The Complete Estate Planning Guide for High-Net-Worth Families

The Complete Estate Planning Guide for High-Net-Worth Families is Wealth.com’s white paper for advisors to share with high-net-worth clients, covering the foundational documents every estate plan needs, the gaps that quietly reopen even completed plans, and the advanced strategies that matter once an estate crosses the federal exemption threshold.

Inside, you’ll find the four documents that form the backbone of any estate plan, the real cost of leaving assets outside a trust, and the tax strategies relevant to families above the $15 million individual exemption.

Inside the guide:

• The four documents everyone needs: Why a durable power of attorney, healthcare proxy, revocable trust, and will work as one integrated system, and why the goal is to route as few assets as possible through the will, since anything left outside the trust falls into probate.
• The gaps that reopen “finished” plans: Why outdated trustee designations, unreviewed beneficiary forms, untitled out-of-state real estate, and missing trustee succession plans are the four most common ways an existing estate plan quietly stops matching a family’s actual life.
• The real cost of probate: Why the process typically consumes 3 to 7 percent of an estate’s value and takes 12 to 24 months to settle, with California’s statutory fees alone running roughly $56,000 on a $1.5 million estate before additional costs.
• Advanced strategies once you cross the federal threshold: How the 40 percent estate tax applies only above $15 million per individual ($30 million per married couple) in 2026, and how irrevocable trusts, generation-skipping transfer tax exemptions, and an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) help ultra-wealthy families reduce exposure before it’s triggered.