Working with Advisors

How do I build, communicate with, and manage an advisor team that supports my trust or financial life?

Working with Advisors helps learners examine the practical work of building and managing an advisor ecosystem. Participants explore the roles advisors may play in trust administration and financial decision-making, including investment advisors, trustees, accountants, tax preparers, attorneys, custodians, trust protectors, family office professionals, and other specialists. The module emphasizes communication, expectations, compensation, onboarding, transitions, governance, transparency, and when it may be necessary to change or end an advisory relationship. Learners move from relying on advisors passively to engaging more actively, thoughtfully, and constructively with the professionals who support their trust, wealth, and long-term goals.

What You’ll Be Able to Do on the Other Side

• Map your advisor ecosystem so that you can clarify who is involved, what role each advisor plays, how to contact them, and whether your current support structure matches your needs.

• Set communication expectations with advisors so that meetings, updates, documents, decisions, and follow-up actions are handled with greater clarity and less confusion.

• Evaluate advisor candidates so that you can compare qualifications, service philosophy, references, fees, regulatory standing, team structure, and fit before hiring.

• Interpret advisor compensation and contracts so that you can ask informed questions about retainers, hourly fees, asset-based fees, transaction costs, engagement letters, hidden charges, and review terms.

• Onboard, transition, or remove advisors so that changes to your advisory team can be handled deliberately, professionally, and with minimal disruption to trust administration or financial decision-making.

• Clarify advisor governance and transparency so that you can distinguish who has authority, who has responsibility, who should be consulted, and who needs to be informed when decisions are made.

The Experience

This module combines self-paced reading, reflection prompts, a case study, and an Advisor Grid exercise. Learners use the materials to take stock of their advisor relationships, clarify communication expectations, and consider how to manage hiring, onboarding, compensation, transitions, and governance more deliberately.

The Mathew case study shows how advisor coordination matters during moments of pressure. Learners consider how a beneficiary, trustee, and advisor team can use timely communication, shared information, and clear roles to make more informed decisions.

Estimated Completion Time: 1 hour

Featured Resources:

• Don't Leave a Mess by Sandra Pollack
• Estate & Trust Administration for Dummies, 2nd Edition by Margaret Atkins, EA & Kathryn A. Murphy, Esq.
• Mathew Case Study