Wealth.com and The Compound Insights Release New Study on the Rise of “Giving While Living” and Family-Wide Legacy Planning

New research finds legacy planning is rapidly becoming a mainstream growth driver for advisors as affluent families prioritize lifetime giving and multigenerational engagement

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wealth.com, the industry’s leading estate and tax planning platform, and The Compound Insights, the research arm of The Compound Media, Inc., an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management (“Ritholtz”), a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), today released a new study titled “Living Legacies: How ‘Giving While Living’ and Family-Wide Planning Are Rewiring Advisory Growth.” Based on a survey of more than 400 financial advisors conducted between November 26 and December 21, 2025, the report offers a detailed look at how evolving client expectations are reshaping the role of legacy and estate planning across the wealth spectrum.

Among the report’s most striking findings: advisors report that, on average, nearly half (46 percent) of clients who plan to pass assets intend to share a portion of their wealth during their lifetimes. Among clients with more than $25 million, that figure rises to 55 percent. These numbers indicate that “giving while living” is no longer a niche philosophy, but a mainstream priority among affluent families.

“Advisors are on the front lines of the $124 trillion great wealth transfer, and this research makes clear that legacy planning is no longer optional,” said Rafael Loureiro, co-founder and chief executive officer of Wealth.com. “Nearly half of clients planning to pass assets are already engaging in lifetime giving, and firms that proactively involve families report stronger growth and greater confidence in retaining the next generation.”

The findings suggest that family-wide engagement is associated with stronger reported business outcomes. Advisors who hold meetings with both partners or all account holders were more likely to report success in generating new assets and referrals. Fifty-four percent of advisors who include family members in legacy planning discussions say they are very or extremely confident in retaining the next generation as clients. Additionally, advisors whose client base includes a higher share of households committed to lifetime giving were more likely to report measurable practice growth over the past 12 months.

At the same time, the report identifies what it calls a “legacy planning demand gap.” Thirty-seven percent report hesitating because clients have not explicitly asked for it. The findings suggest that clients and advisors may each be waiting for the other to initiate the conversation.

Additionally, as advisor conviction around legacy planning is high, perceived operational complexity continues to slow adoption. Thirty-nine percent of advisors cited complex family dynamics as a barrier, while others pointed to legal coordination challenges and the time burden of managing the process. As legacy planning expands beyond ultra-high-net-worth households, the need for scalable infrastructure is becoming increasingly urgent. In fact, 34 percent of advisors said they would adopt AI/automation tools in the next 12 months, and 27 percent said they would use an attorney coordination portal. The report suggests that centralized platforms, automated workflows and coordinated document management can reduce friction, freeing advisors to focus on the high-impact conversations that build trust and continuity across generations.

“One of the more interesting findings in this report is the disconnect between client behavior and advisor initiation,” said Callie Cox, chief market strategist at Ritholtz. “Lifetime giving is becoming more common, and advisors who formalize family engagement around those decisions seemingly enjoy stronger growth outcomes and greater confidence in retaining the next generation. But at the same time, many firms are still waiting for clients to raise the topic. The opportunity appears to lie in starting these conversations earlier and building a repeatable process around them.”

For advisors exploring how to better equip families across generations, complimentary copies of the report will be available at the Wealth.com booth during Future Proof Citywide and downloadable here.

About Wealth.com

Wealth.com is the industry’s leading estate and tax planning platform, empowering thousands of wealth management firms to modernize how planning guidance is delivered to clients. Purpose-built for financial institutions, Wealth.com is the only tech-led, end-to-end platform that enables firms to scale estate and tax planning with efficiency, consistency and measurable client impact.

Trusted by some of the largest names in finance, Wealth.com combines proprietary AI, enterprise-grade security, and deep legal and tax expertise to support the full spectrum of client needs—from foundational estate plans to advanced estate and tax analysis and reporting. With the introduction of Wealth.com Tax Planning, firms can deliver more integrated, proactive planning through a single platform. Wealth.com has been widely recognized for innovation and leadership, earning Top Estate Planning Technology and Top Estate Planning Implementation at the 2025 WealthManagement.com Industry Awards, as well as the #1 estate planning market share in the 2025 Kitces AdvisorTech Study.

About The Compound Insights

The Compound Insights conducts research surveys through The Compound Media, Inc., an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management, a Registered Investment Advisor. The Compound Insights is the Information and Research arm of The Compound Media, Incorporated.

Serving the Advisory ecosystem through the creation of surveys, other market research, and custom content, The Compound Insights delivers high-quality observations and revelations for the advisor and investing community.

This research is for general informational purposes only. The information contained herein should not be relied upon as a recommendation to buy or sell any of the securities discussed. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Any past performance discussed during this program is no guarantee of future results.