Advisor Wars: Goals, Collaboration, and $15 Million Exemption: An Advisor's Guide to Estate Planning

In this episode of Advisor Wars, sponsored by Obsidian CIO, hosts Bob Huebscher (founder of Advisor Perspectives) and Joe Halpern (Managing Partner and CIO of Obsidian CIO) launch a new series examining the role of estate planning in the advisory profession. Joined by special guest Bob Keebler, a partner at Keebler & Associates and past chairman of the AICPA Advanced Estate Planning Conference, this episode unpacks how the 2025 tax law's newly permanent $15 million federal exemption reshapes planning for affluent clients — and why the advisors who add the most value are the ones who master goals and coordination, not just the tax code. The conversation ranges from Roth conversion pitfalls to inherited IRA disasters to the growing threat of AI-enabled fraud targeting aging clients and why "goals and collaboration," not clever tax techniques, may be what actually separate good outcomes from costly ones. Financial Advisors can discover how to: Build the Plan Goals-First - Learn Keebler's simple two-word answer for what separates the best outcomes: goals and collaboration and why advisors who let clients write their goals down before looping in the attorney get dramatically better results. Master the New Exemption Landscape - Understand why a permanent $15 million exemption doesn't eliminate the need for trust planning, and how leaving assets outright to a single child can trigger the very estate tax the exemption was meant to avoid. Separate Core Capital From Excess Capital - Learn the foundational financial-planning question Keebler asks before any gifting strategy: what does the client actually need to live on, and what's truly excess capital they can afford to give away. Avoid the Inherited IRA and Beneficiary Traps - Hear why coordinating beneficiary forms across old and new accounts is the single most common and costly mistake advisors and clients make, especially under the SECURE Act's 10-year rule. Know AI's Real Role (and Its Real Limits) - Keebler explains why AI's "IQ is high but its EQ is low," where generative AI can safely support estate planning, and how advisors should be coaching aging clients on AI-powered scams before they become victims. Recommend the Right Trustees and Coordinate the Right Team - Get Keebler's take on when a trust company belongs in the picture, when it's a family member or lawyer, and how to choose an estate attorney who collaborates rather than creates friction. You can find Advisor Wars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, and connect with the hosts on LinkedIn. Bob Keebler can be contacted through www.keeblerandassociates.com.  RIAs can discover a tech-enabled OCIO at www.Obsidiancio.com.  IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: Obsidian CIO LLC sponsors the podcast to further education and critical thinking about the factors that affect markets and investing, and the podcast does not provide investment advice. Investment advice is only offered to clients of Obsidian CIO who have entered into an advisory agreement and with whom Obsidian CIO has identified individual objectives, risk tolerance, and other investment needs.