You intend to pass along your hard-earned money and property through your estate plan, but what about your wisdom? Ensuring that you successfully pass all of this along may require a family meeting to discuss your finances, legacy, and core principles. 

Most families lead busy lives, with many relatives seeing one another face-to-face only at a handful of major holidays throughout the year. The estate planning process is a perfect opportunity to bring everyone together, even outside of scheduled occasions—even if a child or grandchild has to attend via video chat. 

Working with your estate planning attorney in collaboration with any other advisors you have in your corner can make this legacy-enriching process seamless and even enjoyable. However, bringing your family into the conversation is better yet, as they will get to learn new things about you and share stories and memories of their own. Here are a few topics you may want to address during your family meeting:

1. Your Rich Life Story

You may think it has all been said before, but have you considered recording your personal life narrative? Your loved ones will treasure these recordings while you are still here and long after you have passed away. To customize these recordings, have your family members ask you about your fondest memories and most significant challenges. You will create a time capsule that contains the uniqueness of your personality and the experiences that have shaped you into the person you are today. Perhaps most importantly, you will be able to share the valuable lessons you have learned. Your family will be better for it. 

2. How You Would Like Your Wishes Honored

Estate planning involves weighty decisions regarding your long-term care and who will be responsible for managing your financial and medical affairs in the event you cannot manage them for yourself, along with how your money and property should be passed on after your death. Although these are not the sunniest topics, letting your family know why you made your particular choices is important. It will allow your loved ones to understand firsthand the instructions included in your estate plan when the need to use it arises. 

3. Your Family Tree

Your loved ones may be curious about more than your life story. Take time to go over your family tree and answer questions the younger members of your family may have about your shared heritage. A who's who on paper or in a digital format is an excellent gift to your loved ones that they will be able to reference and build upon in the years to come. 

4. Significant Heirlooms

Almost every family has heirlooms, each of which tells a story. It is common for estate plans to include physical objects that hold great value for their owners, such as antique furniture, clothing, jewelry, hobby collections, and memorabilia. Keeping the story of an object alive and memorializing it in writing or through video may be more important than transferring its monetary value to future generations. 

5. Your Core Values

Your estate plan can be customized to include specific language that incorporates your values while allowing your beneficiaries to grow and explore life on their own terms. Educational, incentive, and charitable trusts are a few tools you may use to express your values through your estate plan.

You are much more than the wealth you have accumulated in your life. Likewise, your estate plan is about more than your financial worth. After all, wisdom and life experiences passed down from generation to generation can amount to something far greater than numbers on paper.

We would be delighted to help you create an estate plan that reflects your unique identity and values. We are here to guide you through the process of discussing these topics with your family and incorporating them into your estate planning tools. 

Contact Hartmann Law Today

If you have questions about legacy planning, contact our office to speak to an estate planning attorney.

Take steps to start your Life and Legacy planning today!  Take action to ensure your voice is heard when you are unable to speak for yourself.  Make the decision to protect yourself, your loved ones, your business, your property.   

Schedule a call today with Hartmann Law.

Hartmann Law provides Life and Legacy plans ready for today with an eye on the future.

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