Independent Wealth Advisors for Legacy Planning

A legacy advisor is a financial professional who specializes in helping families design comprehensive wealth transfer strategies that extend beyond simple estate planning. They coordinate legal structures (trusts, wills), tax strategies (Roth conversions, charitable giving), and family education to ensure wealth is transferred efficiently while preserving family values and relationships. At Sentinel, our legacy advisors work with clients to create staged inheritance plans, establish multi-generational trusts, and develop educational frameworks that teach beneficiaries responsible stewardship before they inherit. We address risks like divorce, debt, and mismanagement while honoring your philanthropic and personal intentions.

Independent financial advisors typically use one of three fee structures: assets under management (AUM) fees ranging from 0.5% to 1.5% annually, hourly rates between $150 and $400, or flat annual retainer fees. At Sentinel Asset Management, our fee structure is transparent and tailored to the complexity of your financial situation and the scope of services required. Because we operate as fiduciaries without commissions or product sales, you can trust our recommendations are solely in your best interest. We provide detailed fee disclosures during your initial consultation so you understand exactly what you're paying for—comprehensive planning, ongoing portfolio management, tax coordination, and legacy strategy.

Estate planning focuses primarily on the legal and tax mechanics of transferring assets after death—wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, and minimizing probate and estate taxes. Legacy planning is broader and more values-driven: it encompasses estate planning but also addresses how to educate heirs, preserve family values, establish financial guardrails, and create structures that empower beneficiaries to become responsible stewards. At Sentinel, we integrate both: coordinating the technical estate planning details (across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts) while designing multi-generational strategies that reflect your values, protect relationships, and ensure your wealth serves your family's long-term well-being.

We provide comprehensive estate planning guidance through financial coordination that includes optimizing account titling, beneficiary designations, withdrawal sequencing across tax categories, Roth conversions, and charitable giving strategies. At Sentinel, we handle this financial coordination and work collaboratively with your estate attorney when trusts, advanced directives, or complex legal structures are appropriate. Our role is to ensure your financial assets, tax strategies, and legal documents all work together as one cohesive, intentional plan.

We use a multi-layered tax strategy that coordinates assets across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts to minimize your lifetime tax liability and maximize what your heirs receive. This includes strategic Roth conversions during low-income years, tax-loss harvesting, multi-account withdrawal sequencing, Qualified Charitable Distributions, and tax-efficient gifting strategies—all aligned with current IRS rules. We model long-term scenarios to identify opportunities to reduce estate taxes, avoid unnecessary step-up basis loss, and structure inheritance in the most tax-advantaged way possible. Our goal is to ensure more of your wealth reaches the people and causes you care about.

Yes. We have 25 years of dedicated experience working with families requiring lifelong support and have supported over 20 families long-term with special needs planning. Our approach is intentionally designed to coordinate financial strategies with legal instruments like Special Needs Trusts, government benefit eligibility (SSI, Medicaid), and care planning. We work closely with estate attorneys and care coordinators to ensure your child or dependent is financially secure throughout their lifetime without jeopardizing critical benefits. Our planning addresses income streams, asset protection, guardianship coordination, and contingency planning for when you're no longer able to provide direct support.

We design staged inheritance structures that allow beneficiaries to practice stewardship before receiving full control of assets. This often begins with a supervised 'pilot' pool—a smaller portion of assets that heirs manage under guidance, demonstrating financial discipline and decision-making maturity. We also facilitate family meetings to discuss values, expectations, and the responsibilities that come with inherited wealth. By combining education, gradual access, and transparent communication, we help ensure your legacy empowers your heirs to build on what you've created rather than squander it. Our goal is to preserve both the wealth and the family relationships it affects.

Legacy plans must account for state-specific estate tax laws, probate rules, and trust regulations, which vary significantly across states. At Sentinel, we serve clients in nine states (Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island) and maintain expertise in multi-state planning. If you relocate, we review and adjust your plan to ensure compliance with your new state's laws, update beneficiary designations if needed, and coordinate with local estate attorneys when state-specific legal instruments require revision. Our multi-office presence ensures continuity and local knowledge wherever you are.