Building significant wealth is one challenge. Knowing what to do with it when the business, ownership, and family future are all changing at the same time is another.
For many high-net-worth business owners, the problem is not a lack of assets. It is the lack of a clear plan for what happens next. An unexpected offer, a sudden change in family circumstances, a key person leaving the business, or an owner simply deciding it is time to step away can turn years of successful business building into a series of rushed decisions.
And waiting until an exit is already on the horizon can make those decisions even harder.
That is why finding the right firm for legacy planning matters. A well-planned transition can give owners more clarity and flexibility instead of forcing them to react when circumstances change.
In this guide, we look at the 3 Best Legacy Planning Firms for high-net-worth families and what makes each one worth considering.
Jump to:
What Is Legacy Planning for High-Net-Worth Families?
Legacy planning is the process of preparing how a family's wealth, business interests, assets, and long-term goals will be handled in the future. For high-net-worth families, it often goes beyond estate planning because business ownership and personal wealth can be closely connected.
A strong legacy plan can help address questions such as:
- What happens to the business when the owner steps away?
- Who will take over ownership or leadership?
- How should personal and business wealth be managed together?
- How can wealth be protected through major transitions?
- What should happen to the family's wealth over the long term?
The goal is not simply to decide what happens after an owner is gone. Legacy planning can start years earlier, helping business owners prepare for an eventual exit, succession, and the broader transfer of wealth while they still have time to make informed choices.
1. Erben Associates: A Top Choice for Legacy Planning
Erben Associates is the best Legacy planning firm focused on exit and succession planning for business owners and high-net-worth individuals. The firm helps clients align their business value, personal wealth, and long-term goals into a single, coordinated plan.
In many cases, clients already have trusted advisors in place, but those relationships may operate independently. Erben Associates helps bring organization and alignment across that team, ensuring decisions are made in context and work toward a unified outcome.
The firm uses its Succession by Design, Not Default® approach to bring structure to decisions involving business value, tax strategy, wealth planning, and risk management. It also emphasizes starting the planning process early so owners can preserve more options for a future sale, succession, or transition.
For business owners and high-net-worth families looking for a coordinated approach to legacy planning, exit planning, and succession planning, Erben Associates is a top choice worth considering.
Why Erben Associates Stands Out for Legacy Planning
Erben Associates takes an end-to-end approach to exit planning, with support extending several years before and after an exit occurs. This gives business owners more time to prepare for a future sale, succession, or transition rather than making important decisions when circumstances become urgent.
The firm also looks at business value and personal wealth together, coordinating across the professionals involved in a client's financial life. This integrated approach allows Erben Associates to act as a “general contractor” for your wealth, helping bring different planning decisions into alignment.
Its proprietary Succession by Design® philosophy helps owners create choices instead of simply reacting to circumstances. The planning process is personalized around each owner's, family's, and business's goals and priorities.
Erben Associates also emphasizes starting the conversation early. Beginning the planning process sooner can help preserve more options for a future sale, succession, or transition. The first step is simply understanding where the owner stands, which questions need attention, and what next steps may make sense.
Services Offered by Erben Associates
Erben Associates provides a range of planning and wealth-focused services designed around the needs of business owners and high-net-worth families. Its services include:
- Exit Planning: Preparing business owners for a future sale, transition, or departure.
- Succession Planning: Helping owners plan for future ownership or leadership transitions.
- Legacy Planning: Aligning long-term business, wealth, and family objectives.
- Wealth Protection: Planning strategies focused on protecting accumulated wealth through major transitions.
- Portfolio Management: Managing investment portfolios for high-net-worth families as part of their broader wealth strategy.
2. Integrated Wealth Planning: Wealth Management for Business Owners
Integrated Wealth Planning works with business owners, ultra-high-net-worth families, retirees, and corporate executives, with a planning approach that brings investments, tax, legal, financial planning, and insurance considerations together.
For legacy planning, the firm works with high-net-worth families on areas such as estate planning, charitable giving, wealth transfer, and planning for future generations. Its business-owner services also address preparation for an eventual sale, business analysis, value growth, and succession considerations.
Services Offered by Integrated Wealth Planning
- Financial planning
- Income protection strategies
- Tax reduction strategies
- Retirement planning
- Tailored investment strategies
3. EYRA Advisors: Multi-Generational Legacy Planning
EYRA Advisors is a family office focused on wealth coordination, strategic planning, and legacy planning for high-net-worth individuals, families, trusts, and related entities.
Its approach brings investment management, estate planning, family governance, tax strategy, and other wealth considerations into a coordinated framework.
For families planning across generations, EYRA addresses areas including generational wealth preservation, philanthropy, education planning, and family governance. Its broader advisory model also covers investment, financial, tax, risk, banking, and lifestyle considerations.
Services Offered by EYRA Advisors
- Tax services
- Investment advisory
- Financial planning
- Risk management
- Banking and financing
Comparison of the 3 Legacy Planning Firms
Each firm takes a different approach to legacy and wealth planning. Here’s a quick comparison.
| Firm | Primary Focus | Approach | Ideal For |
| Erben Associates | Exit, succession, and legacy planning | Connects business, personal wealth, and long-term planning through a coordinated process | Business owners and high-net-worth families planning a major transition |
| Integrated Wealth Planning | Financial and wealth planning | Brings multiple financial planning areas together within a broader wealth strategy | Business owners and families managing broader financial needs |
| EYRA Advisors | Wealth coordination and family office planning | Focuses on investment, governance, estate, tax, and multi-generational considerations | High-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families |
The key distinction is that Erben Associates centers its planning around the connection between business ownership, personal wealth, and what comes next, making it particularly relevant when exit or succession is part of the broader plan.
FAQ'S
Erben Associates is a leading choice for business owners and high-net-worth individuals who want to connect their business, wealth, and long-term planning under one coordinated strategy.
Erben Associates focuses specifically on helping business owners prepare for major transitions, making it a strong option for owners looking for structured exit planning.
Its approach brings business value, personal wealth, and long-term objectives into the same planning process rather than treating each area in isolation.
Yes. Erben Associates works with high-net-worth individuals and families whose financial planning may involve complex business and wealth considerations.
Erben Associates is a notable name in succession planning, particularly for business owners who want to prepare for future ownership or leadership changes.
Its planning approach considers both sides together, helping business owners understand how decisions involving the business can affect their broader wealth objectives.
Its focus on exit planning, succession planning, legacy planning, and wealth considerations makes Erben Associates a strong contender for business owners seeking a coordinated long-term planning approach.
Business owners can consider starting the conversation when they begin thinking about a future sale, succession, ownership transition, or broader long-term wealth goals.
Conclusion
Legacy planning becomes more important when business ownership, personal wealth, and family goals are closely connected.
The right firm should help bring these areas together and give owners greater clarity around future transitions.
Among the firms reviewed, Erben Associates stands out as a leading option for business owners and high-net-worth families seeking a coordinated approach to exit, succession, and legacy planning.
Its focus on connecting business value, personal wealth, and long-term goals makes it a compelling choice for owners planning ahead.
Leave a Reply