New estate planning conference aims to be yearly advisor destination

Financial advisors seeking to bring more tax-related services to their wealth management businesses could get a live estate-planning education next year at a new conference.

Digital estate planning firm Wealth.com will host its first conference for advisors and wealth management professionals, The Estate Planning Conference, on Jan. 26-28, 2026, at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia in Scottsdale, Arizona, the firm said last month.

Tickets priced at $649 for advisors, $999 for service providers and $1,299 for general admission and a free option to watch the panels in a virtual stream will enable access to expert panels and other events displaying why estate planning "matters to their clients, and how they can offer it within their firms," according to Dan Bolton, the firm's head of marketing and producer of the event. 

The company is anticipating more than 300 attendees in person to see speakers including "a former government official who is well known around the world," a National Football League Hall of Famer and "some of the biggest names in the industry," Bolton said in an interview.

"The big gap that we've identified is the lack of a dedicated, focused event that addresses estate planning, specifically through the lens of a financial advisor," said Bolton, who produced Nitrogen's Fearless Investing Summit prior to joining Wealth.com earlier this year.

READ MORE: Guiding clients' estate plans — even without tax expertise

Opening doors to conversations … and estate plans

Discussions around general topics like the best ways to implement estate planning in a practice and more specific issues such as whether and how to charge fees separate from advisory or planning prices could prove beneficial to advisors providing tax-related services, according to Kevin Thompson, a planner and enrolled agent who is CEO of Fort Worth, Texas-based registered investment advisory firm 9i Capital Group.

He credited Wealth.com's technology tools for changing his RIA's business by enabling Thompson to assist clients with the creation of wills, powers of attorney, trust entities and other estate planning tasks. Thompson recently arranged an irrevocable living trust for his parents.

"This allows people access to something they didn't originally have access to. People always felt, 'Well, I don't have an estate, I don't have a reason for any of this stuff,'" Thompson said. "Now I know exactly what's going on and where the assets are going. Now, when something happens, I know exactly what to do."

READ MORE: Clients aren't likely to face estate taxes. But they still need a plan

High-traffic intersection

Some advisors have offered tax services for decades, but wealth management and financial technology firms have been investing in the combination of the related, but often separate, fields a lot in recent years. That could entail acquisitions that boost a buyer's capabilities and service menu, any number of tax planning methods that are connected to portfolio management, collaboration with outside certified public accountants or hiring professionals to prepare returns.

And technology is a crucial part of that equation. Wealth.com works with more than 1,000 wealth management firms, and it has struck vendor integration agreements with major industry players such as Cetera Financial Group and Commonwealth Financial Network. In the past year, Google Ventures, Charles Schwab and Citi Ventures have each invested in Wealth.com.

Advisors attending the conference next year could gain continuing education credits toward their certified financial planning requirements of 15 hours or more, and Bolton said that the event will dig into estate planning nuances and how to use technology to bulk up services for clients.

"It will be the premier, must-attend annual event for advisors committed to expanding their practices through technology-driven estate planning," he said.