Passing Down Your Family Wealth Legacy
A Holiday Guide
As we approach the holiday season, it's essential to consider the true richness of the inheritance we leave behind for our loved ones. Beyond monetary assets, our values, stories, and experiences form a legacy that lasts for generations.
How Do You Start?
So, how do you go about passing down your family wealth legacy? You start with an interview question style that you record. This interview goes beyond the surface. The interview allows you to learn profound insights about yourselves and your family members by posing the right questions.
This year, we encourage you to engage your mother, father, or another cherished individual in your life with 32 meaningful questions. Remember to record the responses. And, viola, you create a personalized Family Wealth Legacy.
What Questions Should I Ask?
These thought-provoking questions can serve as a delightful holiday activity, offering a chance to discover untold aspects of your loved ones:
Growing Up
What comes to mind when you think about growing up in your hometown?
What did you love to do as a kid, before high school?
What did you love to do in high school?
What do you remember most about your teenage years?
Their Parents
What do you remember most about your mom (grandma)?
What was most important to her?
What do you remember most about your dad (grandpa)?
What was most important to him?
If Grandma and Grandpa had a message to pass along to the grandchildren, what would it be?
Their Marriage
How did you meet your spouse?
How did you know (s)he was the one?
When you think about [spouse], how would you describe her/him?
What message do you have for [spouse] that you want her/him to always keep in mind?
Career Advice
How did you choose your career?
What was your favorite part about it?
What made you successful?
What did you believe about yourself that helped you become successful and deal with hard times?
What times in your life truly “tested your mettle,” and what did you learn about yourself by dealing (or not dealing) with them?
What three events most shaped your life?
Parenting Advice
What do you remember about when I was born?
Were you ever scared to be a parent?
What three words would you say represented your approach to parenting and why?
When you think about [sibling] how would you describe him/her?
What message do you have for [sibling] that you want him/her to always keep in mind?
[Do the last two questions above for each sibling in your family]
LIfe Lessons
What three words would you say best describe who you tried to be in life?
How would you like to be remembered?
What do you think your children and grandchildren should focus on professionally?
What have you learned about people in life?
What do you think the world needs more of right now? What do you believe people want the most in life?
What were the three best decisions you ever made? What are you most proud of?
What were five of the most memorable moments of your life?
What message would you like to share with your family?
What are you most thankful for?
Family Legacy Interview Just The Start
These questions can reveal a wealth of valuable life lessons. You will learn family treasures to discuss and share with generations to come. But having this conversation is just a start. To preserve and protect your family assets and other things of value, you should create a comprehensive estate plan that will safeguard what you value most.
And, that’s where we come in here at Mackintosh Law. Because we’ve discovered that estate planning is really a misnomer. When done right, it’s Life and Legacy Planning — planning for a life you love and a legacy worth leaving.
Contact Us
As your Personal Family Lawyer®, we can guide you to create a comprehensive estate plan — which we prefer to call and see as a Life and Legacy Plan because it’s about so much more than just your “estate” — that protects and preserves your most valuable assets. Before the session, we’ll send you a Family Wealth Inventory and Assessment to complete that will get you thinking about what you own, what matters most to you, and what you want to leave behind. Contact us today to schedule your Family Wealth Planning Session.
