Enlist children and grandchildren to encourage the older generation to create an ethical will

Posted by Susan Turnbull March 1, 2010 in Blog

One of the most common mental obstacles that people face when they consider writing an ethical will is the voice in their heads that says, “I wouldn’t want to presume that anyone is interested in what I might have to say. It might  seem like I am bragging or drawing too much attention to myself. And I certainly don’t want to come across as having all the answers or as trying to be controlling.”

This is a prevalent attitude, especially in the so-called “Greatest Generation” who bless them, were taught to be modest.  But ask their children if they’d like something from their parents that reflected their life experiences and you can bet that most of those children would say, “Yes!”  Advisors who have relationships with more than one generation of a family are in great position of being able to bring up the idea of a legacy document and plant a seed that has a good chance of taking root when natural modesty is countered with proof of genuine interest from younger generations.