Hargrove has been named the winner of Best Innovation in Financial Planning in the 2026 Datos Impact Awards in Wealth Management. The award recognizes our firmwide approach to making attorney-led estate planning a core part of the financial planning process, not a referral that gets handed off or put off.
The award was announced on October 21, 2026, at Datos Insights’ Wealth Management Forum in New York, where Hargrove was also a sponsor. That same day, Tim Fisk, our SVP of Partnerships, took the main stage with our partners at Mariner for a case study on how estate planning helps advisors win the wealth transfer.
Read the full announcement from Datos Insights.
“Estate planning has always belonged in the financial plan. What’s been missing is a way for advisors to deliver it with real attorneys behind it, without adding work to their day. This recognition from Datos Insights affirms what our partner firms and their clients already see: when advisors can offer estate planning as part of their advice, families end up with plans that actually get finished.” — Alex Hargrove, CEO, Hargrove MSO
What the Award Recognizes
The Datos Impact Awards recognize firms that are moving wealth management forward. Our award in the Best Innovation in Financial Planning category is for one idea: estate planning should be something an advisor can deliver, not just recommend.
Most clients know they need an estate plan, but many never finish one. The advisor spots the need, the client gets a referral to outside counsel, and momentum stalls. Estate planning software has helped, but software alone can’t give legal advice or stand behind the documents. Hargrove closes that gap as a law firm built to work alongside advisors.
Here’s how attorney-led estate planning works inside the advisor relationship with Hargrove:
- Structured intake. Clients share their goals and family circumstances through a guided process, so attorneys start with the full picture.
- Licensed attorneys guide every plan. Planning covers trusts, beneficiary designations, powers of attorney, and business succession.
- Fixed-fee packages. Clients and advisors know the cost up front, with no hourly billing surprises.
- At-home notarization included. For full estate plans, we coordinate notary and witness services at the client’s home within the fixed price, so plans actually get signed.
- Advisor Portal. Advisors keep visibility into their clients’ planning progress from start to finish.
- Dedicated support on both sides. Our Advisor Success team helps partner firms launch and grow adoption, and our Client Success team guides families through the process.
We built this technology in-house: the intake experience, the Advisor Portal, and the document workflow. Off-the-shelf tools couldn’t put a law firm’s attorney accountability inside an advisor’s day-to-day workflow, so our legal and technology teams built it together.
The results show the demand. Paid estate planning engagements grew fourfold in 2025. Today, Hargrove works with RIA partners representing nearly $1 trillion in assets under management and more than 2,500 advisors nationwide.
“Advisors are being asked to plan for the whole family, and estate planning is where that conversation starts. Our job is to make it easy for them to say yes, with attorneys, technology, and a team behind every plan. Accepting this award on behalf of our team, and our partners, was a proud moment.” — Tim Fisk, SVP of Partnerships, Hargrove MSO
On the Main Stage: Winning the Wealth Transfer
Earlier that day, Hargrove took the main stage for “Case Study: Winning the Wealth Transfer: Bringing Estate Planning Into the Advice Relationship.” Tim Fisk invited Scott Luhnau of Mariner, one of our RIA partners, to join him and share how estate planning fits into Mariner’s advice relationships. Wally Okby of Datos Insights moderated the conversation.
The session started with a simple point: estate planning is one of the stickiest parts of the advice relationship. In Datos Insights’ 2026 HNW Consumer Survey, cited in the session, 58% of high-net-worth investors say they already use estate planning services from their primary firm. Yet only 30% are comfortable getting complex planning recommendations digitally without talking to their advisor first.
That gap is why the advisor matters. As an estimated $84 trillion moves between generations, the firms that keep assets are the ones that know the whole family. Tim and Scott discussed how building attorney-led estate planning into the advisor workflow helps firms:
- Get to know the whole family, not just the account holder
- Engage heirs early, before assets are in motion
- Keep assets in place as wealth passes to the next generation
- Do it without adding friction for advisors or their clients
Hargrove was proud to sponsor Datos Insights’ Wealth Management Forum 2026, which brings together leaders from across wealth management to talk about where the industry is headed. Speaking on the main stage and accepting an award on the same day made it a milestone for our team. We’re grateful to Datos Insights and to our partners at Mariner.
Bring Award-Winning Estate Planning to Your Clients
For financial advisors and firms: See how Hargrove can help you deliver attorney-led estate planning as part of your advice, with fixed fees, at-home signing, and a team that supports you from launch onward. Schedule a call with our partnerships team.
For individuals and families: The best estate plans start with the advisor who already knows your goals. Ask your financial advisor about Hargrove or learn how it works.