Our Services

Estate and Legacy Planning for Families, Corporate Executives and Business Owners

Coordinated estate and legacy planning that connects your will, trust, and beneficiary decisions to the rest of your financial plan.

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Fee-only fiduciary since 2013

SEC-registered investment advisor

Serving 150+ clients nationwide

F5 Financial is a proud member of

Check the background of this firm on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

An Estate Plan Only Works If Someone Actually Coordinates It

Estate planning is often treated as something only "the rich and famous" need. But every family eventually faces the certainty of death. An unplanned or poorly coordinated estate creates real work for the people left behind.

A will drafted a decade ago. A beneficiary designation nobody updated after a divorce or a new grandchild. A power of attorney nobody can find when it's actually needed. All three are more common than most families expect.

Business owners carry an added risk. No documented succession plan means employees, partners, and family are left guessing if something happens unexpectedly.

A well-thought and comprehensive estate plan is one of the best gifts you can leave to your family.

What Makes a Good Estate Plan

Your will, powers of attorney, and any trusts reflect what you actually want, and are coordinated with the rest of your financial plan.

Your family isn't left blindly sorting through your affairs. Your digital accounts and passwords are documented so your family can manage or close them if needed.

Your business has a named successor or sale plan instead of leaving employees and family in limbo.

You have an ability to change your plan when life or circumstances change. Your financial directives are stewarded according to the plan.

How Estate Planning Works at F5 Financial

F5 Financial takes a systematic approach to estate and legacy planning to ensure everything is in place long before you’re gone. You will need an attorney to draw up the legal documentation required for these steps, but F5 Financial will guide you toward what you need.

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Document Review and Goal Discussion

We walk through what you have in place today, or don't, and what you actually want your plan to accomplish.

Planning Across the Key Documents

We cover your will, revocable living trust, durable powers of attorney, living will, and digital asset plan, and for business owners, succession and buy-sell arrangements.

Attorney Coordination

We make introductions to a trusted estate attorney in your area if you don't have one, and coordinate directly with them to get documents drafted.

Ongoing Review

We revisit your plan at major life events, a marriage, a child reaching adulthood, a business sale, rather than leaving it untouched for years.

What's Included in F5 Financial’s Retirement Planning

Last Will & Testament

This document describes how you’d like to have your estate handled after your death, and who you want to settle it. Your will is also where you’ll designate guardianship for your children or anyone else for whom you’re legally responsible.

Revocable Living Trusts

Many people believe trusts only exist to protect assets from taxation, but a trust further defines your intentions after your death and makes it easier for family to access your assets, without probate court.
A revocable trust can be amended at any time and, provided you named a successor trustee, there are no assets to transfer as “inheritance.” As a matter of transparency: establishing a trust is more expensive than creating a simple will…but it will cost far less than probating that will.

Durable Powers of Attorney

Power of attorney allows someone else to act on your behalf in case you become incapacitated. That person may have financial power of attorney, which allows them to make decisions about your finances or their power of attorney may be limited to your health care and advance directives, advocating for you regarding important medical decisions you might not be able to make yourself, as well as making end-of-life decisions on your behalf.

Living Wills

Your living will outlines exactly how you want end-of-life care to be handled, especially what measures should be taken to prolong your life and what medical treatments are or are not acceptable.

Digital Assets Management

In the age of the internet, your social media accounts may long outlive you. Keeping a list of these assets and using a password management system will allow your loved ones to take over the management of these accounts, or shut them down, if you become incapacitated.

The Financial Health Cycle™

F5's estate and legacy planning runs through the Financial Health Cycle, F5's coordinated planning process built for families, corporate executives and business owners facing exactly this set of decisions.

It starts with what your legacy actually looks like: who you want to provide for, what you want to preserve, the impact you want to leave behind. From there, it layers in tax strategy, investment management, insurance review, and cash flow planning. All of it moves through the same quarterly cycle.

Discover our process

Why Families and Executives Choose F5 for Estate Planning

We start before you ever meet an attorney

Most families walk into an attorney's office without having thought through the actual decisions. We help you arrive prepared.

We coordinate directly with your attorney and CPA

Once your documents are in place, they stay connected to your broader financial plan.

Named attorney relationships in each market we serve

We can make an introduction in Naperville, McDonough, or Venice if you don't already have an estate attorney.

A plan that gets revisited

Estate planning is reviewed as part of your regular quarterly cycle instead of sitting in a drawer until something forces the question.

Taking the time to plan your future will pay dividends in your golden years.

Nick Prigitano, CFP®

Planning Support Specialist

What our clients say

Testimonials

I really like F5 Financial's top-to-bottom approach to financial management, and I love working with Josh. He's like having another son — one who's dependable and makes sure we're taken care of. He's kind and moral, and I know he's looking out for us.

Linda Hickman

I didn't even think about estate planning until we started working with Josh, and I'm glad he took care of it. My only regret is that we didn't start working with him sooner. If you need a financial planner, I recommend contacting Josh and F5 Financial.

Mitch Wallace

We like the F5 approach to financial planning because it's well-structured and comprehensive — F5 helps with our estate planning, retirement planning, investments, 529 planning, and family budgeting. It's nice to have everything financial in one place.

Chris Papastathis

These reviews were voluntarily provided by our clients. No compensation was provided to clients in exchange for their reviews. We requested ratings from all clients via email. Clients who responded either wrote their own review, or collaborated with a third-party marketing agency that crafted their spoken words into written testimonials. Each client posted their own feedback on Google.

What Estate Planning Costs

Estate and legacy planning is part of F5's comprehensive planning service. It starts with a one-time $3,000 initial planning fee, plus an ongoing annual fee that depends on the amount of investable assets.

Both are disclosed in full on our fees page. Any drafting fees your attorney charges are separate and outside F5's scope.

Generally, F5 Financial is ideal for families who have a minimum of $1,000,000 in investable assets.

View our fee schedule

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an estate attorney if I hire F5 for estate planning?

Yes. We guide you through the planning decisions and coordinate your plan afterward, but we don’t draft legal documents. We can introduce you to a trusted estate attorney if you don’t have one.

What's the difference between a will and a revocable living trust?

A will directs how your estate is handled and names guardians for minor children. A revocable trust adds the ability to avoid probate court and can be changed anytime you’re alive to do so.

I don't own a business. Do I still need succession planning?

Succession planning applies specifically to business owners. Everyone else still needs a will, powers of attorney, a living will, and a plan for digital accounts, regardless of business ownership.

When should we update our estate plan?

Revisit it at major life events: a marriage or divorce, a child reaching adulthood, a business sale, a move to a new state. Estate rules vary by state.

Is this covered under your regular planning fee?

Yes. Estate planning guidance is part of F5’s comprehensive planning packages. Your attorney’s drafting fees are separate and billed directly by them, outside F5’s scope.

Is the first conversation free?

Yes. We start with a short questionnaire, then a complimentary FHC Snapshot meeting with an advisor, at no cost and no obligation.

Got more questions?

Apply for a free Financial Health Cycle Snapshot call with our team to get all your questions answered.

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Leave the Best Gift to Your Family By Maximizing the Value of Your Legacy.

A will you wrote a decade ago probably doesn't reflect your life today. Let's look at what you have, what's missing, and what your family would actually face.

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No cost, no obligation.

Fee-only fiduciary since 2013

SEC-registered investment advisor

Serving 150+ clients nationwide