VP, Estate Planning

Carson Wealth; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Carson Wealth is seeking a senior estate planning expert to serve as the organization's technical authority on estate, wealth transfer, philanthropic, and business succession strategies. You will design, implement, and maintain complex plans in collaboration with advisors and tax professionals.

You will partner with external counsel to ensure compliance, monitor changes in law, and mentor planning professionals across the firm.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree required.
• LL.M. in taxation or estate planning preferred.
• Admission to a US state bar required (active or inactive).
• CFP, CPA, or CTFA designation preferred.
• Minimum of ten years estate planning experience.
• Experience advising on complex trust, tax, charitable, and succession strategies.
• Experience in a large registered investment adviser, multifamily office, law firm, or private bank is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide estate planning strategy and consultation with advisors and clients.
• Stay current with legal, tax, and industry developments and share insights.
• Enable advisors and collaborate across functions on client experience.
• Ensure compliance, risk, and governance in estate planning guidance.
• Perform additional duties as needed by leadership.

Skills

Estate planning

Client advisory

Mentorship

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Master of Laws (LL.M.) in taxation or estate planning

Bar admission (US state)

CFP designation

CPA designation

CTFA designation

Job description

In an increasingly complex world where people are starving for someone they can trust, we stand for something simple: always put the client first. We do well by doing good for those we serve. It’s the ultimate measure. We believe in providing value beyond a doubt and in the notion that time will either expose you or promote you, based on your willingness to embrace change.

We serve financial advisors and investors through three entities, each headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska: Carson Wealth, Carson Coaching and Carson Partners. We provide coaching and partnership services to advisor firms – and straightforward financial advice to the investing public. We all share a common mission to be the most trusted in financial advice.

Who We Want

Serve as the organization’s senior technical authority on estate, wealth transfer, philanthropic, and business succession strategies, delivering advanced consultation directly to advisors and clients. Partner with advisors, tax professionals, and external legal counsel to design, implement, and maintain complex estate plans. Provide strategic guidance that responds to changes in client circumstances, planning goals, tax law, and market conditions.

Essential Functions

• Estate Planning Strategy and Consultation: Partner with financial advisors and internal partners to develop customized estate and legacy planning strategies. Conduct comprehensive reviews of estate planning documents, identify planning gaps, and recommend advanced solutions, including grantor retained annuity trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, spousal lifetime access trusts, charitable lead trusts, private foundations, and family partnerships. Engage directly with clients and their legal and tax advisors as a subject matter expert on multigenerational wealth transfer planning. Provide ongoing guidance as client circumstances, planning objectives, tax laws, and market conditions evolve.
• Staying Current and Sharing Expertise: Monitor relevant legal, tax, and industry developments and incorporate emerging considerations into client and advisor guidance. Share technical expertise with advisors and internal partners through case consultation and internal training sessions. Contribute to estate planning resources and materials as needed to support advisor and client work.
• Advisor Enablement and Collaboration: Serve as an estate planning resource to financial advisors and other internal partners across the organization, providing subject matter expertise on complex cases. Collaborate across functions to integrate estate planning considerations into the broader client experience. Provide mentorship and technical guidance to planning professionals and regional specialists.
• Compliance, Risk, and Governance: Ensure estate planning guidance aligns with applicable legal standards, organizational policies, fiduciary responsibilities, and professional best practices. Partner with Legal, Compliance, and Operations to identify and manage risks related to estate planning guidance and document reviews. Establish appropriate standards and processes for delivering estate planning support. Maintain clear boundaries between educational or planning guidance and legal advice provided by external counsel.
• Other Duties: Perform additional tasks, duties, and responsibilities as needed or assigned by leadership to support departmental and organizational objectives.

What You Need

• Juris Doctor degree required.
• Master of Laws degree in taxation or estate planning preferred.
• Admission to at least one United States state bar, in active or inactive status, required.
• Certified Financial Planner, Certified Public Accountant, or Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor designation preferred.
• Minimum of ten years of estate planning experience required.
• Experience advising on complex trust, tax, charitable, and business succession strategies required.
• Experience working within a large registered investment adviser, multifamily office, law firm, or private bank preferred.