National Association of Estate Planning Councils

What National Association of Estate Planning Councils does

NAEPC is a US non-profit professional association founded in 1962 and incorporated in 1963 as a non-profit business league. It operates a national federation of 265 affiliated local estate planning councils across all 50 states, headquartered in Westlake, Ohio (Cleveland metro), with a small staff of 11-50 employees. Its primary constituents are multi-disciplinary estate planning professionals — attorneys, accountants, insurance and financial planners, trust officers, and, since 2016, philanthropic advisors — who join through their local council or as At-Large members.

The organization administers two flagship credentials: the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation, the profession's only graduate-level credential in estate planning, delivered in partnership with The American College of Financial Services; and the Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS) certification, the only ABA-accredited national board certification for estate planning attorneys, administered through its wholly-owned subsidiary Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc. Member-facing technology consists of a member portal (AEP/EPLS login), a public searchable directory of designees and certificants by zip code or state, a council website hosting service (Website Solutions), and a webinar delivery platform (TradeWing) — all conventional membership-association infrastructure rather than proprietary software.

Revenue is generated almost entirely from recurring membership dues, credential application and renewal fees, and conference and webinar programming. At-Large membership is priced at $80/yr; the AEP carries a $350 one-time application fee plus $200/yr dues; and the EPLS ranges from $500-$600 for application with $300/yr renewals and $350 every-five-year recertification. Marketing and member engagement run through the quarterly NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning, the complimentary Robert G. Alexander Webinar Series, the semi-annual virtual Estate Planners Forum, National Estate Planning Awareness Week, the Speakers Bureau, and the Every Council Campaign.

Name

National Association of Estate Planning Councils

Legal name

National Association of Estate Planners & Councils

Website

https://naepc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NAEPC is a US non-profit professional association founded in 1962 that federates 265 local estate planning councils across all 50 states, administering the AEP designation and EPLS attorney certification for multi-disciplinary estate planning professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tax-Focused Wealth Management RIAs (FSAAACAD)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Estate planning credentials
• Professional designations
• Continuing education programs
• Council network

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. At-Large Membership Dues: At-Large individual membership is priced at $80 per year for qualified professionals who do not have access to an affiliated local council within 50 miles or 60 minutes driving time.
2. AEP Designation Application and Annual Dues: The Accredited Estate Planner designation requires a one-time non-refundable application fee of $350 plus first-year annual dues of $200. Active designees must maintain annual dues and meet continuing education requirements every two years.
3. EPLS Certification Fees: Estate Planning Law Specialist certification fees are $600 for unaffiliated attorneys and $500 for attorneys who are members of an NAEPC-affiliated local council. Annual renewal is $300; five-year recertification is $350. Re-examination costs $200 per attempt.
4. Annual Conference and Webinar Series: The annual Estate Planners Forum conference and the Robert G. Alexander Webinar Series serve as flagship programming events. The webinar series is currently offered at no charge to councils, with councils that wish to offer CE credit required to become providers with their state or governing body.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NAEPC is a national non-profit professional association that administers the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) graduate-level designation and the Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS) ABA-accredited board certification for estate planning professionals. The organization operates a national network of 265 affiliated local estate planning councils across all 50 US states, delivering multi-disciplinary education through the NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning, the Robert G. Alexander Webinar Series, and the annual Estate Planners Forum conference. Member professionals include attorneys, accountants, insurance and financial planners, trust officers, and philanthropic advisors who join via local councils or as At-Large members.

Product overview

NAEPC operates as a professional association offering a portfolio of professional designations, certifications, educational programs, publications, and networking services for estate planning professionals. The core offerings include the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation and Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS) certification, supplemented by the NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning, the Robert G. Alexander Webinar Series, and the annual Estate Planners Forum conference. The organization also manages a network of 252 affiliated local estate planning councils, offers programming resources through the Speakers Bureau, and recognizes excellence through the Council of Excellence Award, Hartman Axley Lifetime Service Award, and Robert E. Fox Volunteer Service Award. Council leader development is supported through the Council Leader Education Series and Regional Leadership Conference. Website Solutions are available for affiliated councils seeking administrative support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) Designation The profession's only graduate-level credential in estate planning, awarded to qualified professionals (attorneys, CPAs, CFPs, ChFCs, CLUs, trust officers, philanthropic advisors) meeting requirements of education, experience, knowledge, professional reputation, and character. Designees must advocate for the team concept of estate planning and complete graduate-level coursework.
• Estate Planning Law Specialist (EPLS) Certification The only national, ABA-accredited board certification for attorneys in estate planning, administered by the Estate Law Specialist Board, Inc. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of NAEPC). Demonstrates enhanced competency through experience, rigorous testing, peer review, and continuing legal education.
• Estate Planners Forum Conference The multi-disciplinary collaborative conference for estate planning professionals, held virtually in May and October annually. The only annual gathering exclusively for AEP designees.
• NAEPC Journal of Estate & Tax Planning A web-based quarterly publication providing best-in-class thought leadership for estate planning professionals. Available at no charge to estate planning council members and AEP designees.
• At-Large Individual Membership At-Large individual membership available to qualified estate planning professionals for whom an affiliated local council is not available within 50 miles or 60 minutes driving time. Priced at $80 per year. Members must hold qualifying professional designations (CPA, JD, CFP, ChFC, CLU, etc.).
• Robert G. Alexander Webinar Series Multi-disciplinary monthly webinar series featuring nationally known speakers on estate planning topics, available live and on-demand. Currently offered at no charge to councils. Councils that wish to offer CE credit must become providers with their state or governing body.
• Speakers Bureau Programming resources for affiliated councils, including a No-Charge Speaker Program offering one speaker per affiliated council annually, and an Online Speaker Library with a searchable presenter directory.
• Website Solutions Simple, cost-effective website hosting and administration solutions for affiliated and unaffiliated local estate planning councils.
• Council Leader Education Series Learning and sharing experiences including roundtables, virtual leadership days, website tutorials, and executive/administrator sessions for volunteer leaders and staff of affiliated estate planning councils.
• Regional Leadership Conference Event dedicated to estate planning council leaders featuring regional gatherings to strengthen councils through sharing successful practices and building networks.
• Estate Planning Hall of Fame Recognition program established in 2004 honoring individuals who have been elected to the Hall of Fame and awarded the Accredited Estate Planner (Distinguished) designation in recognition of distinguished service to the field of estate planning. Presented annually at the NAEPC Advanced Estate Planning Strategies Conference.
• Hartman Axley Lifetime Service Award Award program honoring individuals highly active in the estate planning community and crucial to the development of the association. Presented annually at the Advanced Estate Planning Strategies Conference.
• Robert E. Fox Volunteer Service Award Award program named in honor of long-serving NAEPC volunteer Bob Fox. Offered yearly on a discretionary basis to individuals in recognition of exceptional volunteer service within the prior calendar year to their estate planning council, their local community, or to NAEPC itself.
• Council of Excellence Award Award program created in 2014 recognizing councils that are successful in providing a strong multi-disciplinary council for their members. Named for past NAEPC board leaders Leonard H. Neiman and Walter Lee Davis, Jr.

Quantifiable outcome

• 265 affiliated local estate planning councils in all 50 states serving as the national network
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The American College of Financial ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAEPC partners with The American College of Financial Services to offer comprehensive graduate courses in estate planning required for the AEP designation. The required course is MSFP Advanced Estate Management and Planned Giving, which presents an overview of basic gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax law and planning techniques. The partnership also provides five elective courses to satisfy graduate coursework requirements. The American College logo appears on NAEPC's AEP designation materials.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel: ACTEC is a nonprofit professional association of estate planning attorneys elected by peer review, directly comparable to NAEPC in mission, multi-disciplinary collaboration, and continuing education programming. ACTEC's "Fellow" status and NAEPC's AEP/EPLS designations are the two most recognized elite credentials in US trust and estate practice.
• Financial Planning Association: FPA is the largest membership organization for CFP® professionals and personal financial planners, operating a similar model of national association, local chapters, conferences, publications, and member credentials. FPA is the most direct parallel to NAEPC's structure, just focused on the financial planning discipline rather than multi-disciplinary estate planning.
• CFP Board: CFP Board is the national certifying body for CFP® professionals, the dominant financial planning credential. NAEPC's AEP designation is often pursued by CFP® professionals as a specialty credential, making CFP Board the most important adjacent credentialing peer and a key partner in NAEPC's multi-disciplinary value proposition.
• The American College of Financial Services: The American College is a nonprofit educational institution that partners with NAEPC to deliver the graduate-level coursework required for the AEP designation, including the MSFP Advanced Estate Management program. It also confers the ChFC® and CLU® credentials that are qualifying designations for AEP applicants, making it both a content supplier and a credentialing peer.
• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors: NAPFA is a nationwide association of fee-only financial advisors, with a similar chapter-based structure, public "Find an Advisor" directory, continuing education focus, and strict membership standards. NAPFA's consumer-facing directory parallels NAEPC's AEP search tool, and both target affluent households seeking fiduciary advisors.
• Society of Financial Service Professionals: SFSP (formerly the Society of Financial Service Professionals) is a national association of interdisciplinary financial services practitioners, with a multi-disciplinary model that mirrors NAEPC's team approach. SFSP confers the CLF® designation and competes for the same estate planning professional member audience, particularly among financial planners and insurance professionals.
• National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors: NAIFA is a national membership association for insurance and financial services professionals, with a similar chapter-based structure, conferences, publications, and advocacy focus. Many NAIFA members also pursue NAEPC's AEP designation, making it a direct peer for the insurance/financial planning discipline within NAEPC's multi-disciplinary council model.

Emerging players

• XY Planning Network: XY Planning Network is a younger, fast-growing membership organization for fee-only financial advisors serving Gen X and Gen Y clients, with a focus on modern technology and virtual practices. While not a direct estate planning credentialing body, XYPN competes for the same next-generation financial planning professionals that NAEPC needs to recruit into its multi-disciplinary council model.

Broad incumbents

• American Institute of CPAs: AICPA is the national professional association for CPAs, including the Personal Financial Planning (PFS) credential that overlaps directly with NAEPC's AEP member base. AICPA operates at significantly larger scale with broader scope, but competes for the same accounting-discipline estate planning professionals and continuing education dollars.
• American Bar Association - Section of Real Property, Trust and Estate Law: The ABA RPTE Section is the largest US legal membership organization serving estate planning, trust, and probate attorneys, providing CLE, publications, and credential-adjacent credibility. It represents a broader, more established incumbent that overlaps with NAEPC's attorney-discipline member base and EPLS certificants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naepc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Association of Estate Planning Councils