm and values-based way, can help clients avoid unnecessary complexity later and build deeper trust in the process.

By combining clear education, practical examples, and technology-enabled tools such as Wealth.com, advisors can offer an estate planning experience that aligns with next-generation expectations for simplicity, transparency, and speed. Starting these discussions now, rather than waiting for a crisis or major life event, positions both clients and advisors for a more secure and intentional future.

A Curated Guide to Client Holiday Gifting for Advisors

Holiday gifting is one of the few “high touch” moments on the calendar that every client expects, yet few advisors use strategically. The right gift can quietly reinforce your value, signal that you understand what matters to a family, and open conversations about goals, legacy, and well-being.

Below is a curated list of thoughtful, modern ideas across a range of price points. Each is designed to feel personal, elevated, and aligned with a fiduciary, planning-forward mindset.

 

 

1. Charitable Giving Card in the Client’s Name

Ideal for: Philanthropically minded households, business owners, and clients who prefer “less stuff.”

Suggested range: Approximately $25 to $250, adjusted for your firm’s limits.

Where to buy:

Why it works

A charity gift card lets clients direct funds to causes they care about, which makes the gesture feel values-aligned rather than transactional. It reflects well on your practice because it frames generosity and impact as part of the planning conversation, not an afterthought. Clients often share with you why they chose a specific charity, creating a natural opportunity to discuss legacy planning, donor-advised funds, or structured giving strategies in the new year.

 

2. Gourmet Food Gift Box

Ideal for: Food lovers, multi-generational families, and clients you rarely see in person.

Suggested range: Wide range, from under $50 to premium boxes.

Where to buy:

Why it works

A curated food box feels celebratory, shareable, and easy for you to scale across a book of business. Services like Goldbelly ship regional specialties and restaurant-level experiences nationwide, which makes the gift feel more considered than a generic basket. When families enjoy it together, your name is associated with a moment of connection rather than simply a logo on a tin. For top households, you can tailor boxes to dietary preferences or hometown favorites, signaling that you remember the details.

 

3. Legacy Storytelling or Memoir Service

Ideal for: Long tenured clients, retirees, and family matriarchs or patriarchs.

Suggested range: Mid-tier, roughly $75 to $150.

Where to buy:

Why it works

Services like StoryWorth email weekly prompts, collect stories, and compile them into a printed book. Framed as “a way to preserve your family stories,” this gift aligns naturally with your role in helping clients protect both financial and non-financial legacies. It conveys that you see the client as a whole person, not just an account. Discussing the stories during future meetings can deepen multi-generational relationships and keep you top of mind with heirs who read the finished book.

 

4. Personalized Stationery or Note Cards

Ideal for: Executives, professionals, and clients who value thoughtful communication.

Suggested range: Typically $40 to $100 for a boxed set.

Where to buy:

Why it works

A set of personalized stationery is both practical and elevated. It reinforces the idea that handwritten notes still matter, which complements the way many advisors nurture relationships. Minted and similar services offer high quality paper and modern designs, so the gift feels tailored rather than generic. When clients use the stationery to write to their own network, your name is associated with something they are proud to send.

 

5. Professional Family Photo Session Gift Card

Ideal for: Families with children, milestone years, or clients who have moved or downsized.

Suggested range: Premium, typically $250 and above, depending on the market.

Where to buy:

Why it works

Professional photos are something many families want but rarely prioritize. A photo session gift card can be framed as “capturing the people you are really planning for.” Services like Flytographer connect families with vetted photographers in hundreds of cities, which is especially helpful for clients who travel frequently. The resulting images may end up displayed at home for years, turning your gift into an ongoing reminder of the relationship.

 

6. Custom Photo Book or Legacy Album

Ideal for: Established clients, new grandparents, and families experiencing big life transitions.

Suggested range: Roughly $40 to $150 depending on size and format.

Where to buy:

Why it works

A gift credit for a premium photo book encourages clients to curate and print their memories instead of leaving them on phones. Artifact Uprising, for example, focuses on archival materials and modern design, which makes the finished books feel like true keepsakes. That pairs naturally with conversations about legacy, guardianship, and what clients want their families to remember. Offering to cover a book after a major life event, such as a wedding or birth of a grandchild, shows you are paying attention.

 

7. Mindfulness or Meditation App Subscription

Ideal for: High-stress executives, caregivers, and clients navigating major transitions.

Suggested range: Typically $50 to $100 for a one year gift subscription.

Where to buy:

Why it works

Gifting a mindfulness app says, “I care about your well-being, not just your balance sheet.” Both Calm and Headspace offer guided meditations, sleep content, and stress management resources that many clients will actually use, especially during a hectic holiday season. It reinforces the idea that your role includes supporting good decision-making, which is easier when clients feel rested and regulated.

 

8. Online Learning Membership for Personal or Professional Growth

Ideal for: Lifelong learners, entrepreneurs, and rising professionals.

Suggested range: Mid to premium tier, often around $100 to $200 annually.

Where to buy:

Why it works

An online learning membership aligns cleanly with the theme of growth. MasterClass, for example, bundles classes across business, leadership, creativity, and wellness that can complement your planning work in areas such as career transitions or business strategy. Invite clients to share what they are learning in your next review meeting. That keeps conversations future-focused and positions you as a partner in their broader aspirations.

 

9. Elevated Desk Set: Notebook and Pen Clients Will Actually Use

Ideal for: Business owners, professionals, and clients who still work full time.

Suggested range: Roughly $50 to $150 for a notebook and pen combination.

Where to buy:

Why it works

A well made notebook and pen set is something clients can use daily, which keeps your relationship subtly present in their workspace. Choosing neutral, timeless designs avoids anything that feels overly branded. This type of gift aligns with planning conversations where you encourage clients to capture goals, questions, or “parking lot” items between meetings. It conveys respect for their time and work, and it feels appropriate at a wide range of asset levels.

 

10. Financial Literacy Bundle for Children or Grandchildren

Ideal for: Multi generational planners, grandparents, and clients focused on legacy values.

Suggested range: Typically $30 to $100.

Where to buy:

Why it works

A small bundle that might include an age-appropriate money book, a savings jar, or a “first investment” themed journal shifts the holiday conversation toward financial literacy for the next generation. Sourcing books from services that support independent bookstores, such as Bookshop.org, can also appeal to socially conscious clients. You can follow up by offering a short family meeting on basic investing or budgeting, which positions you as a resource for the entire family, not just the primary account holder.

 

11. Local Experience or Dining Gift Card

Ideal for: Busy professionals, new parents, or clients who value time together more than physical items.

Suggested range: Flexible, often $100 to $300 dollars for a meaningful outing, adjusted to your policy limits.

Where to buy:

Why it works

Experiences create memories and give clients something to look forward to in the new year. A thoughtfully chosen restaurant or a flexible travel card communicates that you want them to enjoy the wealth they have worked to build. For households that travel frequently or split time between locations, an experience-centric gift also aligns with conversations about lifestyle planning. When you reference the outing at your next meeting, it invites a more personal recap than a traditional check-in.

 

12. Handwritten Year in Review Note with a Small, Personal Keepsake

Ideal for: All clients, especially when paired with other gifts for top households.

Suggested range: Very budget-friendly; often under $25 per client, depending on the keepsake.

Where to buy:

  • Personalized ornaments or small keepsakes on Etsy

Why it works

Even when you opt for more substantial gifts, a handwritten note summarizing the year, acknowledging key milestones, and expressing appreciation is often what clients remember most. Pairing it with a small, meaningful object such as a personalized ornament or simple desk item adds a tangible reminder without feeling excessive. This is particularly helpful when you need a compliant, low value option that still feels personal and aligned with your brand.

 

13. National Parks Annual Pass

Ideal for: Clients who enjoy traveling, being outdoors, hiking, and recreational activities.

Suggested range: $85 per client ($80 for the pass, $5 for processing fees).

Where to buy:

Why it works

An annual pass to the U.S. National Parks system invites clients to create experiences with the people they care about. It aligns naturally with conversations about using wealth for time, travel, and shared memories. The pass covers entrance fees at thousands of federal recreation sites for a year, so it feels generous without being flashy.

 

14. Virtual Cooking Class

Ideal for: Couples, families, and busy professionals who want a “night in” that still feels special

Suggested range: Varies, from a pasta-making class for $29 to premium experiences starting at $185 per person.

Where to buy:

Why it works

A virtual cooking class brings families or couples together for a shared experience at home. Providers offer digital gift vouchers that can be redeemed for live or on demand classes, often focused on specific cuisines or techniques. This type of gift is memorable and story-worthy, which means clients are likely to mention it in future conversations. Framing it as “a night in” that they can schedule on their terms respects their time and creates positive association with your practice as a source of enjoyable, low friction experiences.

 

15. Custom Illustrated Family Portrait

Ideal for: Households that enjoy personalized, meaningful gifts, clients who recently experienced a major life event like a new baby, wedding, or moving into a new home

Suggested range: Budget-friendly; $10-$100

Where to buy:

Why it works

A custom family portrait or illustration, often created from a favorite photo and including pets, becomes a highly personal piece of home decor. Many artists let clients customize outfits, poses, and names, turning the illustration into a keepsake. This gift says very clearly that you see the family behind the balance sheet. It fits beautifully with estate and legacy planning since it will often hang in a central spot at home and be seen by multiple generations, quietly keeping your relationship in the background of family life.

 

A Brief Compliance Reminder

This guide is for general informational purposes. It is not legal, tax, or compliance advice. For advisors affiliated with broker-dealers, gifts provided in connection with business are typically subject to limits under your firm’s policies and may also be limited by rules such as FINRA Rule 3220, often referred to as the “Gifts Rule.” The current version of Rule 3220 generally prohibits giving more than $100 per recipient per year in business-related gifts and requires firms to keep specific records.

FINRA has proposed increasing that limit, and the Securities and Exchange Commission is still reviewing the proposal, including a potential move toward a higher cap per person per year. Your firm may also apply stricter policies than the rule itself.

Practical guardrails to keep in mind:

  • Confirm your firm’s written policy on gift limits, aggregation, and approval workflows.
  • When in doubt, favor lower-value, widely scalable gifts that are clearly business-related or de minimis.
  • Keep simple records showing what you sent, to whom, and the approximate value.
  • When you are an RIA or dual registrant, coordinate across entities so gifts are treated consistently.

When you are unsure, your compliance team is the best source of current, firm-specific guidance.

 

Using Holiday Gifting to Reinforce Your Brand

Holiday gifting is most effective when it is intentional. The goal is not to “wow” clients with price, but to choose gestures that quietly reinforce who you are as an advisor.

  • Gifts that highlight family, memory, and legacy support your positioning as a long-term planner.
  • Gifts centered on learning, wellness, and experiences underscore your role as a partner in their whole life, not just their investments.
  • Thoughtful personalization, even at modest price points, signals that you listen carefully and remember what matters.

When you select gifts through that lens, each package or email is another touchpoint in a consistent client experience. Over time, that consistency builds familiarity and trust, which is ultimately more valuable than any single gift.

 

Digital Assets in Estate Plans: The Six-Figure Question Your Clients Aren’t Asking

For financial advisors managing the complexity of estates, the frontier of wealth planning is no longer focused solely on tangible assets. It is digital. Your clients hold substantial value in airline loyalty points, cryptocurrency, and domain names: assets that are often entirely invisible to their estate planners. This gap is no longer a niche problem; it is a fiduciary liability and a significant missed opportunity for bringing deeper client value.

Every estate plan that remains silent on digital property risks permanent financial loss for beneficiaries and creates unnecessary legal and administrative friction for the fiduciaries administering the estate and the family’s financial advisors. To close this gap at scale, fiduciaries and advisors require a modern, integrated platform designed to secure all client wealth. Wealth.com empowers advisors to transition from managing historical wealth to safeguarding the modern reality of their clients’ full financial lives.

The Scale of the Hidden Asset Class

The term “digital assets” encompasses far more than just financial technology. It includes any online account, file, or data that holds either monetary or sentimental value. These assets have grown in value and complexity at an exponential rate, yet estate planning practices have largely lagged.

 

Type of Digital AssetMonetary Value PotentialRisk of Loss in Estate
Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.)High; often six- or seven-figuresHighest; requires awareness of existence, knowledge of private keys or seed phrases when stored in a cold wallet
Online Business Assets (Loyalty Programs such as Airline Miles or other Credit Card Rewards Programs)High; cash flow savingsHigh; requires awareness of existence
Cloud-Stored Files (Digital Art or Photos, emails, family photos, voice recordings, videos and other files with sentimental value uploaded to a cloud service)Sentimental and administrativeMedium; requires ability to access account and successfully download or transfer assets
Social MediaSentimental or reputationalLow

 

The collective value of digital property, including cryptocurrency and digital assets held globally, is measured in the trillions of dollars. According to the IMARC Digital Asset Management Market Size, Share, Trends and Forecast Report, The market for digital asset management—which includes the systems required to manage this content—is projected to be a multi-billion dollar sector, underscoring the substantial enterprise attention being paid to this asset class. Advisors must position themselves ahead of this trend to capture the planning opportunity.

The Core Problem: Security Versus Access

The primary barrier to including digital assets in an estate plan is the inherent tension between security and fiduciary access. Digital assets, especially decentralized ones like cryptocurrency, are designed to be accessible only with specific, private credentials. The security that protects the owner during life is precisely what locks out the fiduciary after death.

Consider a common scenario: A client, a dedicated cryptocurrency investor, dies with over $200,000 in crypto holdings stored in a cold wallet. The client’s Will names a spouse as the executor, but the spouse was never informed where the seed phrase (the recovery key) was stored. Despite the legal document stating the spouse is the sole heir, the court is unable to access the funds. The money remains locked on the blockchain, permanently inaccessible to the estate. In addition, the bureaucratic elements of interacting with the companies that control the digital asset (like Facebook for social media accounts and Apple or Google for cloud-stored content) can be a source of distress for the family.

A will or a trust may grant legal authority to the executor, but it does not provide the practical access required by the digital asset custodian. Without specific instructions for access, a substantial portion of the client’s wealth can be lost forever. Wealth.com solves this critical access problem by providing a secure, centralized system for managing explicit access directives separate from the public-facing legal documents.

The Legal Framework: RUFADAA and the Hierarchy of Consent

Advisors cannot afford to rely on generic language that applies to traditional assets. The management of digital assets after death or incapacity is primarily governed by the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), which has been adopted in over 45 states.

RUFADAA established a clear, three-tiered hierarchy for determining how a fiduciary can access a client’s digital assets, with the client’s direct, explicit consent overriding nearly everything else.

  1. Online Tools (Highest Priority): A client’s instructions made through the custodian’s own platform (e.g., Google’s Inactive Account Manager, or Facebook’s Legacy Contact) override all other legal documents and the custodian’s Terms of Service.
  2. Legal Documents: In the absence of an online tool, a client’s express directions in a will, trust, or power of attorney control the fiduciary’s access. This requires clear language specifically addressing digital assets in all three legal documents. This explicit power is often missing from older estate planning documents.
  3. Terms of Service (TOS): If a client provides no direction via an online tool, or legal document, the custodian’s Terms of Service agreement dictates access.

For the client, the power of attorney, will and trust are critical tools. By using a durable Power of Attorney with express authority, an agent can manage digital assets during a period of incapacity. Wealth.com makes it simple to place digital assets in your client’s trust during life (“funding” the trust) and the forms provide explicit powers to the executor, trustee, and agent, ensuring that they have the best chances to access the client’s digital assets once something happens to the client. 

A Practical Conversation Guide for Advisors

To effectively incorporate digital assets into an estate plan, you must move beyond basic financial reviews and become a proactive digital asset manager for the firm’s clients. This begins with a simple, direct conversation.

The Three-Question Digital Asset Diagnostic:
Use these three questions in your next client review to identify planning gaps:

  1. “Do you have any assets that exist only online?” This moves the client past the definition of “crypto” and includes frequent flyer miles, domain names, investment account logins, and cloud storage. The focus is discovery, not valuation.
    1. It is common for heirs to struggle dividing and transferring points from rewards programs like frequent flyer miles or credit card rewards. If your client has valuable points, help them look into the program’s policies for post-death transfers.
  2. “If you were to become suddenly incapacitated, does your designated fiduciary (Trustee, Executor) have the credentials to access those assets?” This highlights the access problem. The client may have the account listed, but does the fiduciary have the private key or access to the device to complete multi-factor authentication (MFA)?
  3. “Where do you currently store the access information (passwords, private keys, seed phrases) for these assets?” If the answer is “in my head,” “on a sticky note,” or “in the Will,” the advisor must intervene to advocate for a secure digital document management strategy. 

The Wealth.com platform provides a proprietary, secure digital vault where fiduciaries can find necessary access information only upon authorization, eliminating the risk of paper-based or public record exposure.

How Wealth.com Modernizes Digital Asset Planning for Your Firm

Wealth.com empowers advisors to close the digital asset gap and deliver comprehensive estate planning solutions at scale. The platform is purpose-built to address the unique compliance, security, and access challenges presented by modern wealth.

  • Integrated Digital Vault: The platform’s digital vault provides a secure, single source of truth for all client documents and digital asset credentials. This eliminates the risk of losing private keys or relying on the flawed approach of listing passwords in a public Will.
  • Advisor-First Efficiency: By integrating estate planning with digital asset management, the platform streamlines the entire client experience. You spend less time tracking down scattered information and more time delivering high-value advice, driving efficiency and client impact for your firm.
  • Comprehensive Planning: The platform’s technological and legal depth ensures that whether the client’s wealth is invested in a mutual fund or stored in a cold storage wallet, the estate plan is truly modern and comprehensive, protecting the full scope of their financial legacy.
    • Points to Consider:
      • Will your clients be successfully passing any objective value in the digital assets to your intended beneficiaries? Examples include inheritance of frequent flyer miles or crypto.
      • Did your client set up the post-death access and control rights to someone where possible? Examples include social media like Facebook or cloud-storage access.
      • Does your client grant post-death access and control rights to their executor/trustee through their will or trust?

By adopting Wealth.com, you deliver better client outcomes by moving beyond outdated, fragmented processes and reinforcing your firm as the trusted expert in securing wealth for the digital future.

Sources

  • Carolina Estate Planning. Why 90% of Crypto Holders Will Accidentally Disinherit Their Families.
  • Kitces, Michael. Why Managing Digital Assets is Critical In Estate Planning.
  • IMARC. Digital Asset Management Market Size, Share, Trends and Forecast by Type, Component, Application, Deployment, Organization Size, End-Use Sector, and Region, 2025-2033.
  • Uniform Law Commission. Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA).

 

Wealth.com Named to the 2025 CB Insights’ List of the 100 Most Promising Fintech Startups

NEW YORK, October 23, 2025 – CB Insights today named Wealth.com to its eight annual Fintech 100, showcasing the 100 most promising private fintech companies in the world. 

“This year’s Fintech 100 showcases a new generation of companies turning AI, automation, and digital assets into the backbone of financial infrastructure,” said Laura Kennedy, Principal Analyst at CB Insights. “This year’s winners are building the infrastructure that will share the future of financial services.”

The list features early- and mid-stage startups driving the evolution of fintech. Utilizing the CB Insights Strategy Terminal, the 100 winners were selected based on several factors, including CB Insights datasets on deal activity, industry partnerships, investor strength, hiring momentum, and private company signals such as Commercial Maturity and Mosaic Scores. CB Insights also reviewed Analyst Briefings submitted directly by startus and leveraged Scouting Reports, powered by CB Insights’ Team of Agents. 

Quick facts on the 2025 Fintech 100: 

  • The 100 winners include 20 companies across digital assets solutions, 16 in financial operations and HR, 14 payment companies, and 13 in wealth management. 
  • 60+ companies on the list deploy AI in their solutions, and AI agents in particular are moving from workflows to financial infrastructure.
  • $5.6B in equity funding raised over time, including more than $2B in 2025 so far (as of 10/22/2025). 
  • 60 companies from outside the United States, across 26 countries on 6 continents. 
  • 640+ business relationships since 2021, including with industry leaders like Mastercard, Visa, Worldpay, Coinbase, and Circle. 

Fintech 100 - CB Insights 2025

About CB Insights
CB Insights is the leader in predictive intelligence on private companies. It delivers instant insights that help you source and analyze private companies, focus on the right markets, and stay ahead of competitors. Our AI agents are powerful because they translate signals into the exact outputs your teams need to move first – defensible, sourced, and board-ready. To learn more, please visit www.cbinsights.com

Contact: [email protected]

About Wealth.com
Wealth.com is the industry’s leading estate planning platform, empowering 1,000+ wealth management firms to modernize the delivery of estate planning guidance to their clients. As the only tech-led, end-to-end estate planning platform built specifically for financial institutions, Wealth.com helps drive scale and efficiency, meeting client needs across the wealth spectrum.

The company has been widely recognized for innovation and leadership, including winning Best Estate Planning Technology and Best Estate Planning Implementation at the 2025 WealthManagement.com Industry Awards, being named the 2024 Best Technology Provider in the Trust category, CEO Rafael Loureiro receiving the Advisor Choice Award for Technology Providers: CEO of the Year, and as the #1 estate planning platform in the 2025 Kitces Advisor Technology Survey.

Contact: [email protected]

Wealth.com selected for Google’s Inaugural Gemini Founders Forum

PHOENIX – October 15, 2025 — Wealth.com, the leading end-to-end estate planning platform for financial advisors, today announced its selection to Google’s inaugural Gemini Founders Forum, a global program recognizing 53 AI startups from nearly 1,000 applicants. Hosted at Google’s Mountain View headquarters on November 11–12, the two-day summit brings together a select group of founders working hand-in-hand with experts from Google Cloud and Google DeepMind to accelerate innovation and shape the future of artificial intelligence.

Wealth.com’s inclusion underscores its position as an AI leader in wealth management technology, where its proprietary AI, Ester, powers intelligent workflows that help financial advisors and their clients visualize and summarize estate plans with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

The inaugural Gemini Founders Forum will bring together a diverse cohort of global startups leveraging AI to redefine industries, from healthcare to finance to climate technology. Participants will collaborate directly with Google engineers, researchers, and product leaders to tackle technical challenges, refine product strategy, and scale their impact globally.

Wealth.com’s proprietary AI, Ester, has been developed by an in-house team of experts from leading technology companies and is purpose-built for the wealth management industry. It helps advisors review estate plans in minutes, streamlines compliance workflows, and identifies opportunities for advisors to strengthen client relationships and grow assets under management.

To learn more about Wealth.com’s AI-driven platform for financial advisors, visit Wealth.com.

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).

What We Launched at Wealth.com’s 2025 Summer Product Event

The Highlights:

  • Massive momentum: Cetera (12,000+ advisors), Schwab strategic investment, and Commonwealth exclusivity (2,300+ advisors).
  • Live today:
    • Smarter documents & reports (PDF-embedded signer checklists, standardized page numbering, custom report pages).
    • Ester® AI upgrades: open-ended Q&A, side‑by‑side answers from Gemini, Claude, Meta & Mistral, linked citations, follow‑ups with context, rich text editor, folder-level uploads, and more.
    • Planning enhancements: Ownership Balance Sheet flexibility, EstateFlow auto-populated tax & exemption data, client creation without email.
    • Security: SOC 2 Type II, PCI-DSS, AES‑256, per-document keys, and Vault upgrades (multi-file upload, “Presentation Materials” category).
    • Advisor enablement: Advisor Marketing Kit and Wealth Academy (self-paced, CE-ready content coming).
  • Coming later this year: Atomic Components—full visual, layout, and brand-level customization of Wealth.com.
  • New service: Mobile Notary—$175 for one document, $300 for an entire plan, with personalized scheduling to meet your clients where they are.
  • Stay current: Real-time legal and tax updates (including Washington’s estate tax changes and DC’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act) flow directly into EstateFlow, Report Builder, and more.
  • Save the date: The Estate Planning Conference — January 26–28, 2026, Montelucia Resort, Scottsdale, AZ. Admiral William McRaven, Michael Kitces, and Larry Fitzgerald will headline the event.

A year of momentum, and we’re just getting started

At the event, Co-Founder & CGO Tim White walked through a run of milestones that underscore how quickly estate planning is moving from “nice to have” to core infrastructure for modern wealth management:

  • April: Partnership with Cetera brings Wealth.com access to 12,000+ advisors nationwide.
  • Two weeks later: Charles Schwab makes a strategic investment—pairing modern, AI-driven innovation with a legacy of fiduciary trust.
  • May: We booked the Montelucia Resort for our first-ever industry conference—The Estate Planning Conference—January 26–28, 2026.
  • June: WealthManagement.com names Wealth.com a finalist in six categories, including Estate Planning Tech, AI Innovation, and CEO of the Year.
  • The very next day: Commonwealth Financial Network selects Wealth.com as its exclusive estate planning solution for 2,300+ advisors.

These aren’t isolated wins—they’re a signal of where the industry is going and who’s building the rails.

What’s live now: Platform innovations & AI enhancements

Danny Lohrfink, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer, showcased the product you can use today, not a roadmap.

Sharper document & reporting workflows
  • PDF-embedded signer checklists with exact page references and signature guidance.
  • Standardized page numbering across multi-document plans for a seamless client experience.
  • Report Builder, upgraded: Insert custom pages with editable text—think Goals & Objectives, Decision Makers summaries, and firm-branded takeaways.
Ester® gets (a lot) smarter

Ester®, the first AI legal assistant trained specifically on estate planning documents, just received major upgrades:

  • Ask open-ended questions (“Does this trust allow discretionary distributions?”).
  • Model transparency: See side-by-side answers from Gemini, Claude, Meta, and Mistral.
  • Linked citations in the Executive Summary—hover to see precisely where answers came from.
  • Conversational follow-ups with full context for deeper exploration.
  • Rich text editor to format and personalize replies before sharing.
  • Folder-level uploads: Drop an entire estate plan (trusts, wills, directives, etc.) and Ester® reviews it all at once.
  • One-click feedback helps our in-house AI team continuously improve.
Faster, cleaner planning
  • Ownership Balance Sheet: Rearrange columns, visually separate in- and out-of-estate assets, and set custom historical valuation dates.
  • EstateFlow: Auto-populates exemption and state-specific tax rates based on the client’s address.
  • Client creation without email: Stand up models and reviews faster—perfect for prospects or uninvited household members.
Security, elevated

Trust is non-negotiable. Wealth.com is SOC 2 Type II and PCI-DSS certified; data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256), and every document has a unique encryption key. The Vault now supports multi-file uploads and a new “Presentation Materials” category for easy storage and sharing of client-ready deliverables.

Coming later this year: Atomic Components

Think of this as granular control over every pixel. Fonts, colors, layouts, interactions—everything can be configured to reflect your brand. Our goal isn’t to extend your brand. It’s to let our outputs become your brand. Rollout begins later this year.

Legal experience & Mobile Notary (live today)

Alaina Lacter, Senior Product Counsel, highlighted how our in-house legal team—with experience from Willkie Farr & Gallagher, McDermott Will & Emery, Commonwealth, Fox Rothschild, and more—keeps you aligned with evolving law and regulation.

Introducing Mobile Notary (now available)
  • Request directly from Wealth.com—we coordinate with your client to schedule the notary (and witnesses, if needed).
  • Clients can initiate it, too, right from their portal—advisors stay in-the-loop without the back-and-forth.
  • Simple, transparent pricing:
    • $175 for a single document
    • $295 for a full estate plan

No more delays due to logistics. Higher completion rates, faster turnarounds, and a better client experience.

Note: Some accounts may not have access to mobile notary yet.

Real-time legislative updates, built in

From Washington State’s estate tax changes to DC’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, our legal + product teams push updates directly into EstateFlow, Report Builder, and all tax/exemption logic—so you never operate on stale numbers.

Want to go deeper on the One Big Beautiful Bill? Visit Wealth.com/OBBB for:

  • A CFP CE-eligible session led by in-house counsel Dave Haughton
  • Client-ready PDFs that clearly explain what changed and why it matters
  • More resources to help you turn hundreds of pages of legislation into minutes of clarity

Integrations, marketing enablement & education

David Thompson, VP of Product Strategy, walked through how we’re expanding the Wealth.com ecosystem so estate planning snaps directly into your tech stack and client journey.

Deeper, faster integrations
  • eMoney: Import client profiles and asset data in seconds—no manual entry.
  • Black Diamond: Bring in client assets and flow them throughout the platform.
  • More coming soon: Advyzon, Orion, and MoneyGuide Pro.

Check our integrations page for the latest lineup.

Announcing the Advisor Marketing Kit (available today)

Everything you need to launch, promote, and scale your estate planning offering:

  • A three-part email campaign
  • Customizable press release
  • Client presentation deck (in-person or virtual)
  • Office flyers & posters
  • Six social media graphics (multiple colorways)
  • Animated explainer video with your logo
    Folder design template for printed materials
Wealth Academy
  • Wealth Academy: Our new learning hub, with self-paced courses that mirror the in-app experience—plus advisor-led sessions, CE content, and more on the way.

A follow-up email to all attendees will include the full recording and a direct link to the Advisor Marketing Kit.

See you in Scottsdale: The Estate Planning Conference (Jan 26–28, 2026)

Tim White and Danny Lohrfink closed with one more big invite:

We’ve bought out the Montelucia Resort in Scottsdale for The Estate Planning Conference—a first-of-its-kind, industry-defining event for modern advisors and firm leaders.

Keynotes & featured speakers include:

  • Admiral William McRaven
  • Michael Kitces
  • Larry Fitzgerald

If you’re building for the future of wealth management, this is where you need to be. Reserve your spot at Wealth.com/EstateCon.

Watch the recording. Talk to us.

We’re just getting started. Thanks for building the future of estate planning with us.

What the One Big Beautiful Bill Means for Advisors And Clients

Signed into law on July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act brings sweeping and permanent changes to the tax code. Whether you find it beautiful or not, the law is here, and it’s here to stay, at least until Congress says otherwise.

At Wealth.com, our job is to help you cut through the noise and understand what matters to you, your clients, and their long-term planning. Below is a breakdown of the key provisions, ranked by relevance to financial advisors.

1. Estate Tax Exemption Increased

Effective 2026:

  • $15 million per person exemption (indexed for inflation), or $30 million per couple with portability.
  • Modestly higher than the current $13.99M exemption.

Why it matters:

  • Ultra-HNW families now have added breathing room.
  • We don’t know where the political landscape will be in future years, so advisors should revisit gifting, trust strategies, and dynasty planning to take advantage of the unprecedentedly high exemption level

2. SALT Deduction Cap Increased but Be Careful

The SALT deduction cap rises to $40,000, but phases out between $500k and $600k AGI. It sunsets after 2029.

Why it matters:

  • For high-income clients in high-tax states, $500k–$600k AGI is a major planning danger zone.
  • Marriage penalty remains (thresholds not doubled), so filing strategies may need a fresh look.

3. Ordinary Income Tax Brackets Made Permanent

The current seven-bracket system (10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, 37%) is now permanent.

Why it matters: 

  • Offers long-term visibility for Roth conversion strategies, bracket management, and retirement distributions.

4. Bonus Depreciation & Section 179 Expansion

Bonus Depreciation: Permanently reinstated at 100% for assets placed in service after Jan 20, 2025.

Section 179:

  • Max deduction: $2.5M
  • Phaseout starts at $4M

Why it matters:

  • Business-owner clients have powerful new tools for capital expenditure and tax strategy.
  • Time to revisit cost segregation studies and acquisition planning.

5. QBI Deduction Extended But Still Mostly Off-Limits to Advisors

The deduction is now permanent, and the income phaseout range is modestly expanded, but most white-collar professionals (advisors, CPAs, attorneys) remain excluded.

Why it matters:

Most advisors still won’t qualify, but many business-owner clients will. This can be a prompt to revisit income levels, entity structure, and whether clients are leaving deductions on the table.

6. Trump Accounts: New Child-Focused Savings Vehicle

  • $5k annual contributions allowed before child turns 18
  • IRA-like tax treatment (no upfront deduction)
  • Employers can contribute $2,500 tax-free for dependents
  • IRS pilot program contributes $1,000 for 2025–2028 births

Why it matters:

  • A brand-new vehicle for education and long-term child savings strategies
  • Strong planning opportunity for multigenerational wealth discussions

7. Standard Deduction + New Senior Deduction

New standard deduction (2025):

  • MFJ: $31,500
  • Single: $15,750
  • HOH: $23,625

New Senior Deduction: $6,000 per taxpayer age 65+, phases out above $150k MFJ / $75k others, expires 2028

Why it matters:

  • Seniors near the phaseout cliff need modeling
  • Great lead-in for broader retirement income planning

8. Child & Adoption Credits Expanded

  • Child Tax Credit: $2,200 per child, inflation-adjusted, and permanent
  • Adoption Credit: Now partially refundable (up to $5k) starting 2025

9. Car Loan Interest Deduction (2025–2028)

  • Deduct up to $10,000 annually for new car loans only (no leases & other stipulations)
  • Phases out above $200k MAGI MFJ, $100k others

10. Student Loan Repayment: Employer Benefit Made Permanent

Employers may contribute up to $5,250 annually toward employee student loans tax-free

Why it matters:

  • Business-owner clients can enhance benefit offerings
  • Great way to attract and retain younger talent

11. 529 Plan Qualified Expenses Expanded

529 plans may now be used for a broader set of K‑12 and homeschool-related expenses, including:

  • Curriculum and instructional materials
  • Books or digital educational content
  • Tutoring and outside‑home educational classes
  • Testing fees
  • Dual enrollment tuition
  • Educational therapies and adaptive learning tools

Why it matters:
 529 accounts have become more versatile – they’re not just for college. This opens up powerful opportunities for families funding private school, homeschooling, supplemental learning, or special education. Smart planning here can help manage overfunded balances and support long‑term multigenerational strategies.

What’s Next:

Hear from Sr. Corporate Counsel, Dave Haughton, JD, CPWA® 

We hosted a special webinar session, “The One Big Beautiful Bill: What Every Advisor Needs to Know,” led by Wealth.com’s Sr. Corporate Counsel, Dave Haughton, JD, CPWA®.

Watch the Recording Here

Send Key Takeaways to Your Clients

Looking for a resource to send directly to clients and prospects as a helpful resource? We have a client-friendly downloadable PDF with all the relevant estate and tax planning highlights from the Big Beautiful Bill.

Download the Client Takeaways PDF Here 

The tax code may have changed, but the core of great advising hasn’t. In a sea of new rules and revised deductions, your role as a trusted guide is more important than ever. The advisors who lean in now, who anticipate, educate, and elevate, will be the ones who grow deeper client loyalty and lasting impact. At Wealth.com, we’re equipping you with the tools to turn complexity into confidence, and deliver lasting legacies for your clients.

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