Creating a Legacy: Ethical Wills and Family Values

Financial inheritance can provide security and opportunity, but wisdom provides something even more valuable – a foundation for making good decisions, navigating challenges, and living a meaningful life.

Wisdom About Money: Rather than just leaving money, share your philosophy about it. Did you learn hard lessons about debt? Do you have insights about the relationship between money and happiness? What do you want your children to understand about financial responsibility, generosity, and the true purpose of wealth?

Wisdom About Relationships: What have you learned about love, marriage, friendship, and family? What would you tell your children about choosing a partner, raising children, or maintaining important relationships through difficult times?

Wisdom About Character: What values have guided your life? Integrity, perseverance, kindness, courage? Share not just the abstract values, but the stories of when you had to live them, when you failed, and what you learned.

Wisdom About Purpose: What gives life meaning? How do you define success? What do you wish you'd known earlier about finding purpose and fulfillment?

Wisdom About Resilience: Every life includes setbacks, losses, and disappointments. What helped you through difficult times? What do you want your children to know about facing adversity?

Writing Letters to Children and Grandchildren

Personal letters are one of the most powerful forms of ethical wills. Unlike a general document addressed to "my family," individual letters allow you to speak directly to each child or grandchild, acknowledging their unique qualities and offering personalized guidance.

What to Include in Letters to Your Children:

Expressions of Love and Pride Tell them specifically what you love about them, what makes them special, and moments when you felt particularly proud. Be detailed – these specifics will mean everything to them.

Your Hopes for Their Future Share your dreams for their happiness, growth, and fulfillment. What do you hope they'll experience, accomplish, or become?

Life Lessons Tailored to Them Based on their personality, challenges, and strengths, what wisdom do you most want them to have? What do you see in them that they might not see in themselves?

Family Stories Share stories about their childhood, about your own parents and grandparents, about how you and your spouse met, about family traditions and where they came from.

Explanations and Apologies If there are decisions you made that affected them, explain your reasoning. If there are regrets or mistakes, acknowledge them. This can be profoundly healing.

Practical Guidance Offer advice about the challenges you know they'll face – career decisions, parenting, managing money, maintaining health, nurturing relationships.

Spiritual or Philosophical Beliefs Share what gives you comfort, what you believe about life's big questions, and the principles that have guided you.

What to Include in Letters to Grandchildren:

Who You Are Describe yourself – your personality, your quirks, what made you laugh, what you cared about. Help them know you as a real person.

Your Life Story Share key moments from your life – where you grew up, how the world was different, challenges you faced, adventures you had.

What You See in Them Even if they're young now, share what you notice about their personality, talents, and spirit.

Hopes and Blessings What do you wish for their lives? What values do you hope they'll embrace?

Connection to Family History Help them understand where they come from, the legacy they're part of, and the strength they carry in their heritage.

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Remember—planning ahead isn’t just about protecting “stuff.” It’s about protecting your people. Don’t wait. Start today!

Your kids, your home, your legacy—don’t leave them to chance. Make a plan that gives you peace of mind and protects the future you’ve worked so hard to build.

PARENTING TIP:

Fund Education First, Inheritance Second

• Tip: Prioritize 529 plans and educational trusts over leaving large estates

• Philosophy: "The best inheritance is a good education"