Retirement Planning, Elder Law, and Senior Finance

3/10/2020 | By Seniors Guide Staff

As we age, we organize and plan to put several things in place including our will, health care power of attorney, or standard power of attorney. However, we should also plan on how we can leave our legacy with our family. While for some people it is important to leave financial assets to their kids and grandkids and others it may be important to leave things like a quilt, photos, a collection of stories or teaching younger generations the secret family recipes. There are numerous options available to help us leave our legacies. We have identified four available options.

  1. Family Legacies Project
    Owned and operated by Steven Rosenburg and Don McNeill. They provide the clients with a list of questions to review and then they record your responses. The final product is edited for quality and provided on a USB drive. This is an excellent way to share your numerous memories with your family tree while also sharing your voice.
  2. StoryWorth
    This nationwide company provides the client with weekly questions to complete on your own time. You can skip a week or exchange questions that may better suit you. After one year of responding to weekly questions, Storyworth compiles all your stories into a book to share with loved ones for generations to come.
  3. Legacy Box
    This option allows the compilation of numerous types of memories from VHS, photos, audio recordings and more. You can then choose to have your memories sent back to you on a USB, digital file, or digital drive.
  4. Caring Cards by Dr. Amy
    This set of cards is full of various conversation starters to help start conversations between loved ones including between grandparents and grandchildren. With the use of cell phones and modern technology, you could even record the simple conversations utilizing these prompts.

While it may not always be easy, discussing our wishes with our family can be important as well. Do you want to be buried or cremated? Do you want the nicest mahogany casket?  Do you want to be as pain free as possible? Additionally, do you wish to live at home for as long as possible? If so, you may benefit from consulting a company such as Designing Independence to recommend home modifications to help you remain safe in your home. To help you discuss more questions like these, check out the Go Wish cards from The Coda Alliance

How will you share your legacy with your loved ones?

Seniors Guide Staff

Seniors Guide has been addressing traditional topics and upcoming trends in the senior living industry since 1999. We strive to educate seniors and their loved ones in an approachable manner, and aim to provide them with the right information to make the best decisions possible.

Seniors Guide Staff