How To Become An Estate Planning Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an estate planning counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an estate planning counselor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $36.46 an hour? That's $75,847 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 15% and produce 50,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an estate planning counselor?

Dr. Tommy Casarez Ph.D.

Dr., Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, Vanguard University

Opportunities come in many different shapes and sizes, but they are still out there. Whether you are seeking to land a job in education or the non-profit sector, you will need to familiarize yourself and get used to all things digital, for the sake of communicating effectively. The younger your student or service partner's mindset, the more digitally savvy you will need to be, especially in the classroom and in the non-profit world.

ScoreEstate Planning CounselorUS Average

Salary

5.9

Avg. Salary $75,847

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate 15%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.11%

Asian 6.84%

Black or African American 6.14%

Hispanic or Latino 10.10%

Unknown 4.41%

White 72.40%

Gender

female 54.00%

male 46.00%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an estate planning counselor

Explore estate planning counselor education requirements

Most common estate planning counselor degrees

Bachelor's

40.5 %

High School Diploma

19.9 %

Associate

18.6 %

Start to develop specific estate planning counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
Reservations	20.54%
Real Estate	16.30%
Customer Issues	10.47%
Booking	10.12%
Inbound Calls	10.00%

Complete relevant estate planning counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New estate planning counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an estate planning counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real estate planning counselor resumes.

Research estate planning counselor duties and responsibilities

Manage various types of litigation matters and supervise outside counsel on all aspects of litigation.
Prepare monthly reports for FHA and VA, dealing with loans and delinquent accounts
Deliver financial expertise to accredit international clients on financial plans, which include taxes, investment strategies, and securities.
Utilize solid judgment, product knowledge, problem solving, offering detail insight and alternatives to assist owners in booking vacations.

Apply for estate planning counselor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an estate planning counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams