Estate and Legacy Planning

Protect your wealth for generations.

With thoughtful estate planning, you can shape a future that reflects your values, protects your loved ones, and supports the causes you care about most. At JNBA, our team will help guide you through each decision to create a legacy that lasts.

Why Legacy Planning Matters

Legacy planning is about more than distributing assets. It’s about intentionally shaping the future for the people and causes that matter to you. A well-crafted legacy plan can help bring peace of mind for loved ones, provide guidance across generations, and ensure that your values continue to influence decisions long after you’re gone. It also helps align financial strategies, tax considerations, and charitable intentions so your impact is both meaningful and efficient.

Choose JNBA as Your Legacy Planning Advisor

JNBA brings a collaborative, values-based approach to estate and legacy planning. As a fee-only fiduciary, we are committed to acting in your best interest and providing objective, transparent guidance. We take time to understand your priorities and translate them into a cohesive plan that aligns your estate documents with financial strategies. With proactive support, clear communication, and expertise in multi-generational planning, JNBA helps you build a legacy that reflects what matters most to you.

JNBA’s Approach to Legacy Planning Services

Holistic Coordination With Professionals

JNBA collaborates closely with your estate attorney, tax advisor, and other trusted professionals to help ensure every aspect of your legacy plan aligns with your broader financial strategy. This coordinated approach helps unify complex elements into one cohesive plan that supports your long-term goals.

Comprehensive Review of Wills, Trusts, and Key Documents

A strong legacy plan begins with a clear understanding of your existing estate documents. JNBA helps you gather and review key documents, including wills, powers of attorney, and trust agreements. By evaluating these documents with your current goals and family situation in mind, JNBA helps ensure your plan stays accurate, up-to-date, and able to reflect your wishes.

Thoughtful Legacy Planning for Family and Philanthropy

Your legacy extends beyond financial assets. It includes the values and impact you wish to leave behind. JNBA helps you define and articulate your goals for supporting family members and influencing the causes you care about. Whether you envision providing education funding or creating a charitable legacy, JNBA guides you in shaping your plan.

Philanthropic Strategy Development

For clients who prioritize charitable giving, JNBA helps design philanthropic strategies that blend seamlessly into your estate and financial plans. This may include guidance on donor-advised funds, charitable trusts, or lifetime gifting strategies that can maximize tax efficiency while enabling you to see the impact of your generosity during your lifetime.

Asset Equalization and Wealth Transfer Planning

Fair and strategic wealth transfer can help minimize conflict and improve tax outcomes. JNBA reviews asset equalization strategies that balance inheritances, address differing asset types, and lower potential tax burdens. This helps ensure beneficiaries receive their intended portion as efficiently as possible, while protecting the integrity of your plan.

Evaluation of Estate Planning Strategy Based on Current Laws

Tax laws and estate exemption limits change over time, and your planning strategy should evolve with them. At JNBA, we assess your current estate plan based on today’s laws and guidelines. This helps us identify opportunities to potentially lower taxes, streamline asset transfer, and improve protections for your beneficiaries.

Beneficiary Designation Alignment

Even the most carefully drafted estate plan can fall short if beneficiary designations aren’t coordinated across retirement accounts, insurance policies, and investment portfolios. JNBA reviews these designations to help align them with your wills, trusts, and overall wealth transfer strategies.

Identifying Key Decision-Makers and Trust Administration Needs

Choosing the right individuals to act as executors or trustees is essential to the smooth execution of your estate plan. JNBA helps you evaluate potential decision-makers and, when appropriate, consider the benefits of a corporate trustee relationship. This guidance helps ensure your estate will be handled with professionalism and fairness.

Legacy and Estate Planning FAQs

What is the difference between estate planning and legacy planning?

Estate planning services are focused on the distribution and management of assets. Legacy planning takes a broader view. It incorporates personal values, family intentions, and philanthropic goals to help shape the impact you want to leave behind.

Who should consider legacy planning services?

Legacy planning is valuable for anyone who wants to be intentional about the impact they leave. Whether you’re building wealth, preparing for retirement, navigating complex family dynamics, or thinking about how future generations will be supported, legacy planning can provide clarity and structure. It’s especially helpful for high-net-worth (HNW) individuals with charitable goals or a desire to pass along values and financial resources.

Do I need an attorney and a financial advisor for estate planning?

Yes. Estate planning is most effective when both legal and financial expertise work together. An estate planning attorney drafts the necessary legal documents, while a financial advisor helps ensure your assets and long-term goals are aligned with those documents.

How often should I update my estate plan?

It’s a good idea to review your plan every few years, or sooner if you experience a major life event such as marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or a significant change in assets. Financial advisors can help monitor when updates may be needed and coordinate with your planning team.

How can I start working with JNBA?

You can begin working with JNBA by scheduling a conversation with our advisory team. During this meeting, we will learn about your goals, discuss your financial priorities, and outline how our fee-only approach can support your long-term planning needs. From there, we will develop a personalized roadmap to help guide your financial future.