ADVISOR SERVICES | CLIENT RELATIONS | CHARITABLE GIVING | SUCCESSION PLANNING | TECHNOLOGY | YOUR PRACTICE
How Planned Giving Can Improve Your Advising Practice
A rise in charitable bequests could prompt advisors to help clients with structured giving plans. By Bill Laskin
IF YOU AIM TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE WEALTH PLANning, here’ s a trend worth noting: According to Giving USA’ s 2026“ Annual Report on Philanthropy,” giving through bequests( as part of a will, trust or beneficiary designation) climbed nearly 20 % in 2025— the strongest annual growth of any of the charitable giving channels that Giving USA tracks( such as individual giving or giving by foundations and corporations). Additionally, the report points out that bequest giving has increased by 20 % or more in three of the last four years.
For financial advisors, this rise may be a sign that the longanticipated Great Wealth Transfer is well in motion as members of the aging baby boom generation finalize their estate plans and pass their assets to heirs— as well as to charitable causes. As trillions of dollars move to the next generation over the coming decades, more clients will be thinking not only about who will inherit their wealth but also what kind of legacy they want to build with it.
That makes planned giving an increasingly valuable approach for advisors looking to help clients on a deeper and more meaningful level beyond discussions of investment performance and tax efficiency. Planned giving enables advisors to help clients align their charitable intentions with long-term estate and legacy planning goals.
Many advisors are already helping clients give strategically during their lifetimes through donor-advised funds, private foundations, and gifts of appreciated assets. Those approaches remain essential. As clients begin thinking more intentionally about the future of their wealth, however, planned giving deserves a place in the broader discussion.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2026 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR MAGAZINE | 33