Personal Legacy Advisors: A Collaborative Approach

The associates of Personal Legacy Advisors are experienced, independent professionals bringing their own particular strengths to serve clients.

Susan Turnbull, Principal

Susan founded Personal Legacy Advisors in 2002 out of great respect for the concept of the ethical will, convinced that it was an idea whose time had come again. A professional writer and speaker, she has ghostwritten and edited numerous personal legacy documents, and authored two guidebooks, The Wealth of Your Life: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating Your Ethical Will and Between Generations: A Five Step Guide for Creating an Expression of Donor Intent (with Amy Zell Ellsworth). The past decade has seen an explosion of interest in this area and Susan has been at the forefront, speaking all across the country and featured in many publications. She holds a B.A. from Colby College and is an associate member of the Financial Planning Association, the Boston Estate Planning Council and the National Association of Personal Historians.  Married for 29 years and the parent of three young adult children, she has offices in Boston and Charleston, WV.

Lani Peterson: coach

Lani is a psychologist, life coach, public speaker and professional storyteller. She has extensive experience working with individuals, groups and organizations in the application of narrative as a leadership tool and medium for personal growth, connection and change.  Working with both written and oral forms of communication, Lani specializes in leading clients through personal reflection that results in intentional, meaningful expression. Lani serves on the executive committee of the Healing Story Alliance and is a member of the National Speakers Association. Her CD, Stories from Within, won a 2004 honor from Storytelling World Magazine for her original story “Broken Glass.”  When she is not telling, teaching, counseling or coaching, Lani stays busy with her husband and four children in Andover, Massachusetts.

Anne Stokely: writer

Anne C. Stokely is a freelance writer who has lived on the North Shore of Boston for the past 15 years. A native of the mountains of North Carolina (a region with deep respect for both family history and storytelling tradition), she has also lived in Georgia, California, Kentucky, and Massachusetts, and has traveled worldwide. With a B.A. in English and History, Anne has worked as a writer for several community newspapers, and as an editor for Emory University and for publishing companies on both coasts. Currently a part time editor for EBSCO Publishing, she spends the balance of her professional time editing and ghostwriting personal legacy documents and personal histories which preserve the unique voice of each author. She is a member of the Association of Personal Historians.

Francie King: writer

Francie is a seasoned writer whose work has appeared in many magazines and newspapers throughout New England.  Over the years, she has conducted and taped hundreds of personal interviews, as a news and feature journalist and most recently as development communications officer for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  She considers the personal interview a privilege not blithely granted, a shared experience that requires respect, keen observation, good listening, a sense of humor, and a reverence for both story and story-teller. Francie is a member of the Association of Personal Historians, Boston Women Communicators, the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and a contributing editor of the Marblehead Oral History Project.

Ann Schlecht: transcriber

Ann Schlecht lives in Hamilton, MA. She established a transcription service in 2003, and provides meticulously transcribed documents for many clients, including those of Personal Legacy Advisors. A graduate of  Dean Junior College, Ann is also a jewelry designer, selling her pieces under the name The Gilded Lily.

David D’Apice: graphic designer

David  is founder of The Simon Group in North Andover, MA. With over 20 years of continuous experience in the marketing and graphic design of collateral material, his firm has been successfully advancing the interests of firms and municipalities throughout New England. David is also an historian, and takes a personal interest in genealogical research, public exhibitions, the archival handling of ephemera, and the preservation of historic ancestral documents. His firm can provide graphic design expertise to clients of Personal Legacy Advisors, whether it be individuals wishing to format their work professionally or advisors who want to create an  invitation or other materials in advance of a presentation by Susan.