Escape Commission Splits: Keep 100% of Your Fees with Estate Planning

Every financial professional knows the frustration. You do the work, you build the relationship, you close the deal — and then someone takes a chunk of your fee for the privilege of letting you work for them.

Mortgage advisors pay:

• •Network fees: £200-£500/month
• •Commission override: 10-50% of every proc fee
• •Compliance levy: £500-£2,000/year
• •Total cost of splits: £15,000-£50,000/year

IFAs pay:

• •Firm split: 30-50% of all fees
• •Platform costs allocated: £2,000-£5,000/year
• •Compliance overhead: £3,000-£10,000/year
• •Total cost of splits: £40,000-£100,000/year

Will writers pay:

• •Company commission split: 50-70% of every fee
• •Software fees: often deducted from commission
• •Lead generation charges: sometimes additional
• •Total cost of splits: £30,000-£80,000/year

What you're actually paying for:

• •A brand name clients don't remember
• •Software you could buy cheaper (or get free)
• •Insurance that costs a fraction of what you pay in splits
• •"Support" that rarely materialises when you need it
• •The right to work for someone else

Estate planning eliminates ALL of this:

• •Fee charged to client: £500-£2,000
• •Your take: £500-£2,000
• •Commission split: £0
• •Network fee: £0
• •Firm override: £0
• •Platform charge: £0
• •You keep: everything.

The only costs are your PI insurance (£300-£600/year) and WILLO software (£150/month through Become an Estate Planner). That's it. Every other pound goes directly to you.

Let's calculate what commission splits actually cost you over a career:

Mortgage advisor staying in a network for 10 years:

• •Average annual revenue generated: £100,000
• •Average kept: £55,000 (after all splits and fees)
• •Total given away: £450,000 over 10 years
• •What you could have earned independently in estate planning: £800,000-£1,200,000
• •Career cost of staying: £350,000-£750,000

IFA staying at a firm for 10 years:

• •Average annual revenue generated: £180,000
• •Average kept: £85,000
• •Total given away: £950,000 over 10 years
• •What you could have earned independently in estate planning: £900,000-£1,500,000
• •Career cost of staying: up to £500,000+

Will writer staying employed for 10 years:

• •Average annual revenue generated: £90,000
• •Average kept: £30,000
• •Total given away: £600,000 over 10 years
• •What you could have earned independently in estate planning: £700,000-£1,200,000
• •Career cost of staying: £100,000-£600,000

The opportunity cost is staggering. Every year you stay in the commission split model is a year of income you'll never get back. The sooner you transition, the more of your career earnings you keep.

And it's not just about money. It's about ownership. In the split model, you build nothing of lasting value. When you leave, you leave empty-handed. In your own estate planning practice, you build a client base, a reputation, and a business you could eventually sell.

Let's be transparent about the estate planning business model and why the economics are so favourable:

Why overheads are so low:

• •No office needed (home-based, client home visits)
• •No FCA authorisation or fees
• •No expensive software platforms
• •No network subscriptions
• •No compliance consultants
• •No sourcing systems or lender panels
• •No PI insurance in the thousands (hundreds instead)

Why fees are healthy:

• •Clients understand they're buying important legal documents
• •The alternative is a solicitor charging 2-3x more
• •No price comparison culture (unlike mortgages or investments)
• •Service is personal and trust-based
• •Clients value expertise and will pay for it
• •No fee discounting pressure from networks or firms

Why volume is achievable:

• •68% of adults have no will (enormous untapped market)
• •Every homeowner, parent, and retiree needs your services
• •Referral partners generate steady enquiries
• •Happy clients refer friends and family automatically
• •No dependence on market conditions or economic cycles

A simple worked example:

• •You see 4 clients per day, 4 days per week = 16 clients/week
• •Average fee: £700 (mix of wills, LPAs, some trusts)
• •Weekly revenue: £11,200
• •Annual revenue: £537,600
• •Annual costs: ~£3,000
• •Annual profit: £534,600

Obviously that's a mature, established practice. But even at HALF that volume (8 clients/week), you're earning £268,000/year. At a QUARTER (4 clients/week), it's £134,000/year. At ANY level, it massively exceeds what you keep after commission splits in your current role.

Register for our free training at Become an Estate Planner. The economics speak for themselves.

You don't need to gamble your current income. Here's how to escape commission splits while maintaining financial security:

The zero-risk transition plan:

1. Keep earning — Stay in your current role throughout the transition

2. Train for free — Complete our 7-module programme in evenings/weekends (4-6 weeks)

3. Set up quietly — Get PI insurance and WILLO ready (while still employed/networked)

4. Test the water — Take a few estate planning cases alongside your current work (if permitted)

5. Build pipeline — Establish referral partnerships before you leave

6. Compare income — When EP income matches or exceeds your net take after splits, make the switch

7. Transition — Give notice and go fully independent

At no point do you:

• •Give up current income without replacement
• •Pay for expensive training or setup
• •Risk financial hardship
• •Burn bridges with current employer/network
• •Commit before you're ready

The decision framework:

• •Current net income after splits: £X
• •Estate planning income building to: £Y
• •When Y ≥ X consistently for 2-3 months: transition
• •If Y never reaches X: stay (but this rarely happens for motivated professionals)

Reality check: Most professionals reach the crossover point within 3-6 months of starting estate planning alongside their current role. The income growth is usually faster than expected because the margin is so much better than the split model.

Your current commission split will never improve. Networks don't reduce fees over time — they increase them. Firms don't give bigger splits — they find new costs to allocate. Companies don't share more — they find new ways to keep more.

The split model rewards the company for YOUR work. Estate planning rewards YOU for your work. The choice seems obvious — the only question is timing.