Estate Planning for Financial Advisors

Estate planning from the financial advisor perspective. Trusts, beneficiary designations, charitable giving, and coordination with retirement and insurance strategies.

10 Units

Early Units (Foundation)

Building Skills

Advanced Concepts

Capstone/Synthesis

Will & Trust Fundamentals for Advisors

This unit establishes foundational knowledge of wills and trusts as core estate planning instruments. Financial advisors will learn how testamentary documents interact with probate-avoidance strategies and financial product beneficiary designations to accomplish client objectives.

20 minutes

Revocable vs. Irrevocable Trust Strategies

This unit examines the strategic trade-offs between revocable and irrevocable trust structures. Financial advisors will learn when irrevocable trusts justify sacrificing control and flexibility to achieve estate tax reduction, asset protection, or Medicaid planning objectives.

20 minutes

Beneficiary Designation Coordination

This unit examines beneficiary designation strategies for retirement accounts, life insurance, and other financial products. Advisors will learn how to coordinate beneficiary designations with overall estate plans and avoid common designation errors that undermine client objectives.

20 minutes

Estate Tax Planning & the Unified Credit

This unit examines federal estate tax mechanics, including the unified credit system, marital deduction, portability, and the scheduled 2026 exemption reduction. Advisors will learn to identify clients requiring estate tax planning and strategies for utilizing current exemption amounts.

20 minutes

Charitable Giving Vehicles: CRTs, CLTs & DAFs

This unit explores charitable giving strategies that combine philanthropic objectives with tax planning. Advisors will learn to structure charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, donor-advised funds, and qualified charitable distributions to meet client goals.

20 minutes

Business Succession Planning & Buy-Sell Agreements

This unit examines business succession planning strategies for closely-held businesses. Advisors will learn to structure buy-sell agreements, coordinate business valuation with estate planning, and implement family business transition plans.

20 minutes

Life Insurance in Estate Planning

This unit examines life insurance's role in estate planning, focusing on irrevocable life insurance trusts, estate tax inclusion rules, and insurance policy ownership strategies. Advisors will learn to coordinate insurance with estate tax planning objectives.

20 minutes

Coordinating Estate, Retirement & Insurance Plans

This unit focuses on coordinating retirement accounts, insurance policies, and estate planning documents into integrated plans. Advisors will learn to identify coordination failures and implement systematic review processes preventing unintended outcomes.

20 minutes

Special Needs Planning & ABLE Accounts

This unit explores estate planning for families with disabled members. Advisors will learn to structure special needs trusts, utilize ABLE accounts, and coordinate planning with Medicaid and SSI eligibility requirements.

20 minutes

Digital Asset Estate Planning

This unit addresses emerging estate planning challenges from digital assets. Advisors will learn to plan for digital account access, cryptocurrency inheritance, online business succession, and integration of digital assets into comprehensive estate plans.

20 minutes

Learning Progression

This course is designed to be taken sequentially. Earlier units establish foundational concepts that later units build upon. While you can explore units in any order, following the numbered sequence provides the most coherent learning experience.