For many estate planners and attorneys, client relationships are overwhelmingly transactional. A client seeks services for a will, trust, or other estate documents, and once the paperwork is signed, they disappear—often for years or even decades. This traditional model leads to unpredictable revenue streams and a constant need to acquire new clients to maintain profitability.

But what if estate planning could shift from a one-time transaction to an ongoing service? What if estate planners could provide continuous value, ensuring their clients’ documents stay updated as their wealth, family structure, and assets evolve—while simultaneously generating recurring revenue?

SmartHeritance offers estate planners and attorneys the ability to move beyond the traditional model by integrating digital asset management, ongoing client engagement, and a partner program that ensures continued client relationships.

The Challenge: One-Time Clients and Unpredictable Revenue

Estate planning, for most firms, follows a common pattern:

1. A client recognizes the need for a will or trust.
2. They engage an attorney, go through an intake process, and sign the necessary documents.
3. Once the paperwork is finalized, the client often disappears—sometimes never returning unless a major life event forces a review.

This leads to several business challenges:

• Unpredictable revenue – A pipeline reliant on one-time clients requires constant new business generation.
• Lost client relationships – Without ongoing engagement, attorneys miss opportunities to provide additional services and guidance.
• Outdated estate plans – Clients’ lives change, their assets grow, and digital properties expand, but their estate plans remain static.

The traditional model means estate planning is often a “set it and forget it” exercise for clients, leading to significant gaps when their estate needs to be executed.

Why Ongoing Relationships Matter

Estate planning is never truly a one-and-done service. Wealth grows, families change, tax laws evolve, and digital assets multiply. By offering ongoing estate planning services, lawyers can:

• Ensure Wills and Trusts Remain Accurate – A will written a decade ago may be missing critical updates, new assets, or changes in beneficiaries.
• Increase Client Retention – Clients who check in regularly are more likely to return for additional legal services beyond estate planning.
• Create New Revenue Streams – Routine estate plan checkups, digital asset inventories, and advisory services provide lawyers with recurring revenue potential.

The Rise of Digital Assets: A New Estate Planning Frontier

Traditional estate planning focuses on tangible assets—real estate, investments, businesses, and cash. But modern clients have increasingly valuable digital estates, including:

• Cryptocurrency and NFTs – Digital investments that are often untraceable without the right documentation.
• Online Businesses and Intellectual Property – Clients may own websites, online courses, e-books, or patents with long-term revenue potential.
• Social Media and Digital Legacies – Personal and professional social media accounts carry sentimental and business value that families may wish to maintain or close appropriately.

Many estate planners are still catching up to the complexities of digital asset management, leaving a gap in their services that SmartHeritance can help fill.

How SmartHeritance Transforms Estate Planning into a Recurring Revenue Model

SmartHeritance provides estate planners and attorneys with a digital-first solution to dynamically know when clients update their assets. Our Partner Program enables firms to:

1. Stay in Contact with Clients – SmartHeritance notifies estate planners of asset changes, ensuring they remain involved in their clients’ financial evolution.
2. Offer an Ongoing Asset Management Service – By integrating SmartHeritance, attorneys can provide an annual check-in service to review and update documents.
3. Generate Recurring Revenue – Law firms can earn a percentage of every client’s ongoing SmartHeritance subscription, creating an additional income stream.
4. Simplify Digital Asset Management – SmartHeritance allows clients to document all assets in a centralized, secure platform, ensuring lawyers have access when updates are needed.

Future-Proof Your Estate Planning Practice

Clients’ estates are evolving. From growing wealth to digital assets, the need for continuous estate management has never been greater. Instead of relying on a transactional business model, estate planners can use SmartHeritance to create a client-centered, revenue-generating estate planning service.

Ready to move your practice from transactional to transformational? Learn more about the SmartHeritance Partner Program and start building a more sustainable, profitable future for your firm.

Join the SmartHeritance Partner Program Today