The Whole Family Advisor® Program

Serve the whole family, for generations to come.

Created for advisors, family offices, and wealth management firms, the program equips you with strategies to engage the rising generation, a full suite of family engagement tools, and a proven process to design and facilitate successful multi-generational family meetings.

A new standard of care for multi-generational families.

Retention   |   Acquisition   |   Differentiation

1,000+

Advisors trained through the Whole Family Advisor® program

20+

Years training advisors

5

Industry continuing-education accreditations

4

Courses in the program

Continuing education accredited for:    CIMA®  ·  CPWA®  ·  CIMC®  ·  RMA℠  ·  CFP®

The Program

Becoming a Whole Family Advisor®

Advisors gain a deeper understanding of their client base, dynamic tools to engage their client-families, stronger communication and interpersonal skills, and a proven process to design and facilitate successful multi-generational family meetings. Built on more than two decades of consulting and proprietary research, the program focuses exclusively on the qualitative side of wealth.

01 · Learn

WFA Training

Four courses delivered self-paced or as a live cohort, building the knowledge, tools, and skills of a Whole Family Advisor.

02 · Earn

WFA Certification

Complete the courses to earn the Whole Family Advisor® designation and stand apart in the marketplace.

03 · Belong

Ongoing Membership

The ongoing professional development and resourcing that keep your practice thriving, the equivalent of meeting your continuing-education requirements.

Why Now

It is not enough to know. It is time to take action.

A historic transfer of wealth is underway, and most families are unprepared for what it asks of them. Financial planning alone cannot answer it. The relationships do.

$105T

$62T in HNW / UHNW hands

Transferring to the next generation by 2048

The largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history.

3

Generations

Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves

The pattern of wealth that does not endure, repeated across families and cultures.

70%+

of heirs

Leave their parents’ advisors

When the relationship was never built with the whole family.

Step Inside

See what the experience feels like

Take a short tour of the Academy and the Whole Family Advisor experience, then picture the deeper conversations you will be ready to lead with your own client-families.

https://vimeo.com/VIMEO_ID

An inspiring look at the program, the tools, and the community of advisors.

The Four Courses

A complete path to serving the whole family

COURSE1

Becoming the Whole Family Advisor®

Build the knowledge and skills to serve the whole family of your current and prospective clients, including our 5-Step Practice Management Process.
CE: 2 CIMA® · 2 CPWA® · 2 CIMC® · 2 RMA™ · 3 CFP®
COURSE2

Family Engagement Tools

Access ten tools to use with your client-families, with guidance on the purpose of each, the best moments to use it, and how to put it into practice.
CE: 2 CIMA® · 2 CPWA® · 2 CIMC® · 2 RMA™
COURSE3

Essential Skills

Develop and practice the seven essential skills that move you from serving one primary client to serving the whole family, in real time.
CE: 2 CIMA® · 2 CPWA® · 2 CIMC® · 2 RMA™ · 3.5 CFP®
COURSE4

Multigenerational Family Meetings

Learn our ten-step process to design and facilitate meaningful multi-generational family meetings and retreats with your client-families.
CE: 2 CIMA® · 2 CPWA® · 2 CIMC® · 2 RMA™ · 3.5 CFP®

Each course includes: Workbook Pre-Work Assignments Virtual Lectures Engagement Tools Quiz

In total, the four courses are approved for 8 CIMA®, CPWA®, CIMC®, RMA℠ and 10 CFP® CE credits.

What You'll Gain

A practice built to endure
across generations

The Whole Family Advisor program is designed to change how your practice grows, retains, and stands apart.

Retention

Keep client-families across generations

Build relationships with the whole family, so assets and trust stay with you when wealth transfers to the rising generation.

Acquisition

Attract the families you want to serve

Offer the deeper conversations families are seeking and most advisors never begin, and become the advisor they recommend to others.

Differentiation

Stand apart in a crowded market

Carry the Whole Family Advisor® designation and a proven process that sets your practice above the quantitative-only crowd.

Certification & Membership

Level up your
multigenerational planning services

The WFA Certification

A Whole Family Advisor is someone who:

Membership Continues the Journey

Membership is the ongoing professional development and resourcing for advisors who complete the coursework, the equivalent of meeting your continuing-education requirements.

Year one included

Membership and certification continue at $350 per year thereafter. Same simple fee, ongoing partnership.

Enroll

Choose the path that fits you

Three ways to begin. When you are ready, your path takes you straight to registration. If you would like to talk it through first, we are glad to.

Self-Paced

For advisors who prefer to learn on their own schedule.

$2,250

Self-paced via the Academy · about 5 hours per course

Legacy Capitals Cohort

Learn from the program and from advisors at other firms.

$2,750

Per advisor · live, virtual cohort

Program dates are set by Legacy Capitals. Choose the cohort that fits your calendar.

Spring 2027 Cohort

Dates to be announced.

Private Firm Cohort

Keep the program in-house and strengthen your firm’s culture of learning.

$2,750

Per advisor · 20-advisor minimum

Timing is scheduled around your advisors. Institutional pricing available for 35 or more advisors.

Have questions before you enroll? We are glad to help. Book a consultation or call 609-917-0161.
In Their Words

What advisors are saying

I finished the final course and feel so inspired and confident in having the tools to approach our key client-families, to deepen the relationships, improve communication, and positively impact their families and legacy.

Program Participant

There is no question that these concepts are significant differentiators for wealth advisors. Clients are craving these conversations and are being underserved by most advisors. These skills are critical for anyone looking to build deeper connections.

Program Participant

We are growing fast and adding clients right and left. We have been implementing the concepts little by little with new and existing clients, with real success. I think this will only continue to snowball for us.

Program Participant

One of the few firms helping advisors deal with the large demographic shifts in our industry. What is most impressive is the focus not just on the why and the what, but the how. They give advisors the tools to execute well on intergenerational planning.

Program Participant

I have worked in this space before, and this program is a home run. Creating value with the next generation is a big step in keeping and adding assets as they transfer to another generation.

Program Participant

Having a strong framework to follow, great sample questions, and solid pointers to keep a family meeting moving gives us confidence going forward. Our practice is built for diving deeper with families, and we will put it all to good use.

Program Participant

Whole Family Advisor® PROGRAM
Frequently Asked Questions

Good questions, clear answers

Welcome. Whether you are an advisor considering the Whole Family Advisor® Program or a firm exploring it for your advisors, we are glad you are here.

The Whole Family Advisor® certification, awarded and maintained by Legacy Capitals Academy, prepares advisors to serve the relational and generational dynamics of family wealth. In addition to the wealth management work an advisor may already provide in preparing the assets for the family, this training focuses entirely on one thing: preparing the family for their assets. If your question is not answered here, we welcome a conversation at academy@legacycapitals.com or (609) 917-0161.

About the Certification

It signifies that an advisor has successfully completed our program and is trained to serve the relational and generational dynamics of family wealth. Certified advisors are prepared to facilitate multi-generational family conversations on topics such as the purpose of the family’s resources, their intended living legacy, shared values, family roles, philanthropy, and the FISHS capitals framework, and they are trained to design and facilitate family meetings. In doing so, they engage the whole family, including spouses, significant others, and rising generation family members, helping Family-Clients shape the qualitative foundations of lasting legacy and wealth transfer plans.

It is different in two primary ways. First, it is built on more than two decades of consulting, coaching, and training advisors and financially successful families, along with Legacy Capitals’ proprietary research. Second, it focuses exclusively on the qualitative aspects of family wealth, family business, and multi-generational planning. Rather than duplicating the technical training of other designations, it builds upon the wealth management already in place, expanding the advisor’s value to their Family-Clients through the relational and generational foundations that help wealth endure across generations.

No. The Whole Family Advisor® certification is a professional development credential focused entirely on the relational and generational dynamics of wealth. It is not a license, and it does not authorize, qualify, or hold out a certified advisor to provide financial, investment, tax, legal, estate, accounting, or risk advice of any kind. Certified advisors complement and strengthen the work of a family’s financial, legal, tax, and other professional advisors. They do not replace it.

Yes. The program has earned independent recognition from two of the industry’s most respected bodies and is approved for continuing education credit by the CFP Board and the Investments & Wealth Institute.

Eligibility

Candidates typically hold one or more respected professional designations or advanced degrees. Eligibility requires satisfying at least two of the following three criteria:

  • Hold one or more approved professional designations or advanced degrees, including CFP®, CPWA®, ChFC®, CLU®, CPA, CAP®, CFA®, CRPC®, RMA®, CIMA®, CSA®, WMCP®, Certified Professional Coach, Juris Doctor, MBA, or a master’s degree in tax, counseling, social work, marriage and family therapy, or psychology. Other designations and degrees may be approved by Legacy Capitals on a case-by-case basis.
  • Hold a four-year undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Have two or more years of professional experience in their current position or a related professional discipline.
Earning the Certification

The Whole Family Advisor® curriculum consists of four courses, each concluding with an examination. To earn the certification, candidates must:

  • Complete all required classes and lectures.
  • Complete all required assignments.
  • Pass each of the four course examinations with a score of at least 70 percent. Examinations are not proctored.
  • Submit a final action plan and participate in subsequent progress report-out meetings, hosted virtually by Legacy Capitals. The final action plan asks each candidate to move beyond understanding and show how the work will take shape in their own practice, with the families they serve.

The program can be completed via two learning formats:

Live Cohorts: The Whole Family Advisor Program is delivered live via Zoom unfolding across nine virtual-live lectures over four months. Firms may sponsor a private cohort for 20 or more of their advisors or smaller groups or individuals can join a Legacy Capitals Mixed Cohort to learn alongside peers from other firms. We presently offer two cohort programs each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Refer to our website for information on the start date for the next live cohort.

Self-Paced: The four course program is delivered via pre-recorded lectures on our Academy learning platform and can be completed individually at your own pace.

Yes! We understand that participants may not be able to attend every live lecture. Live cohort program participants may miss up to two live lectures and remain in good standing with the program so long as they make up for the missed lecture(s) by watching the recording and completing all associated pre-work. 

Each course takes approximately five hours to complete. This includes all lectures, assignments, and the course examination.

Each advisor has three attempts to pass each course examination with a score of 70 percent or higher. If an advisor does not pass within the first two attempts, we suggest taking a few days to restudy the course materials before the third attempt. An advisor who does not pass after three attempts will not earn the continuing education credits for that course and will not be eligible to pursue certification.

Maintaining the Certification

The Whole Family Advisor® designation reflects an ongoing commitment, not a one-time achievement. To maintain the certification, advisors must:

  • Remain in good standing with Legacy Capitals.
  • Attend a minimum of two of the four quarterly Whole Family Advisor® continuing education webinars each year.
  • Pay the annual certification maintenance fee of $350.

Every certified advisor is supported in this commitment through the monthly Whole Family Advisor® Best Practices email and continuous access to the Whole Family Advisor® Resource Hub, with its hundreds of tools, templates, and educational materials. These continuing education requirements are established and administered by Legacy Capitals Academy and are distinct from continuing education credits administered by external bodies such as the CFP Board.

Program Materials and Client Engagement

An abundance of materials is available through the Whole Family Advisor® courses and the Membership Resource Hub. Materials identified as client-facing, which we call “Engage” materials, include videos, articles, PDFs, podcasts, client engagement tools, and more. Within the Membership Resource Hub, materials intended for Family-Clients and prospective clients are clearly marked “shareable.”

Client-facing Engage materials may be reproduced, whether copied or printed, but only for use by the registered advisor member in serving his or her respective clients and prospective clients. The “Prepare” and “Build” materials are intended for your personal professional development as a Whole Family Advisor® and are not client-facing.

Yes. Co-brandable materials are identified in the Membership Resource Hub. When an advisor completes the Whole Family Advisor® courses and achieves certification, additional family engagement tools become available for co-branding as well.

To continue using a company or firm logo on the materials, the advisor must remain in good standing with Legacy Capitals and current on the annual certification maintenance fee of $350. This is the same single fee that maintains the certification; there is no separate charge for co-branding. If the annual renewal is not paid, the advisor must immediately discontinue use of all co-branded client-facing Engage materials. Non-digital client-facing materials, such as Legacy Capitals’ decks of cards, must be ordered in bulk to be co-branded.

Please note that co-branded digital materials carry no Legacy Capitals branding other than the “Powered by Legacy Capitals” attribution and copyright date at the end of each resource. These may not be revised or removed.

No. The materials provided through the Whole Family Advisor® Program are intended for professional use with Family-Clients and prospective clients. They are not to be publicly displayed or hosted on any personal or company website, on any social media platform, or in any other medium without the prior written consent of Legacy Capitals.

No. The resources and services of the program are provided for the registered advisor’s own professional use and for service to his or her Family-Clients and prospective clients. They may not be shared with advisors who are not registered on the Legacy Capitals Academy platform. This protects the integrity of the program and the investment every certified advisor has made in it.

For Firms and Institutions

Yes. Firms and institutions may register their own private cohort, with a minimum of 20 advisors. For firms registering 35 or more advisors in the same private cohort program, discount rates are available. We invite you to email academy@legacycapitals.com or call (609) 917-0161 to discuss.

Yes. An advisor’s firm or institution may add its own compliance disclosure statement to the client-facing materials, such as a family philanthropy engagement tool, provided the statement does not conflict with, confuse, or negate the notices provided by Legacy Capitals. Each advisor is expected to use commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that any use of the program materials complies with all applicable laws and regulations, including securities laws, and with the advisor’s written supervisory procedures and internal compliance rules.

Professional Conduct

Every Whole Family Advisor® is expected to conduct themselves with integrity, professionalism, and discretion in all work with Family-Clients. Certified advisors commit to honest representation of the certification and its scope, to respect for the confidentiality and privacy of every family they serve, to conduct that upholds the standing of the designation, and to honoring the duties and obligations of their own profession, firm, and regulatory environment at all times. Adherence to these standards is a continuing requirement of certification.

We take the integrity of the designation seriously. Concerns may be submitted to academy@legacycapitals.com or (609) 917-0161. When a complaint is received, it is reviewed to determine its merit. If a complaint warrants formal review, a review committee of Legacy Capitals representatives and, when possible, other Whole Family Advisors is assembled, and the process is handled with strict confidentiality. Within approximately 30 to 45 days, the committee evaluates the complaint against the Whole Family Advisor® Guidelines and Practices and may maintain, suspend, or revoke the certification. The advisor is notified in writing of the committee’s decision.

Become the advisor every generation trusts

Begin the Whole Family Advisor journey, or talk it through with our team first. Either way, we would be glad to welcome you.