Who Gets What?

In this Season One finale, estate attorney Derek Jensen goes solo to break down Washington State's changing tax landscape and why most families remain dangerously unprotected despite the new laws. On July 1st, Washington's top estate tax rate drops from 35% to 20%. That sounds like good news. But the exemption is also pulling back, the gap between Washington's $3M threshold and the...

Derek sits down with Allison Ferris, Chief Fiduciary Officer at Northwest Trustee and Management Services, to discuss what happens after a trust is established. Allison shares lessons from more than 18 years in fiduciary work, including why she never says, “This will be an easy trust.” They discuss family cabins, unexpected assets, beneficiary emotions, co-trusteeship during incapacity, and why cl...

Estate planning is more than trusts and documents. It's about people, values, and the future. In this episode, Derek shares the unexpected lessons from a career of guiding families through wealth transitions. What makes a good trustee? When should you talk to your beneficiaries? And what happens when the plan looks perfect on paper but the people aren't ready? Derek explores the real res...

What happens when the inheritance arrives and nobody prepared the people receiving it? Kristin Keffeler, author of The Myth of the Silver Spoon and co-author of Wealth 3.0, joins Derek to challenge the assumption that wealth transfer is just a financial event. Drawing from her own experience as the daughter of wealth-creating parents, Kristin explores the psychological barriers inheritors face, wh...

What if the most important part of your estate plan isn't the trust — it's the questionnaire? Derek sits down with Tom Flannagan, the estate attorney who inspired Who Gets What?, to explore his comprehensive approach to planning that starts with 14 pages of questions most attorneys never think to ask. They cover risk mitigation, tax strategy, and the surprising details that make a plan a...

BNY Wealth Advisors Chris Kelly and Chad Johnsrud join host Derek Jensen to address the complex realities of managing inherited wealth, discussing strategies, family values, and the intricacies of estate planning.  They talk about the importance of planning, seeking professional help, and maintaining family communication to ensure the smooth transfer of wealth across generations. Chris and Chad sh...

We’ve all heard the saying “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations”—but why does this happen, and how can your family break the cycle? This episode dives deep into the often-overlooked foundation of lasting wealth: your family’s unique story, values, and relationships. True wealth continuity is a challenge of human dynamics, not just financial engineering. This episode examines the cent...

Derek Jensen sits down with Covie Edwards Pitt, author and the creative director of Balentine Partners and the founding director of Balentine's Center for Family Wellbeing. They discuss Covie’s book series 'Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise,' touching on Wealth 3.0 and how best practices in wealth advisory translate to real life.  Covie shares the important lessons learned from her book se...

Caleb Breakey, founder of Renowned Publishing, joins Derek Jensen for a conversation on the most powerful legacy-building tool we all possess: our story. Having guided over 200 people in transforming their lives into books, Caleb reveals why storytelling isn't just for authors; it's a sacred practice for anyone who wants their wisdom, values, and experiences to endure. Check out Renowned...

What is the true purpose of wealth? Is it independence, security, or leaving a mark?  Financial philosopher and CEO & Founder of Sound Financial Group Paul Adams joins Derek Jensen for a profound conversation that moves way beyond the spreadsheet. They explore how to build a legacy defined not by the size of an inheritance, but by the strength of the values behind it. Paul shares why financial...

What’s the secret to keeping a family and its wealth intact for four generations?  For author and CA Emily Griffiths-Hamilton, the answer isn’t in a trust fund; it’s in a value system. She joins host Derek Jensen to share her family’s extraordinary journey, revealing how they built a “family bank” rooted in social capital and open communication. Learn how they passed down enterprises and ethics in...

What if everything you've been told about inheritance is wrong? What if a "silver spoon" isn't a privilege, but a profound responsibility?  Chip Fisher, founder of Urusus Advisory, sits down with Derek Jensen to challenge the greatest taboo of wealth and the emotional weight it places on heirs. They explore how to transform an inheritance from a burden into a "launchpad,&q...

Here's a question most people never ask: What will your family look like in 2125? Not just your assets. Your family. The people who will carry your name, your values, your stories — or won't. The relationships that will hold strong or fracture. The opportunities your decisions today will create or foreclose a century from now. Most estate planning treats legacy as a transaction—Who Gets...

What does a California estate attorney see when he looks at Silicon Valley's wealth? Not just IPOs and unicorns, but a generation facing unprecedented legacy challenges.  Elijah Keyes joins Derek Jensen with stories from the front lines of tech wealth in California. They dive into the psychological shifts required to go from "creator" to "steward," the critical importance...

We all know about budgets and retirement accounts. But what about a Family Constitution? Host Derek Jensen and guest Walter Young push beyond basic financial literacy to explore the human side of wealth. They discuss how to escape scarcity thinking, why you should run your family like a business, and how to transform life insurance from a simple safety net into a dynamic tool for building a legacy...

Derek Jensen built a career helping families plan their estates. But he realized he'd never had the real conversation with his own father about their family's century-old heritage property in Montana. His father is one of seven siblings, now one of only two remaining from his generation. As an officer of the family corporation that owns the land, he's navigating an impossible balanc...