Do I need a license to be a Estate Planner?

Requirements vary by state. Most states require some form of business license. Some trades require specific certifications or permits. Biz Wiz ($19.99) researches your specific state's requirements and builds them into your plan.

How much do estate planners make?

The median income for estate planners is $55,000/year. Top earners in busy markets make significantly more. Your income depends on pricing, volume, and keeping overhead low — which is why owning your tools instead of renting them matters.

How to Start a Estate Planner Business in 2026

Q: How much does it cost to start a Estate Planner business?

Startup costs for a Estate Planner business typically range from $500 to $5,000 depending on equipment and licensing. The biggest ongoing cost is software subscriptions ($100-200/month). Nexa eliminates that with a $279 one-time purchase.

Quick Answer: Starting a Estate Planner business costs $500-5,000 in startup costs. You need proper licensing for your state, the right equipment (Will, revocable living trust, and pour-over will drafting software and more), and business tools (invoicing, scheduling, CRM). The median Estate Planner earns $55,000/year. Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds a personalized plan with your state's exact requirements. Nexa ($279 once or $99×3) replaces all the software subscriptions.

Bottom Line

Starting a Estate Planner business takes $500-5,000 in startup costs, proper licensing for your state, and business tools (invoicing, scheduling, CRM, bookkeeping). The median Estate Planner earns $55,000/year. Most new estate planners make the mistake of renting $100-200/month in software subscriptions from day one — that is $1,200-2,400/year before you have a single client. Nexa is $279 once for all of it. Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds you a personalized plan with your state's exact licensing requirements, pricing research for your area, and a 90-day action checklist.

The Steps

Figure Out the Legal Stuff

Every state is different. You may need a business license, trade-specific license, insurance, or permits. Don't skip this — getting caught without proper licensing can cost more than the license itself. Check your state's requirements →

Set Your Pricing

Research what estate planners charge in your area. Don't underprice to "get started" — you'll burn out. Price for profit from day one. Most estate planners charge based on job size, complexity, or hourly rate.

Get Your Equipment

You need: Will, revocable living trust, and pour-over will drafting software, Durable power of attorney and advance healthcare directive templates, Asset-inventory and beneficiary-designation tracking worksheets, State-specific estate and gift tax exemption reference tables, Notary and witness execution kit for signing ceremonies, Funding checklist for re-titling assets into the trust. Buy quality — you'll use these every day. This is a real investment, not a subscription you're renting. Own your tools from the start.

Set Up Your Business Tools

You need invoicing, scheduling, client tracking, and bookkeeping. Most estate planners pay $100-200/month renting these from 3-4 different companies. Or you can get Nexa — all of it for $279 once. You own it. See what the subscriptions really cost →

Find Your First 5 Clients

Start with people you know. Post on Nextdoor. Join local Facebook groups. Tell everyone what you do. Your first 5 clients become your first 5 reviews — and reviews are everything in this business.

Build Your Rhythm

Set a weekly schedule: when you work, when you do admin, when you market. Track your hours. Send invoices same day. Review your finances monthly. The estate planners who build a rhythm survive. The ones who wing it don't.

A Day in the Life of a Estate Planner

People come to me to talk about the one thing they'd rather not: what happens after they're gone. The first meeting is mostly listening, then mapping the family. Who's the surviving spouse, which kid is responsible with money, who needs a special-needs trust, who's been written out and why. I build the package, will, revocable living trust, durable power of attorney, healthcare directive, and walk them through it in plain language because legalese is how plans get ignored. The part clients underestimate is funding. A trust that isn't funded is an empty box; if the house and the brokerage account aren't re-titled into it, everything still drags through probate. So I keep a funding checklist for every client and chase the deed re-recording and the beneficiary updates for weeks after they think we're done. I watch the exemption thresholds because a plan that was tax-smart two years ago can need a tweak. Signing day is its own choreography: notary, the right number of disinterested witnesses, the documents in order. The reward is a widow who calls a year later and tells me everything just worked, no court, no fighting.

Sound familiar? That's what happens when your tools don't talk to each other. Nexa connects everything — log a job, invoice from it, track the payment, update your books. One app. $279 once.

The Real Problems Estate Planners Deal With

A client signs a beautiful trust and then never funds it, so assets still go through probate and the whole plan fails at the moment it's needed
Beneficiary designations on a 401(k) or life policy quietly override the will, and clients forget to update them after a divorce or death
Keeping every client's plan current as the state and federal estate tax exemption thresholds shift year to year
Coordinating the signing ceremony so the right number of disinterested witnesses and a notary are physically present for the will to be valid

Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds a plan around YOUR specific problems — not generic business advice.

Finally Start Your Estate Planner Business

$19.99

Everything you need to go from idea to open:

✓Estate Planner-specific business plan

✓Startup checklist (licenses, insurance)

✓90-day back office access

✓Tool budget calculator

✓Weekly guidance emails

✓Upgrade path when ready

Get Your Estate Planner Business Plan

✓ 30-day money-back guarantee

"I spent $19.99 on Biz Wiz and got a plan that told me exactly what licenses I needed, what to charge, and what to do first. I launched the next week."

— Small business owner, Biz Wiz customer

The Hidden Cost Nobody Mentions

Everyone talks about equipment costs. Nobody talks about the software tax.

Most estate planners end up paying $100-200/month for business software — invoicing, scheduling, bookkeeping, client management. That's $1,200-2,400/year. Over 5 years with price increases: $8,000-15,000. For tools you don't even own.

Nexa: $279. Once. Invoicing, scheduling, CRM, task management, and full QuickBooks-style accounting. You own it like you own your Will, revocable living trust, and pour-over will drafting software.

FAQ

How much does it cost to start a Estate Planner business?

Depends on equipment and licensing. Typically $500-5,000 to start. The biggest ongoing cost is software subscriptions ($100-200/month) — which Nexa eliminates with a $279 one-time purchase.

Do I need a license?

Varies by state. Biz Wiz ($19.99) researches your specific state's requirements and includes them in your personalized plan.

How do I find clients?

Start local: Nextdoor, Facebook groups, word of mouth. Get 5 clients, get 5 reviews. Reviews compound. Your plan from Biz Wiz includes a marketing strategy tuned to your area.

Can I do this part-time?

Yes. Many estate planners start on weekends or evenings. The key is setting a rhythm you can sustain while keeping a day job.

How to Start a Estate Planner Business