01 Industry overview
The estate planning industry at a glance
U.S. estate planning remains an underpenetrated, fragmented legal and financial-services market: 56% of adults had no estate-planning documents in 2026, despite rising demand for digital tools and intergenerational wealth-transfer advice.
- 56%[16]
- No documents, 2026
- 26%[16]
- Adults with a will, 2026
- 5%[24]
- Lawyer employment growth, 2025–35
- $15M[56]
- Federal estate-tax exclusion, 2026
- Forecast & CAGR
- A reliable, dedicated forecast for the full estate-planning services industry was not identified. In the adjacent estate-planning software segment, one market study projects growth from $1.13 billion in 2025 to $1.32 billion by 2033, equivalent to a 12.3% CAGR; this should not be treated as the size of the overall industry.[57]
- Segmentation
- Consumer demand is concentrated around core documents and services: in a 2026 U.S. survey, 26% of adults reported having a will and 14% reported having a trust, while 56% had no estate-planning documents. The market therefore spans wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health-care directives, beneficiary planning and professional advice, with digital and attorney-assisted delivery models.[16]
- Key players & concentration
- Estate-planning technology is becoming more concentrated among specialist providers, although the broader attorney market remains fragmented. The Kitces Report found that third-party estate-planning software represented 22.3% of advisor technology adoption in 2025, with Wealth.com, FP Alpha, EncorEstate Plans, Trust & Will and Vanilla identified among the leading providers.[4]
- Trends, drivers & challenges
- The principal growth drivers are aging populations, intergenerational wealth transfer, higher household asset complexity and wider availability of online planning tools. The main constraints are procrastination, perceived lack of assets, cost, discomfort discussing death and uncertainty over state-specific legal requirements; 56% of U.S. adults reported having no estate-planning documents in 2026.[16]
- Consumer behavior & competition
- Awareness is materially higher than adoption: Trust & Will’s 2026 survey found a 56% no-document rate, while 26% had a will and 14% had a trust. Competition is developing between traditional estate-planning attorneys, financial advisors using specialist software and direct-to-consumer online platforms; third-party software adoption among advisors reached 22.3% in 2025.[16][4]
- Regulation
- Federal tax rules remain a major demand driver for advanced planning. For decedents dying in 2026, the federal basic estate-tax exclusion is $15 million, up from $13.99 million for 2025; the IRS also provides portability for a deceased spouse’s unused exclusion when the required election is made.[56]
- Latest news
- The most significant current development is the 2026 expansion of the federal estate-tax exclusion to $15 million, alongside continued evidence of a large consumer-planning gap. Trust & Will’s 2026 report found that 56% of U.S. adults had no estate-planning documents, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects lawyer employment to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035.[56][16][24]
02 Ranking
Top 10 Companies in the Estate Planning Industry
The leading companies in the estate planning industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.
Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026
Thanks to Charles Schwab’s estate planning and trust services via wealth management divisions, it fits buyers seeking integrated trust capabilities, while Fidelity Investments stands out for operating the Fidelity Personal Trust Company offering estate planning and trust administration, supported by 15% revenue growth and a 33.7% operating margin.
Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓
Editor's top 3 picks
Where to start, by need.
#1 Overall · Leader in wealth trust services
Charles Schwab
US
Ranked #1 · 9.3 · Wealth trust services
Why we picked it: Its wealth-management trust and estate services are paired with 22% revenue growth and a 53.1% operating margin.
Leader in digital wills and trusts
Trust & Will
US
Ranked #4 · 9.0 · Digital wills and trusts
Why we picked it: Digital document delivery is paired with reported scale: over one million families served and $300 billion+ in assets.
Leader in advisor-led state planning
Wealth.com
US
Ranked #5 · 9.0 · Advisor-led state planning
Why we picked it: Advisor-led planning includes coverage in all 50 states, with an average 8.40 out of 10 user rating.
Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.
Full ranking
| # | Company | Overall ↓ | Impact | Performance | Momentum | Innovation | Company snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Schwab Wealth trust services · US | 9.3 | 9.0 | 9.7 | 9.3 | 8.9 | |
Company snapshot · Charles Schwab · Data as of November 11, 2026 Schwab offers estate planning and trust services through its wealth management divisions.[58]
| |||||||
| 2 | Fidelity Investments Wealth trust services · US | 9.2 | 9.0 | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.9 | |
Company snapshot · Fidelity Investments · Data as of November 11, 2026 Operates Fidelity Personal Trust Company providing estate planning and trust administration services.[59]
| |||||||
| 3 | JPMorgan Chase Wealth trust services · US | 9.1 | 9.9 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 9.9 | |
Company snapshot · JPMorgan Chase · Data as of November 11, 2026 J.P. Morgan Private Bank provides estate planning, trust and estate administration services.[60]
| |||||||
| 4 | Trust & Will Digital wills and trusts · US | 9.0 | 7.7 | 9.9 | 9.5 | 8.9 | |
Company snapshot · Trust & Will · Data as of November 11, 2026 Trust & Will reports more than one million families served and over $300 billion in estate assets.[16]
| |||||||
| 5 | Wealth.com Advisor-led state planning · US | 9.0 | 8.0 | 9.2 | 9.9 | 9.9 | |
Company snapshot · Wealth.com · Data as of November 11, 2026 Wealth.com provides state-specific estate planning across all 50 states for financial advisors.[61]
| |||||||
| 6 | Bank of America Estate planning and trust services via Private Bank, US · US | 9.0 | 9.8 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 8.9 | |
Company snapshot · Bank of America · Data as of November 11, 2026 Bank of America Private Bank offers estate planning, trust management and settlement services.[62]
| |||||||
| 7 | Northern Trust Trust, estate and wealth administration, US and global · US | 8.4 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 8.9 | |
Company snapshot · Northern Trust · Data as of November 11, 2026 Provides estate planning, trust administration and settlement services through its Wealth Management division.[63]
| |||||||
| 8 | LegalZoom Online wills, trusts and estate plans, United States · US | 8.3 | 8.3 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 8.1 | |
Company snapshot · LegalZoom · Data as of November 11, 2026 LegalZoom delivered 4.4 million estate planning solutions through its online legal platform.[64]
| |||||||
| 9 | Rocket Lawyer Online wills, powers of attorney and legal support · US | 8.1 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 7.0 | 8.0 | |
Company snapshot · Rocket Lawyer · Data as of November 11, 2026 Rocket Lawyer has over 30 million accounts and offers wills, living wills and powers of attorney.[65]
| |||||||
| 10 | FreeWill Online wills and charitable estate planning, United States · US | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 8.2 | 8.0 | |
Company snapshot · FreeWill · Data as of November 11, 2026 FreeWill reports 1.6 million wills created and more than $15.2 billion in charitable commitments.[66]
| |||||||
How we score
- Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
- Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
- Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
- Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.
Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.
Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.
Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.
Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.
Cite this ranking
APA
Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the estate planning industry. In Estate Planning Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/estate-planning-industry-statistics/#top-companies
Wills and probate practices by revenue performance in the previous 12 months (United Kingdom)
Increased holds the largest share at 70%.
03 Trends & forecasts
Top 10 Estate Planning Industry Trends & Forecasts 2027
What is changing in the estate planning industry, with the evidence behind each trend and a forecast for 2027.
Forecasts were generated by an AI model from the cited evidence. They are estimates, not guarantees.
01Document adoption remains materially underpenetrated
High confidenceTrust & Will’s 2026 survey found that 56% of U.S. adults had no estate-planning documents, while 26% had a will and 14% had a trust. The no-document rate was essentially unchanged from 55% in 2025, indicating a persistent awareness-to-action gap.[16]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, the market should grow mainly by converting existing awareness into basic wills, powers of attorney and health-care directives rather than by broad increases in document ownership. The no-document share is likely to remain above 50%, with modest improvement possible as digital onboarding becomes easier.
02Aging population expands planning demand
High confidenceThe U.S. Census Bureau reported that 18.9% of the U.S. population was age 65 or older in 2025 and projected that the share would reach 23.4% by 2060. Census projections also show older adults increasing from about 55.8 million in 2020 to 73.2 million in 2030.[67][68]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, aging-related demand should continue to favor wills, revocable trusts, powers of attorney, health-care directives and incapacity planning. Growth should be strongest among households coordinating retirement assets, medical decisions and long-term-care responsibilities.
03Intergenerational transfer increases advice needs
Medium confidenceThe Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances remains the latest completed SCF and provides the principal federal dataset on household balance sheets, wealth ownership and family finances. The continued concentration of household wealth and the aging of asset holders create a large need for beneficiary, trust and transfer planning.[69][67]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, estate planners and financial advisors will increasingly market planning around family wealth transfer, beneficiary coordination and inheritance conversations. Demand should shift toward multigenerational engagements rather than one-time document production.
04Trust adoption outpaces will adoption
High confidenceTrust & Will reported that will ownership fell from 31% in 2025 to 26% in 2026, while trust ownership rose from 11% to 14%. The same survey found that 56% of adults still had none of the covered documents.[16]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, providers should place greater emphasis on coordinated plans that combine wills with revocable trusts, beneficiary reviews and incapacity documents. Trust demand should continue growing faster than standalone will adoption, although wills will remain the largest entry product.
05Advisor-led delivery gains share
High confidenceThe Kitces Report found that third-party estate-planning software adoption among financial advisors increased from 11.1% in 2023 to 22.3% in 2025. The report identified Wealth.com, FP Alpha, EncorEstate Plans, Trust & Will and Vanilla among leading providers and projected adoption of 30.7% over the following twelve months.[4]
Forecast 2027: By 2027, advisor-led estate planning should become a more important distribution channel, particularly for affluent households already receiving investment or retirement advice. Software vendors will compete to embed estate planning into broader financial-planning workflows.
06Estate-planning software adoption accelerates
High confidenceKitces reported that third-party estate-planning software more than doubled its advisor market share between 2023 and 2025, reaching 22.3%. Separate Kitces analysis estimated that the share of advisors using technology deeply in estate-planning work could reach 46.3% by 2026, up from 36.5% in 2024.[4][70]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, workflow automation, client portals, document inventories and scenario modeling should become standard features rather than differentiators. Adoption will remain faster among advisors serving high-net-worth clients and firms seeking scalable planning processes.
07Digital-first delivery broadens access
High confidenceTrust & Will’s 2026 survey found that 17% of adults cited not knowing where to start as a reason for lacking a will or trust, while 15% cited cost concerns. These barriers favor guided online products that simplify intake, education and document updates.[16]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, online platforms should gain additional users by offering guided workflows, flat-fee packages and attorney-review options. Digital delivery will expand access to basic planning but will not eliminate demand for attorneys in complex, multistate or high-value cases.
08Automation shifts lawyers toward complex work
High confidenceThe U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 5% employment growth for lawyers from 2025 to 2035, with about 28,700 openings per year. BLS also states that automation may reduce some routine work while allowing lawyers to spend more time on client meetings and strategy.[24]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, routine drafting and intake will increasingly be automated, while attorney value will concentrate in tax strategy, fiduciary selection, asset titling, family governance and state-specific advice. Law firms that combine automation with professional review should gain productivity without removing the need for legal counsel.
09Pricing becomes more transparent and tiered
Medium confidenceConsumer barriers identified by Trust & Will include cost concerns for 15% of adults and perceived complexity for 12%. Market commentary cited by Kitces describes growing interest in charging separately for estate-planning services and highlights regulatory and pricing hurdles for advisors.[16][70]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, providers are likely to expand tiered pricing: low-cost digital documents, mid-market guided plans and higher-priced attorney or advisor engagements. Greater price visibility should improve conversion among consumers who currently postpone planning because they cannot estimate the cost.
10Federal exemption reduces mass-market tax urgency
High confidenceThe IRS states that the federal basic estate-tax exclusion for decedents dying in 2026 is $15 million. The IRS also notes that estates generally must file when the gross estate, adjusted taxable gifts and specific exemption exceed the applicable threshold.[56]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, tax-driven demand will remain concentrated among affluent households rather than the mass market. Providers will increasingly sell estate planning on broader benefits—incapacity protection, family control, beneficiary accuracy and probate avoidance—rather than estate-tax savings alone.
04 Statistics
Technology & Innovation
AI and digital document workflows show measurable adoption signals: 30% of U.S. adults trusted AI more than a human attorney in 2026, while third-party estate-planning software share reached 22.3% among advisors in 2025.
AI in the estate planning industry
- 30% of surveyed US adults said in 2026 that they trusted AI more than a human attorney for estate-planning guidance.[1]
- 7.7% of legal-services firms tested or adopted AI in 2023, according to analysis of firms involved in estate-planning services.[2]
- 76% of Canadian estate lawyers with fewer than five years of experience reported using AI tools in 2026.[3]
- 5% of surveyed US adults said in 2026 that they would use AI to generate estate-planning documents without attorney review.[1]
- 54% of surveyed Canadian estate lawyers reported using AI tools in their practice in 2026, up from 41% in 2025.[3]
Automation in the estate planning industry
- 22.3% was the market share of third-party estate-planning software among surveyed financial advisors in 2025, up from 11.1% in 2023.[4]
- 15.84% was estate-planning software penetration among financial advisors in 2023, according to the T3 advisor technology survey.[1]
- 56.8% of legal-services firms tested or adopted specialized software in 2023, including firms involved in estate planning.[2]
- 30.7% was the expected market share of third-party estate-planning software among surveyed financial advisors over the 12 months following the 2025 survey.[4]
- 52.60% was estate-planning software penetration among financial advisors in 2026, according to the T3 advisor technology survey.[1]
Digital Transformation in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 40.4% of EU enterprises in professional, scientific and technical activities used at least one AI technology in 2025.[5]
- 35.51% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to business-administration or management processes in 2025.[5]
- 55% of business-services CEOs identified keeping pace with technology and AI transformation as their greatest concern in PwC’s 2025 global CEO survey.[6]
- 51% of U.S. technology executives reported no increase in performance or profitability from digital-transformation investments during the previous two years.[7]
Technology Adoption in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 18.55% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to ICT security in 2025.[5]
- 30.87% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to accounting, controlling or finance management in 2025.[5]
- 22.32% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to research and development or innovation activities in 2025.[5]
- 27.33% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to production processes in 2025.[5]
Cloud Computing in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 80.4% of Danish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[8]
- 90.7% of Australian professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2022.[8]
- 77.7% of Dutch professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[8]
- 91.2% of Finnish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[8]
Big Data in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 57.5% of Dutch professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
- 47.5% of German professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
- 45.4% of Finnish professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
- 46.8% of Swedish professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
IoT in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 42.6% of Austrian professional, scientific and technical enterprises used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2021.[8]
- 52.0% of South Korean professional, scientific and technical enterprises used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2022.[8]
- 36.3% of Irish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2021.[8]
- 35.6% of Swedish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2021.[8]
05 Statistics
Data & Analytics
Estate-planning analytics use cases skew toward integration and automation for advisors: 43% of RIAs using external estate-planning partners used technology for data integration, analysis and proposal generation in 2026.
Business intelligence in the estate planning industry
- 39% of surveyed RIAs used estate-planning technology to improve advisor workflow efficiency in 2026.[9]
- 43% of RIAs using external estate-planning partners used technology for data integration, analysis and proposal generation in 2026.[9]
- 31% of surveyed RIAs used estate-planning technology for digital client-collaboration tools in 2026.[9]
- 52% of RIAs with in-house estate-planning capabilities used technology for data integration, analysis and proposal generation in 2026.[9]
- 45% of RIAs with in-house estate-planning capabilities used technology for automated document preparation or management in 2026.[9]
- 46% of surveyed RIAs used comprehensive financial-planning platforms with estate-planning functionality in 2026, the most cited technology approach.[9]
Data analytics in the estate planning industry
- 41% of RIAs using external estate-planning partners used technology to improve advisor workflow efficiency in 2026.[9]
- 45% of RIAs with in-house estate-planning capabilities used technology for document preparation and management in 2026.[9]
- 35% of RIAs using external estate-planning partners used technology for document preparation and management in 2026.[9]
- 31% of surveyed RIAs used digital client-collaboration tools in estate-planning work in 2026, making collaboration a less-adopted use than analysis or document automation.[9]
- 52% of RIAs with in-house estate-planning capabilities used data integration, analysis and proposal-generation tools in 2026.[9]
- 43% of RIAs relying on external estate-planning partners used data integration, analysis and proposal-generation tools in 2026.[9]
Data Quality in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 23% of supply management firms spent at least 21% of their time cleaning data in 2024.[10]
- 50% of organizations identified data-quality issues as the biggest challenge affecting their data-integration projects in 2024.[11]
- 67% of supply management organizations said their data quality was better or significantly better than two years earlier in 2024.[10]
- 95% of enterprise companies with at least $1 billion in revenue had experienced a data-quality issue directly affecting business outcomes in 2024.[12]
- 49% of supply management organizations reported that their data quality was good or excellent in 2024, based on a survey of more than 121 respondents.[10]
- 87% of enterprise data leaders said traditional rules-based approaches to data quality did not scale to current needs in 2024.[12]
Data Governance in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 61% of organizations had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, according to a survey of more than 121 supply management professionals.[10]
- 33% of North American organizations had a formal data-governance organization in place in 2024.[13]
- 81% of supply management organizations found their data-governance program useful in 2024.[10]
- 32% of organizations in the 2024 governance study had a formal governance organization in place, while 68% had none.[13]
- 18.3% of organizations used a data-governance or catalog solution as part of their governance program in 2024.[13]
- 71% of global organizations reported having a data-governance program in 2024, up from 60% in 2023.[11]
KPIs in the estate planning industry
- 8.22 out of 10 was Holistiplan’s average user rating among surveyed estate-planning software users in 2026.[14]
- 7.66 out of 10 was the average rating across the estate-planning software category in 2026.[14]
- 8.40 out of 10 was Wealth.com’s average user rating among surveyed estate-planning software users in 2026.[14]
- 8.17 out of 10 was EncorEstate Plans’ average user rating among surveyed estate-planning software users in 2026.[14]
- 8.44 out of 10 was Luminary’s average user rating among surveyed estate-planning software users in 2026.[14]
- 8.00 out of 10 was NetLaw’s average user rating among surveyed estate-planning software users in 2026.[14]
06 Statistics
Strategy & Growth
Demand drivers center on motivation and advisor switching: 49.7% of U.S. adults said economic conditions made them more motivated to get planning in 2026.
Growth in the estate planning industry
- $30 million was raised by estate-planning fintech Vanilla in a 2022 funding round led by Insight Partners.[15]
- 54% of U.S. adults said their financial anxiety increased during the previous 12 months in 2026, supporting demand for estate-planning advice.[16]
- 82% of U.S. earners with annual incomes of $500,000–$999,000 would switch financial advisors for estate planning in 2025.[16]
- 40% of U.S. financial-advisor clients said they would switch to an advisor offering estate planning in 2025.[16]
- $124 trillion is expected to change hands in the U.S. Great Wealth Transfer, creating a major estate-planning growth opportunity.[16]
- 49.7% of U.S. adults said economic conditions made them more motivated to get their estate planning in order in 2026.[16]
Differentiation in the estate planning industry
- 62.5% of U.S. adults said estate-planning availability would be important when selecting a new financial advisor in 2026.[16]
- 70% of U.S. investors wanted their financial advisor to incorporate estate planning into services in 2025.[16]
- 28% of advised U.S. clients were somewhat likely to consider switching to an advisor offering estate planning in 2026.[16]
- 39.7% of advised U.S. clients were very likely to consider switching to an advisor offering estate planning in 2026.[16]
- 40% of U.S. financial-advisor clients would switch to an advisor offering estate planning in 2025.[16]
- 27.4% of U.S. adults preferred a financial advisor over an estate-planning attorney for creating or updating an estate plan in 2026.[16]
Strategic partnerships in the estate planning industry
- 22,000+ financial advisors were expected to gain access to Trust & Will’s estate-planning services through its 2024 partnership with LPL Financial.[17]
- Vanguard expanded digital estate-planning capabilities for ultra-high-net-worth investors through its partnership with Vanilla in 2024.[18]
- Adero Partners selected Wealth.com in 2024 to provide estate-planning services to its clients nationwide.[19]
- EncorEstate Plans partnered with eLegacy in 2025 to provide built-in attorney access for financial advisors.[20]
- Wealth.com raised $30 million in a 2024 Series A round led by GV to modernize estate planning.[19]
- 2,400+ financial advisors were covered by Wealth.com’s 2025 integration with Advyzon.[21]
07 Statistics
People & Workforce
Workforce demand appears to depend on experienced attorneys: 45% of U.S. trusts-and-estates attorney postings sought lawyers with four to six years since law school in 2026.
Hiring in the estate planning industry
- 14% of US trusts-and-estates attorney postings specifying experience sought lawyers with seven or more years since law school in 2026.[22]
- 45% of US trusts-and-estates attorney postings specifying experience sought lawyers with four to six years since law school in 2026.[22]
- 12.9 open trusts-and-estates attorney roles per 1,000 attorneys were posted across US law firms during the 180 days ending September 23, 2026.[22]
- 41% of US trusts-and-estates attorney postings specifying experience sought lawyers with one to three years since law school in 2026.[22]
- 8 Michigan probate-and-estate-planning section members reported being unemployed and seeking employment in 2023.[23]
Remote Work in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 62.8% of U.S. professional and business-services employees who could work at home did so during 2024–2025, while 66.0% could work at home.[24]
- 54% of U.S. professional-services firms reported having at least one paid work-from-home employee in November 2024–January 2025.[25]
- About 45% of U.S. professional and business-services workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[26]
- 37.21% was the average share of paid workdays performed from home by U.S. professional and business-services employees in January 2025.[27]
Hybrid Work in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 27% of U.S. full-time employees worked in a hybrid arrangement in 2025, compared with 12% fully remote and 61% fully on-site.[28]
- 54% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs worked in a hybrid arrangement in November 2025.[29]
- Across U.S. professional and business services, 39% of full-time employees worked fully onsite during January–April 2025.[30]
- Across U.S. professional and business services, 22% of full-time employees worked fully from home during January–April 2025.[30]
- 61% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs preferred hybrid work in November 2025, compared with 33% preferring fully remote work.[29]
Employee Engagement in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 32% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2024, while 17% were actively disengaged.[29]
- 32% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2025, while 17% were actively disengaged.[29]
- 34% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2022, while 16% were actively disengaged.[29]
- 33% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2023, while 16% were actively disengaged.[29]
DEI in the estate planning industry
- 36.9% of active Michigan residents in the probate-and-estate-planning section were women in 2023.[23]
- 0.7% of active Michigan residents in the probate-and-estate-planning section identified as Hispanic-Latino in 2023.[23]
- 76.6% of active Michigan residents in the probate-and-estate-planning section identified as European in 2023.[23]
- 1.6% of active Michigan residents in the probate-and-estate-planning section identified as Asian-Pacific Islander in 2023.[23]
- 5.6% of active Michigan residents in the probate-and-estate-planning section identified as being of African origin in 2023.[23]
Change Management in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 16% of global business-services organizations managed change systemically across their initiatives in 2022.[31]
- 21% of transformation teams identified stakeholder-engagement strategies as their primary change-management approach in 2024.[32]
- Approximately one-third of global business-services organizations had no change-management capability in 2022.[31]
- 17% of transformation teams identified training and development programs as their primary change-management approach in 2024.[32]
- 22% of transformation teams identified communication plans as their primary change-management approach in 2024.[32]
08 Statistics
Customer & Sales
Digital conversion and update friction both show up in 2026 usage: 50% of LegalZoom estate-plan customers completed the process on a phone or tablet, while 14% of will-and-trust holders never updated documents in 2026.
Customer experience in the estate planning industry
- 85% of surveyed Trust & Will members were comfortable using electronic-signing products, including respondents older than 44, in the United States.[16]
- 48% of Americans lacked digital instructions for online accounts, photo archives, financial credentials, and social-media presence in 2026.[16]
- 50% of LegalZoom estate-plan customers completed the entire process on a phone or tablet in 2026 in the United States.[33]
- 73% of U.S. respondents said estate planning was personally important to them in 2026.[16]
- 51% of U.S. will-holders had an end-of-life conversation with loved ones during the previous 12 months in 2026.[16]
Customer retention in the estate planning industry
- 14% of U.S. respondents with wills or trusts had never updated their documents in 2026.[16]
- 13% of U.S. respondents with wills or trusts reviewed their documents once per decade or less in 2026.[16]
- 62% of Gen X respondents had no estate-planning documents in the United States in 2026.[16]
- 20% of Americans without a will had at least discussed their wishes with a loved one in 2025.[34]
- 11% of U.S. respondents had never reviewed their estate plan in 2026, down from 16% in 2025.[16]
Customer acquisition in the estate planning industry
- More than 260,000 consumer estate plans created across all 50 U.S. states supplied LegalZoom’s 2026 proprietary analysis.[33]
- 10.2% of qualified estate-planning leads connected when scheduling was not enabled in 2026 in the United States.[35]
- 6.3% of qualified estate-planning and probate leads were transferred to a firm on the first call in 2026 in the United States.[35]
- 85% of LegalZoom customers began estate planning digitally through a phone or computer in 2026 in the United States.[33]
- 70.8% of qualified estate-planning leads connected when scheduling was enabled in 2026 in the United States.[35]
Customer loyalty in the estate planning industry
- More than 90% of surveyed Trust & Will members who completed a will reported a high degree of trust in Trust & Will in the United States.[16]
- 87% of surveyed Trust & Will members who completed a will viewed Trust & Will as an affordable option in the United States.[16]
- 76% of surveyed Trust & Will members completed a will for the first time in the United States.[16]
- 87% of surveyed Trust & Will members supported electronic estate-planning legislation in their state in the United States.[16]
- 37% of U.S. respondents believed pets should receive the same level of estate-planning importance as people in 2026.[16]
Lead generation in the estate planning industry
- 50% of law firms responded to prospects within one hour in the 2025 U.S. legal-marketing survey.[36]
- 35% of law firms reported that prospective clients first reached out by email in the 2025 U.S. legal-marketing survey.[36]
- 20% of law firms reported that prospective clients first reached out through live chat or a chatbot in the 2025 U.S. legal-marketing survey.[36]
- 90% of law firms reported that prospective clients first reached out by phone in the 2025 U.S. legal-marketing survey.[36]
- 87% of law firms said they knew which marketing activities generated clients in the 2025 U.S. legal-marketing survey.[36]
09 Statistics
Marketing & Brand
Law-firm acquisition channels remain diversified, with low documented strategy: 41% of surveyed law firms reported no documented marketing and business-development strategy in the 2025 legal-market survey.
Marketing in the estate planning industry
- 33% of surveyed law firms used SEO to market to potential clients in the 2025 legal-market survey.[37]
- $200,000 was the median 2023 marketing budget for surveyed law firms with 20 or more lawyers.[37]
- 45% of surveyed law firms used social media to market to potential clients in the 2025 legal-market survey.[37]
- 41% of surveyed law firms reported having no documented marketing and business-development strategy in the 2025 legal-market survey.[37]
- $17,500 was the median 2023 marketing budget for surveyed law firms with fewer than 20 lawyers.[37]
Digital marketing in the estate planning industry
- 59% of surveyed law firms worked with a marketing agency in the 2025 U.S. law-firm marketing survey.[36]
- 70% of attorneys who maintained legal-topic blogs said they did so for writing and client outreach in 2024.[38]
- 33% of surveyed law firms reported that a new client had retained the firm in response to a blog post in 2024.[38]
- 48% of firms with one to nine attorneys reported retaining a client through blogging in 2024.[38]
- 26% of surveyed law firms produced video to market their practice in 2024.[38]
Branding in the estate planning industry
- 90% of law firms with at least 100 attorneys reported having internal marketing staff in 2024.[38]
- 90% of surveyed law firms had a website in 2024, providing a branded digital presence for prospective clients.[38]
- 53% of surveyed attorneys used Facebook for professional marketing in 2024.[38]
- 26% of surveyed law firms produced marketing videos in 2024.[38]
- 10% of surveyed attorneys maintained a YouTube presence for professional marketing in 2024.[38]
Influencer Marketing in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 78% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners identify brand awareness and lead generation as their joint top challenges, based on Q1 2026 research.[39]
- 44% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners say finding the right talent is their single biggest collaboration obstacle, based on Q1 2026 research.[39]
- 74% of B2B influencers use artificial-intelligence tools to enhance content creation, based on Q1 2026 research.[39]
- 86% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners and creators prefer co-creating content with brands rather than amplifying finished brand content, based on Q1 2026 research.[39]
10 Statistics
Operations & Execution
Operational billing is dominated by flat fees, with predictable document pricing: 94% of surveyed U.S. estate-planning law firms used flat fees in 2026.
Process optimization in the estate planning industry
- 7.4 out of 10 was the importance score advisors assigned to estate-planning technology in 2025, up from 7.2 previously.[4]
- 22.3% of financial-advisor practices used third-party estate-planning software in 2025, up from 11.1% in 2023, according to a survey of advisors.[4]
- 8.2% was Wealth.com’s projected estate-planning software market share for the following 12 months, up from 6.4% in 2025.[4]
- 95% was the reported reduction in U.S. households subject to federal estate tax after the rise in the exemption, shifting advisor focus toward document implementation.[4]
- More than 260,000 U.S. consumer estate plans were created on LegalZoom between January 2022 and June 2026, providing a measure of digital estate-planning activity.[40]
Operational efficiency in the estate planning industry
- 524 U.S. law firms supplied pricing data for revocable living trusts and trust-based estate-planning packages in 2026.[41]
- 307 U.S. law firms supplied state-level last-will pricing data for the 2026 estate-planning study.[41]
- 909 U.S. law firms supplied estate-planning document pricing estimates for the 2026 LegalTemplates study.[41]
- 56 U.S. law firms in the 2026 LegalTemplates survey reported charging hourly for the surveyed estate-planning documents.[41]
- 371 U.S. law firms supplied state-level power-of-attorney pricing data for the 2026 estate-planning study.[41]
Quality management in the estate planning industry
- 7.4 out of 10 was the 2025 advisor-rated importance of the estate-planning technology category.[4]
- 7.5 out of 10 was Wealth.com’s satisfaction rating among financial advisors using estate-planning technology in 2025.[4]
- 97% of surveyed financial advisors agreed in 2024 that advisors should encourage clients to create estate plans.[42]
- 8.0 or higher out of 10 was the satisfaction rating for EncorEstate Plans and Trust & Will among financial advisors surveyed in 2025.[4]
- 25% of surveyed financial advisors reported in 2024 that they did not have their own estate plan in place.[42]
Outsourcing / Offshoring in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 47.5% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad sourced administrative and management functions internationally during 2021–2023.[5]
- 28.8% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad sourced information and communication technology services internationally during 2021–2023.[5]
- 60% of EU business-services enterprises sourcing abroad were in the business-services sector, compared with 40% in industry and construction, during 2021–2023.[5]
- 65% of U.S. CPA firms participating in the 2025 National MAP Survey that offshored used India, followed by 33% using the Philippines.[43]
- 39% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad outsourced business functions to external providers during 2021–2023, while 72% used affiliated-group insourcing.[5]
11 Statistics
Finance & Pricing
Price points vary by document type and state; the U.S. median trust-based package price was $2,700 among surveyed law firms in 2026.
Pricing strategy in the estate planning industry
- $1,275 was the 2026 median last-will price in California among surveyed estate-planning law firms.[41]
- $225 was the 2026 median power-of-attorney price in Arkansas among surveyed estate-planning law firms.[41]
- $250–$400 was the 2026 U.S. middle-50% price range for a power of attorney prepared by an estate-planning attorney.[41]
- $500 was the 2026 median last-will price in Arkansas among surveyed estate-planning law firms.[41]
- $2,700 was the 2026 U.S. median price for trust-based estate-planning packages among surveyed law firms.[41]
Cost reduction in the estate planning industry
- 9% was the 2026 price difference between standalone revocable living trusts and trust-based estate-planning packages in the LegalTemplates dataset.[41]
- $1,500 was the 2026 median revocable-living-trust price in Colorado among surveyed estate-planning law firms.[41]
- 94% of surveyed U.S. estate-planning law firms used flat fees in 2026, a billing structure intended to provide predictable document costs.[41]
- $250 was the 2026 median power-of-attorney price in Alaska among surveyed estate-planning law firms.[41]
- $1,000 was the 2026 median last-will price in Alaska among surveyed estate-planning law firms.[41]
Financial planning in the estate planning industry
- 3% of surveyed U.S. high-net-worth investors were unsure or had none of the listed estate-transfer documents in December 2024.[44]
- 15% of surveyed U.S. high-net-worth investors had an informal document recording thoughts, feelings or memories in December 2024.[44]
- 57% of surveyed U.S. high-net-worth investors had wills in place in December 2024.[44]
- 34% of surveyed U.S. high-net-worth investors had trusts in place in December 2024.[44]
- 18% of surveyed U.S. high-net-worth investors reported having a formal estate plan in December 2024.[44]
12 Statistics
Product & Service
Product adoption among advisors increased with digital document tools: estate-planning software penetration among surveyed advisors rose to 52.60% in 2026 from 15.84% in 2023.
Product development in the estate planning industry
- 8.40 out of 10 was Wealth.com’s average user rating in 2026, the highest rating among the largest listed estate-planning products.[14]
- 3.92% of surveyed advisor firms used EncorEstate Plans in 2026, while users gave the product an average rating of 8.17 out of 10.[14]
- 300% was Vanilla’s reported platform-adoption increase during 2024 as the company expanded its estate-planning product for advisors and clients.[45]
- 6.64% of surveyed advisor firms used Trust & Will’s estate-planning product in 2026, reflecting the expansion of digital document-creation products.[14]
- 3.41% of surveyed advisor firms used Vanilla in 2026, and the product received an average user rating of 7.12 out of 10.[14]
Product lifecycle in the estate planning industry
- 4.49% was estate-planning software category penetration among surveyed advisors in 2021, before rising to 10.95% in 2022.[14]
- 217 surveyed advisors were considering Wealth.com for estate planning in 2026, making it the second-most-considered product in the category.[14]
- 152 surveyed advisors were considering Vanilla for estate planning in 2026, placing it third among products under consideration.[14]
- 100 surveyed advisors were considering Trust & Will for estate planning in 2026, indicating continuing demand for digital document-creation products.[14]
- 15.84% of surveyed advisor firms used estate-planning software in 2023, compared with 39.32% in 2024 and 52.60% in 2026.[14]
After-sales in the estate planning industry
- 68% of advised U.S. clients would consider switching advisors to obtain estate-planning support, according to Trust & Will’s 2026 advisor research.[16]
- 27% of U.S. adults had never discussed end-of-life wishes with loved ones and did not plan to do so in 2026, indicating a continuing communication-service gap.[16]
- 73% of U.S. adults said estate planning was personally important in 2026, creating substantial demand for continuing client support after initial planning.[16]
- 42% of U.S. adults said they would not know what to do if a family member died that day, highlighting an ongoing support need after documents are created.[16]
Value proposition in the estate planning industry
- 62% of Generation X adults had no estate-planning documents in 2026, the highest rate among the major U.S. generations surveyed.[16]
- 46% of Generation Z adults trusted AI more than a human attorney for estate-planning guidance in 2026.[16]
- 30% of U.S. adults trusted AI more than a human attorney for estate-planning guidance in 2026, up from 20% in 2025.[16]
- 37% of U.S. adults would take estate-planning advice from a housing professional, rising to 57% among Generation Z, in Trust & Will’s 2026 real-estate inheritance research.[16]
- 41% of U.S. adults said memories and relationships would be their most meaningful legacy in 2026, ahead of financial assets and property.[16]
13 Statistics
Risk, Compliance & Legal
Compliance and cyber readiness are persistent execution issues; 39% of professional services respondents reported sensitive content had been breached seven or more times in 2024.
Risk Management in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- Fifty-four percent of professional services leaders reported integrated or enterprise-wide risk management in 2026, globally.[46]
- Seventy-seven percent of professional services firms said better analytics and monitoring were needed to improve fraud response in 2026, globally.[46]
- Cybersecurity ranked as the top future risk for professional service firms in Aon’s 2025 global survey.[47]
- Thirty-nine percent of professional services leaders said their organizations’ risk and compliance programs were advanced or leading in 2026, globally.[46]
Cybersecurity in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- Fifty-five point nine percent of Asia-Pacific small businesses in professional, scientific and technical services reviewed their cybersecurity during the previous six months in 2024.[48]
- Fifty-six percent of professional services leaders reported high or very high confidence in detecting advanced cyber threats in 2026, globally.[46]
- Thirty-four percent of professional services respondents reported that sensitive content had been breached seven or more times in 2024, globally.[49]
- Forty-three percent of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack during the 12 months covered by the 2025–2026 survey.[50]
Data Privacy in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- Seventy-two percent of privacy professionals reported using data security as an organizational privacy control in 2026, globally.[51]
- Fifty-eight percent of privacy professionals said their organizations always or frequently practiced privacy by design when building applications or services in 2026, globally.[51]
- Forty-one percent of professional services firms identified new U.S. state data privacy laws as a regulatory priority in 2024, globally surveyed respondents.[49]
- Thirty-four percent of professional services firms identified the GDPR as a regulatory priority in 2024, globally surveyed respondents.[49]
Crisis Management in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- Nearly 40% of surveyed general counsel reported no contingency plan for a cyberattack or supply-chain failure in 2024, globally.[52]
- Thirty-one percent of global leaders expressed extreme confidence in their organization’s ability to manage critical events in late 2025.[53]
- Fifty percent of organizations reported limited or no formal critical-event management strategy in late 2025, globally.[53]
- Twenty-four percent of organizations never tested their business continuity or critical-event management plans in late 2025, globally.[53]
- Sixty-four percent of general counsel in North America reported greater involvement in business continuity and financial contingency planning in 2024.[52]
14 Statistics
Globalization & Expansion
Channel expansion is reinforced by switching intent, including 80.2% of advised Gen Z clients considering switching for estate-planning services in 2026.
Cultural adaptation in the estate planning industry
- 25.9% of advised Baby Boomer clients would consider switching to an advisor offering estate planning services in 2026.[16]
- 63% of U.S. parents with children under 18 would switch financial advisors for estate planning services in 2025.[16]
- 57% of non-White U.S. financial-advisor clients would switch to an advisor offering estate planning, compared with 34% of White clients, in 2025.[16]
- 80.2% of advised Gen Z clients would consider switching to an advisor offering estate planning services in 2026.[16]
- 79.3% of advised Millennial clients would consider switching to an advisor offering estate planning services in 2026.[16]
Supplier management in the estate planning industry
- 20,000+ financial advisors and firms were reported as delivering estate-planning services through Trust & Will in 2025.[16]
- 48% of surveyed U.S. estate and financial planners used online wealth or estate-planning platforms in 2022.[54]
- 83% of surveyed U.S. estate and financial planners used digital tools to support clients’ estate planning in 2022.[54]
- 2,400+ financial advisors were covered by Wealth.com’s 2025 integration with Advyzon, connecting estate-planning workflows with wealth-management software.[21]
- 52% of surveyed U.S. estate and financial planners used estate-planning software in 2022.[54]
Stakeholder management in the estate planning industry
- 70% of U.S. respondents said financial advisors should offer estate planning as a core service or valuable add-on in 2025.[16]
- 62.5% of U.S. adults said estate-planning availability would be important when choosing a new financial advisor in 2026.[16]
- 61% of U.S. adults said financial advisors should offer estate planning as part of their services in 2026.[16]
- 44.7% of U.S. adults believed flagging an outdated or incomplete estate plan should be part of an advisor’s job without being asked in 2026.[16]
- 68.2% of U.S. adults believed financial advisors have a responsibility to flag an outdated or incomplete estate plan in 2026.[16]
Distribution channels in the estate planning industry
- 27.4% of U.S. adults preferred creating or updating an estate plan with a financial advisor in 2026.[16]
- 24.3% of U.S. adults preferred creating or updating an estate plan with an estate-planning attorney in 2026.[16]
- 60% of surveyed U.S. adults felt comfortable using an online platform for tasks such as creating a will in 2025.[55]
- 18.9% of U.S. adults preferred involving both a financial advisor and an estate-planning attorney in 2026.[16]
- 31.2% of U.S. adults reported having a financial advisor in 2026, up from 26.9% in 2025, expanding the advisor distribution channel for estate planning.[16]
Key questions about the Estate Planning Industry
How underpenetrated is estate planning in the U.S. in 2026?
What growth indicators exist for estate-planning services in 2026?
Which companies lead the estate planning industry?
How is AI affecting estate-planning guidance in 2026?
How concentrated is adoption of estate-planning software among financial advisors?
What market structure constraints shape consumer adoption in 2026?
Cite This Report
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Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Estate Planning Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/estate-planning-industry-statistics
Alexander Schmidt. "Estate Planning Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/estate-planning-industry-statistics.
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Estate Planning Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/estate-planning-industry-statistics.
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Social media in the estate planning industry