Estate Planning Financial Advisor - Minneapolis, MN

If you're looking for an estate planning financial advisor in Minneapolis, 360 Financial works with Minneapolis-area families to help them organize, protect, and thoughtfully transfer what they've spent a lifetime building. With offices in Wayzata and Elk River, their team of CFPs, CPAs, and specialists brings a full-service approach to estate planning — the kind that goes well beyond just having a will on file.

What Does Estate Planning Actually Include for Minneapolis Families?

A lot of people hear "estate planning" and picture a stack of legal documents. And yes, documents matter — but estate planning done well is really about making sure the people you love are taken care of, and that your wishes are honored, without leaving them to sort through a mess at the worst possible moment.

For Minneapolis families, a thorough estate plan typically covers:

A will that establishes who inherits what

Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance, and investment accounts (these override your will — a detail many people miss)

Powers of attorney for financial and healthcare decisions if you're ever unable to make them yourself

Trusts, where appropriate, for tax efficiency, asset protection for heirs, or caring for dependents with special needs

Titling of assets — how property is held can have significant implications for how it passes to the next generation

Business succession, for Minneapolis professionals and business owners who have a company intertwined with their personal wealth

The LifeWealth Process that 360 Financial uses is designed to surface all of these dimensions — not just the ones that are easy to talk about.

How Does Minnesota's Estate Tax Affect Your Plan?

Minnesota is one of the few states with its own estate tax, separate from the federal tax. The state exemption is $3 million — meaning estates above that threshold may owe Minnesota estate tax before any federal estate tax calculation even begins.

For families in Minneapolis and the broader Twin Cities metro, this threshold is more relevant than many people realize. A long-held home in a neighborhood that has appreciated significantly, combined with retirement accounts and life insurance proceeds, can push an estate closer to that threshold than expected.

A financial advisor who understands Minnesota-specific planning works alongside your estate attorney to help structure your plan in a way that aims to make the most of available exemptions and strategies — things like spousal trusts, lifetime gifting, or charitable planning. 360 Financial's team seeks to coordinate that strategy across your full financial picture, not just in isolation from the rest of your plan.

Why Your Beneficiary Designations Matter as Much as Your Will

Here is something that surprises a lot of people: your beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance policies pass outside of your will entirely. A court won't change them. A trust won't override them unless specifically structured to do so. Whoever is listed on those forms is who receives those assets — regardless of what your will says.

This creates real problems for families who haven't updated their designations after a divorce, a death in the family, or the birth of a grandchild. 360 Financial's planning process includes a review of all beneficiary designations as part of the estate planning conversation — because a well-drafted will paired with outdated beneficiary forms can still leave your wishes unfulfilled.

Does a Financial Advisor Replace an Estate Planning Attorney?

No, and a good financial advisor won't pretend otherwise. Your attorney drafts the legal documents — the will, the trust, the powers of attorney. Those are legal instruments that require an attorney's expertise and judgment.

Where a financial advisor fits in is on the planning side: helping you understand what structures make sense for your situation, modeling the financial implications of different approaches, making sure your investment and retirement accounts are aligned with your estate plan, and coordinating with your attorney so nothing falls through the cracks.

360 Financial takes a team approach to this. Their CFP professionals and CPAs work alongside your legal counsel to aim for a coordinated plan — one where the financial strategy and the legal documents are pulling in the same direction.

What Does the Process Look Like at 360 Financial?

The LifeWealth Process starts with understanding your full picture: where you are now, what you want your legacy to look like, and what concerns are keeping you up at night. From there, the team works to build a comprehensive plan that addresses those concerns across your financial life — investments, taxes, retirement income, and estate transfer.

For Minneapolis families, the conversation often includes:

Reviewing what you already have in place and identifying gaps

Modeling how your estate looks under current and future tax scenarios

Coordinating beneficiary designations and account titling with your estate documents

Identifying whether a trust makes sense for your family's situation

Planning for how your wealth transfers to the next generation in a way that aligns with your values

360 Financial holds appointments at their Wayzata and Elk River offices and works with clients across the greater Twin Cities metro, including Minneapolis and the surrounding neighborhoods.

What Should I Look for in an Estate Planning Advisor in Minneapolis?

When you're evaluating a financial advisor for estate planning in Minneapolis, a few things are worth asking:

Are they a fiduciary? A fiduciary is legally required to act in your interest. 360 Financial operates as a fiduciary, which means their recommendations are guided by what works for you, not by product commissions.

Do they have CFP or CPA credentials? Estate planning touches investments, taxes, and legal structures. Having professionals with both CFP and CPA designations on the team means you're working with people who understand the financial and tax dimensions of the plan.

Do they coordinate with your attorney and other advisors? A plan that lives in a single advisor's file — disconnected from your attorney and accountant — is a plan with gaps. 360 Financial's approach is built around coordination across your full advisory team.

Do they revisit the plan over time? Your life changes. Tax laws change. Minnesota's estate tax exemption is not guaranteed to stay where it is. A good estate planning relationship is ongoing, not a one-time document signing.

Ready to Start the Conversation?

Estate planning is one of those things that's easy to put off because it doesn't feel urgent — until something happens and it suddenly is. If you're a Minneapolis resident who has been meaning to get your estate in order, 360 Financial's team is ready to walk through your situation with you.

Their Wayzata office is a short drive from Minneapolis, and they work with families across the Twin Cities metro. The conversation starts wherever you are, not where you think you should be.

All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however, LPL Financial makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy.' error=None