Most estate plans transfer money. The Rockefeller Method transfers wisdom.
It is a proven legacy system designed not only to preserve wealth but to protect family unity, nurture generational leadership, and ensure your life’s work continues with purpose and direction.
At Eastman Wealth Strategies, we’ve guided families for nearly five decades. In that time, we’ve seen what works—and what doesn’t. Without structure, even well-intended plans unravel within a generation or two.
The Rockefeller Method is how we help families build systems that last far beyond individual lifetimes.
We don’t just design estate plans. We help build legacy ecosystems.
Get your free copy of What Would the Rockefellers Do? by Garrett Gunderson to learn how to implement the Rockefeller Method with your own family.
Research shows that 90% of estates fail by the third generation. That failure rarely stems from lack of resources—it’s usually a breakdown of communication, clarity, and shared purpose.
Traditional planning focuses heavily on the “what”—legal documents, tax structures, asset distribution. But it often ignores the “who,” “how,” and “why.”
The Rockefeller Method was designed to solve that problem. It integrates not just financial strategy, but family governance, shared values, and a rhythm of communication that ensures alignment across generations.
The Rockefeller Method is not about controlling from the grave. It’s about empowering future leaders who are equipped—not entitled.
The Family Constitution
This is a written articulation of your family’s mission, values, governance, and expectations. It guides how decisions are made, how disagreements are resolved, and how your heirs are prepared for stewardship. It becomes the philosophical and relational foundation for every other structure.
The Family Retreat
These are intentional, structured gatherings—often annual—that foster communication, transfer financial wisdom, and strengthen generational bonds. Family retreats are where values are taught, charitable initiatives are discussed, and leadership is cultivated. Instead of uncertainty after death, your family has clarity while you’re alive.
The Family Office
Rather than leaving your CPA, attorney, insurance agent, and advisor in separate silos, the Family Office model brings them together under one vision: yours.
It’s coordinated professional management for tax strategy, insurance design, legal structures, and investments—all aligned with your family’s long-term goals.
Together, these three elements of the Rockefeller Method turn estate planning into a living, evolving legacy system.
While the Family Constitution provides clarity and the Family Office ensures alignment, there’s still the question of capital. How is the family trust funded, and how is it sustained?
This is where properly structured whole life insurance becomes essential. In the Rockefeller Method, high-cash-value whole life policies are not “just insurance.” They function as the liquidity hub and financial engine of the family bank.
These policies offer:
Guaranteed, uninterrupted compounding
Tax-free policy loans to fund opportunities or support family needs
A death benefit that replenishes the family trust for the next generation
With the Rockefeller Method, each generation is insured. The trust remains capitalized. And access to funding no longer requires outside lenders or volatile investment withdrawals.
Trusts are often seen as legal necessities. But in the Rockefeller Method, they’re also tools for cultural and strategic continuity.
We help design irrevocable and incentive-based trusts that do more than distribute wealth. They:
Protect assets from lawsuits, creditors, and divorce.
Minimize or eliminate estate and income taxes.
Provide conditional access based on education, contribution, or service.
Ensure that wealth serves a mission—not just comfort.
Properly structured, these trusts preserve the intent behind the inheritance. They protect both the capital and the character of your legacy.
Picture this: your family gathers each year for a retreat—not to read a will, but to review shared goals, charitable activity, business opportunities, and the performance of the family trust.
Younger generations are involved. Stewardship is taught. Decisions are made collaboratively.
There’s no confusion about what you would have wanted—because they already know. You built it with them. The plan is not a mystery. It’s a culture.
Your children are not guessing. Your grandchildren are not disconnected. Your legacy doesn’t just transfer—it continues.
This is the power of the Rockefeller Method.
You don’t need to be a Rockefeller to use this method. You just need to be intentional. The families we serve range from $1 million to $100 million in net worth. What they share is not a number—it’s a desire to do it right.
The Rockefeller Method is the framework you’ve been searching for if:
You’re a business owner, professional, or family leader who wants to pass on more than assets.
You value unity, stewardship, and clarity.
You want your children to be prepared instead of surprised.
The best legacy plans are built while you’re still here to lead them. Start by reading What Would the Rockefellers Do?
Or schedule a conversation to explore how we can design your family’s multi-generational strategy.
*Disclaimer: Financial Advisors do not provide specific tax/legal advice and this information should not be considered as such. You should always consult your tax/legal advisor regarding your own specific tax/legal situation. Separate from the financial plan and our role as a financial planner, we may recommend the purchase of specific investment or insurance products or account. These product recommendations are not part of the financial plan and you are under no obligation to follow them. Life insurance products contain fees, such as mortality and expense charges (which may increase over time), and may contain restrictions, such as surrender periods.