CES™ Certified Estate & Trust Specialist (800) 848-2029

IBF Designation Program

Certified Estate & Trust Specialist™

The designation for advisors who want to be the quarterback of their clients’ estate plans. Trusts, wills, beneficiary designations, incapacity planning. Not legal advice. The knowledge to coordinate the entire team.

Take the Self-Assessment → Request the IBF Catalog

CES™

Up to 60

CE Credits

55–70 hrs

Study Hours

Self-Paced

Format

With Concierge Option

Book |Audio Roundtable |Visual Blueprint |Chapter Snapshot

CFP Board Approved

State Insurance CE

PACE Approved

Overview

What you will learn

Estate planning touches every client, but most advisors hand it off to the attorney and hope for the best. The CES™ program teaches you to be the quarterback: the advisor who identifies gaps, coordinates the team, and makes sure the plan actually gets funded and maintained. Across 16 chapters, you will learn how property transfers, trusts, beneficiary designations, and tax strategies work together.

When you finish, you will know how to run a discovery process that catches what clients forget to mention, coordinate with attorneys and CPAs without stepping on anyone’s license, identify when a revocable trust needs an irrevocable complement, guide families through post-death administration, and keep plans current through life transitions. This is the designation for advisors who want to lead the planning conversation, not just participate in it.

“This program helped me dive deep into estate planning. Not just understanding trusts, but the intricacy that goes into estate planning and all the different variables.”

Tiffany Briggs, CES™

Curriculum

What the program covers

Chapters

Modules

Module 1 · 8 Chapters

The Quarterback’s Knowledge Foundation

The legal and financial framework every advisor needs before leading estate planning conversations.

Property ownership, transfer mechanisms, and titling

Estate and gift tax framework: exemptions, portability, and GST

Wills, probate, and beneficiary designation coordination

Retirement account inheritance: EDB vs. NEDB, SECURE Act rules

Trust fundamentals, types, and applications

Module 2 · 8 Chapters

The Quarterback’s Playbook

Leading the process: discovery, team coordination, implementation, and ongoing maintenance.

Discovery and needs identification for estate planning clients

Assembling and coordinating the professional team

Implementation, trust funding, and incapacity planning

Life transitions, special situations, and plan maintenance

Post-death guidance: helping families through administration

Atlas

In development

CES Reference Atlas

Updated Annually

Built for Your Desk

View details ⌄

The numbers advisors actually pull out in client meetings.

Data reference cards built for the desk, not the shelf. Updated annually with current exemption amounts, trust structures, and estate tax thresholds.

Federal and state estate tax exemptions on a single card

Trust type comparison charts updated every edition

Inherited IRA distribution flowcharts by beneficiary type

Printed on 100lb+ card stock, three-hole punched, full color

IBF CES Reference Atlas

Estate Tax Thresholds

Federal & State

IBF CES Reference Atlas

Trust Structures

Type Comparison

IBF CES Reference Atlas

Exemption Amounts and Transfer Mechanisms

Current Year

Want the full chapter breakdown? Talk to an Enrollment Advisor · Chat Now · (800) 848-2029

Explore the Program

See what the CES™ teaches before you enroll

Free tools and guides built by the same team that wrote the curriculum. No sales pitch. Just substance.

The Self-Assessment Series

Are You Leading the Estate Plan, or Just Watching?

Ten questions that reveal whether you’re coordinating the team or hoping the attorney handles it.

Interactive · 2 min

Take the Quiz

The Practice Benchmark Series

Would Your Estate Process Survive Scrutiny?

25 scenarios across trusts, tax, and succession. Find out if your approach has the blind spots families pay for.

Interactive · 10 min

Start the Benchmark

The Practitioner Brief Series

The Planning Gap Families Pay For

Most estate plans fail not because of bad documents, but because advisors missed the conversation that mattered most.

PDF Guide · Free

Download the Brief

The Specialist’s Edge Series

What an Estate Specialist Sees

The same family. Two reviews. One catches the $340,000 mistake the other walks right past.

PDF Guide · Free

Read the Analysis

1988

Established

501(c)(3)

Nonprofit

Designations

38 Years

Educating Advisors

Built For

Is this the right designation for you?

Financial Advisors

You want to be the coordinator clients trust for estate planning conversations, not just the person who refers them out.

Wealth Managers

You serve high-net-worth clients and need estate planning depth to match their expectations.

Insurance Professionals

You see trusts and estate structures every day. Now you need to understand them well enough to serve clients better.

What You Get

Everything you need to learn and pass

Books are the foundation. The digital materials cover the same ground in different formats, so you can start learning the day you enroll.

Chapter Books Series

Chapter Books

Core learning content for each chapter of your program.

2 volumes per program Included

Chapter Blueprints Series

Chapter Blueprints

Structured visual breakdowns that map each chapter's framework.

One per chapter Included

Chapter Snapshots Series

Chapter Snapshots

Visual one-page summaries with key data points and takeaways.

One per chapter Included

Chapter Roundtables Series

Chapter Roundtables

Audio discussions that bring each chapter's concepts to life.

One per chapter Included

Certification Process

How it works

Step One

Enroll

Step Two

Study

Work through chapters at your own pace. Most students finish in 2 to 4 months. You have 12 months to complete the program, with extensions available at an additional charge.

Step Three

Assessments

Two online proctored exams (one per module) plus a case study. Practice questions for every chapter help you prepare. Retakes available if needed.

Step Four

Certify

Use the CES™ designation on your business cards, LinkedIn, and client materials. Maintain with 30 CE credits every two years.

$1,695

One-time enrollment. Everything included.

All 16 chapters across 2 printed textbooks, shipped to you
Digital study materials: Roundtables, Blueprints, Snapshots
Practice questions for every chapter
Online proctored certification exam
Up to 60 CE credits upon completion

Enroll Now →

Add IBF Concierge $295 A dedicated Student Services rep, a one-on-one kickoff call, and check-ins if you fall behind. Extension fees cut in half, ProctorU fees covered.

“Everything was wonderful. The materials, Fran was absolutely wonderful and very helpful, the test exams. This is a great course!”

Thomas Diorio · CES™ Designee

Continuing Education

Earn up to 60 CE credits

IBF programs are approved for CE credit by state insurance departments, the CFP Board, and other regulatory bodies. Hours vary by program and state. See the full breakdown for your situation.

View CE Credit Details →

Quick Facts

CE Hours Up to 60 (varies by state)

CFP Board Approved

Insurance CE Approved in most states

PACE Approved

From The Specialist's Desk

Estate Planning

Types of Trusts Every Financial Advisor Should Know

Financial advisors need to distinguish revocable living trusts, marital trusts, ILITs, and special needs trusts. This guide maps client situations to the right trust structure and explains what each accomplishes.

Estate Planning

Estate Tax Planning Strategies for High-Net-Worth Clients