68% of Clients Would Switch for Estate Planning

Trust & Will’s 2025 Financial Advisor Report found about 68% of advised clients would consider switching to a financial advisor who offers estate planning services. Forty percent said they were very likely to switch and 28% said they were somewhat likely.

Sixty-one percent of respondents said a financial advisor should offer estate planning as part of their services; 37% described it as essential and 34% called it a “nice to have” in 2025.

More than half of respondents, 54%, reported increased financial anxiety compared with the previous year. Twenty-five percent said their anxiety rose significantly and 28% said it rose modestly. Survey respondents identified personal health events (16%), the death or serious illness of someone close (14%), job loss or income uncertainty (14%), domestic political uncertainty (13%), market volatility (11%) and concerns about tax policy (11%) as triggers.

Generational differences were visible in preferences for estate-planning services. Sixty-seven percent of Gen Z and 66% of millennials said they want estate planning through their advisor, compared with 54% of baby boomers. The report noted Gen Z is entering peak earning and life-transition years and is more planning-focused when choosing an advisor.

Clients specified the types of estate-planning help they expect from advisors. Forty percent want advisors to handle specific estate-planning tasks, 35% want basic education about the process and 35% expect a full suite that includes document drafting. One-third of respondents, 33%, said proactive reminders are important, and 45% said it is the advisor’s responsibility to inform them if an estate plan is outdated or incomplete without being asked.

Cody Barbo, co-founder and CEO of Trust & Will, said families are increasingly motivated to organize their affairs and are prioritizing advisors who make estate planning part of the client experience. He added that rising costs and recurring life surprises are driving higher financial anxiety among clients.

Emily Boothroyd, a wealth manager and former estate planning attorney, said more advisors are embracing estate planning. She urged advisors to deepen client conversations and described estate planning as a way to connect on retirement, insurance and legal documents.