VP, Estate Planning

Carson Group; United States; On-site; USD 195,000 - 237,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Health benefits

Job summary

Carson Group seeks a seasoned estate planning leader to serve as senior technical authority on estate, wealth transfer, and business succession strategies. You will collaborate with advisors, tax professionals, and external legal counsel to design and maintain advanced plans.

Role requires JD, tax/estate planning LL.M. and 10+ years of estate planning experience. Strong knowledge of fiduciary duties, tax law, and multidisciplinary coordination is essential.

Qualifications

• 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.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, high-stakes estate planning engagements across a multi-office environment required.
• Advanced knowledge of federal estate and gift tax law, generation-skipping transfer tax, trust structures, and philanthropic vehicles required.
• Experience with financial planning software, customer relationship management systems, and estate modeling tools preferred.
• Ability to review and interpret complex estate planning documents required.

Responsibilities

• Partner with financial advisors and internal partners to develop customized estate and legacy planning strategies.
• Review estate planning documents, identify planning gaps, and recommend advanced solutions.
• Provide ongoing guidance as client circumstances, objectives, tax laws, and market conditions evolve.
• Monitor relevant legal, tax, and industry developments and share expertise with advisors and partners.
• Contribute to estate planning resources and materials to support advisor and client work.
• Serve as an estate planning resource across the organization and mentor planning professionals.

Skills

Estate planning expertise

Bar admission

Tax law knowledge

Financial planning software

Estate modeling tools

Education

Juris Doctor

Master of Laws in taxation/estate planning

Tools

CRM systems

Estate modeling tools

Financial planning software

Job description

Who We Are

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.

Job Details

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.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, high-stakes estate planning engagements across a multi-office environment required.
• Advanced knowledge of federal estate and gift tax law, generation-skipping transfer tax, trust structures, and philanthropic vehicles required.
• Experience with financial planning software, customer relationship management systems, and estate modeling tools preferred.
• Ability to review and interpret complex estate planning documents required.

EEO Statement

In exchange for your expertise, we offer a base salary, bonus potential, 401(k) plus matching, health benefits, and a great working environment. This is your chance to play a key role in the continued success of our company. Our culture is fast-paced, collaborative, innovative, and focused on healthy living. Carson strives to promote the health and wellness of its stakeholders by maintaining a tobacco-free workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, age or any other characteristic protected by law.

The Total Rewards Expected For This Role Include

• Starting annual base salary between $195,000 - $236,900.
• Variable compensation potential (Bonus and/or commissions)
• Competitive benefits including 401(k) with company contribution, PTO, Parental Leave, Medical, Dental, Vision, Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, Life and AD&D Insurance, Short and Long-Term Disability, Work/Life Benefits and Holistic Wellbeing Programs.