Category: Estate Planning

Vanilla

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Apr 28, 2026

Trust documents contain the instructions that dictate how wealth moves between generations, who controls assets, and when beneficiaries receive distributions, provisions that directly impact investment strategy, tax planning, and legacy outcomes. When advisors miss or misunderstand key trust terms, they risk recommending strategies that conflict with a client's actual estate structure. For advisors, trust document review isn't a legal exercise; it's a planning function that plays a key role in comprehensive wealth management. The advisor's role in reviewing trust documents A proper trust review identifies the provisions that matter for investment decisions, distribution planning, and wealth transfer strategy. Advisors need...

Sarah D. McDaniel, CFA

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Apr 03, 2026

Once a year, clients do something remarkable: they gather every meaningful financial document they own. W-2s, 1099s, brokerage statements, retirement account summaries, Social Security income, rental income, trust distributions, charitable contribution receipts are all collected in one place, often for the first time since last April. For a few weeks, your clients have a clearer picture of their complete financial life than at almost any other moment in the year. They know what they own, what it earned, who depends on them, and what they owe. That document gathering process is more than a tax compliance exercise. It’s a full...

Jennifer Raess JD, CFP®, CLU®

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Mar 26, 2026

Most estate plans were written for a different world. A world where the federal exemption was heading back to $5 million, indexed for inflation, where the planning urgency was about beating a deadline, and where the core question was: how much can we shelter before the window closes? That world no longer exists. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) permanently extended the exemption, raising it to $15 million per individual in 2026, and indexed for inflation thereafter. This means no more sunset, no more deadline, no more countdown. For clients, that's genuinely good news. For their estate plans, it...

Gene Farrell

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Mar 24, 2026

When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last July, I watched advisors exhale. The exemption sunset everyone had been bracing for didn’t happen. The $15 million per-individual exemption was locked in permanently. The deadline pressure was gone. That exhale worries me. Not because the law is bad — it isn’t. But because relief has a way of crowding out urgency. And right now, sitting inside millions of client files, is a problem that didn’t go away when the exemption did. It just got harder to see. The sunset created a habit. The OBBBA broke it. For years, the looming...

Sarah D. McDaniel, CFA

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Mar 02, 2026

As snowbirds enjoy their annual migration to warmer climates, most are focused on escaping icy roads and enjoying sunshine. But there's a critical financial consideration that many overlook: state estate taxes. With an estimated $124 trillion in assets transferring to younger generations over the next two decades, and states increasingly turning to wealth taxes to fund growing priorities, understanding the state tax implications of owning multiple properties has never been more important. The snowbird's dilemma: when a client’s winter paradise becomes a tax trap The appeal of owning a second home in Florida, Arizona, or another warm-weather destination is undeniable....

Vanilla

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Feb 24, 2026

For RIA principals and wealth management firm leaders, estate planning software is a strategic investment that will shape how your team delivers advice, deepens client relationships, and scales personalized planning across your firm. Depending on the platform you choose, estate planning software can create a significant competitive advantage, enabling advisors to deliver sophisticated estate strategies efficiently and helping clients clearly see the impact of complex plans.  Within this framework, we’ll explore how to evaluate estate planning platforms through the lens of what your firm needs to grow while bringing more value to clients. Why choosing the right estate planning software...

Vanilla

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Feb 16, 2026

As investment management becomes increasingly commoditized through low-cost index funds and robo-advisors, firms need strategies that deliver value to clients beyond portfolio construction.  Leading firms are finding that bringing estate planning in house as a core service offering enables them to provide the holistic guidance today’s clients are looking for, while also acting as a powerful growth and retention tool. Estate planning turns advisors from portfolio managers into indispensable financial partners, positioning them to guide clients through legacy planning, tax optimization, and wealth transfer strategies. Overwhelming research indicates clients are looking for this kind of comprehensive experience: 95% of investors...

Vanilla

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Feb 10, 2026

According to Spectrem Group research, 93% of people want estate planning services from their financial advisor but only 22% are actually getting that advice. That’s a massive gap between client expectations and reality; one that presents a compelling opportunity for the advisors willing to close it. Estate planning can deepen client relationships and lock in loyalty for multiple generations. When you help someone think through what happens to their wealth after they're gone, you're talking about family, values, and legacy, a fundamentally different conversation than the quarterly portfolio review. Most advisors already know estate planning is a critical part of...

Vanilla

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Feb 03, 2026

In case you missed it, Vanilla's 2026 State of Estate Planning Report is out, and it's packed with insights about how consumers really think about estate planning. This annual survey of over 1,000 U.S. consumers explores how people view legacy, family dynamics, and the role of advisors and technology in the planning process. The full report is worth a read, but here's a skimmable roundup of some of the findings that stood out most. Read the complete, ungated State of Estate Planning report here. Estate planning, family, and values Estate planning is personal. It's less about tax optimization and more...