What's Your Legacy?

Q.      What’s Your Legacy?

A.      This is perhaps one of the most important questions you’ll ever ask.  Only you know the answer to this question, but at least part of the answer should include your estate plan.  Estate planning is more than just having the right documents or deciding who your executor will be upon your death.  Estate planning is an opportunity for you to share with your family, friends, and loved ones exactly who you are and what your life has been about.  It is a chance to tell the story of what is important to you, what you believe, and the lessons you want to pass on to the next generation.

          Estate planning is essential to defining your legacy.  Each person’s legacy is unique.  So too is each person’s estate plan.  It is a reflection of your character, of your likes and dislikes, of what you love and hold most dear.  It is a gift you give to yourself and your family.  It is a symphony and a story that may change from time to time as new family members are welcomed and others born away.  Above all, estate planning is an understanding of the importance of preparedness and what it means to face incapacity and death with reason, humility, a sense of humor and grace.