Estate planning traditionally focuses on your financial assets--your stuff. But what about your other assets? Such as your wisdom, values, beliefs, and experiences. These are essential to pass on as well. In Your Meaning Legacy, non-financial estate planning expert Laura A. Roser, reveals a step-by-step approach to cultivating, capturing and passing on what matters most. From the author: Several years ago, I met with a financial advisor who hooked me with the line, "We have a process to help you pass on your wisdom and principles to your children." Unfortunately, the line was just a ploy to sell me a life insurance policy. But the thought suck in my head: How would one go about passing on wisdom and principles to their children? And on a grander scale: How would one go about cultivating and passing on a legacy of excellence? My team and I spent the next several years coming up with answers to these questions. On our quest, we interviewed some of the best and brightest about legacy development and the inner workings of non-financial success--the list included influential CEOs, millionaires, celebrities, religious leaders, storytelling experts, top artists, innovative thinkers, philanthropists, family dynamics specialists, and more. And what we discovered is that there are seven key components to cultivating a meaningful legacy. These components must be "packaged up" correctly in order to share them with your loved ones, otherwise what gets left behind is accidental. My book, Your Meaning Legacy, documents a step-by-step approach to defining your non-financial assets and packaging them up as a great gift for those you love. Among other things, you will learn: How to clarify your legacy vision to create more fulfillment and purpose in life. Ways to improve family communication and create joint goals. Why a child's understanding of their past leads to higher levels of self-esteem, loyalty to the family, and independence. How to avoid regrets--you will not reach the end of your life and wonder why you didn't express your love before it was too late. Strategies to capture your knowledge to pass on to loved ones so that they have an "instruction manual" from you outlining lessons you've learned, what you believe in, and how you have done practical things (such as manage money or grow your business). How to build a legacy to be remembered for, providing hope, a sense of pride, and inspiration for future generations. Which components are essential to create a tangible record of your life that will be treasured and not fade over time, as memories tend to do. Why your giving personality may be the key to more meaningful philanthropic endeavors. And much more. This instructional book has dramatically changed the way I think about my impact on others and my purpose in life. I certainly hope it helps you in creating more meaningful connections and packaging up the best parts of yourself to be passed on to your loved ones. Everyone has a unique legacy to leave behind. I wish you luck on your journey. All the best, Laura Roser

For over 30 years Alan Weiss has consulted, coached, and advised everyone from Fortune 500 executives, state governors, non-profit directors, and entrepreneurs to athletes, entertainers, and beauty pageant contestants. That’s quite an assortment of people, and they run into the thousands. Most of them have had what we euphemistically call "means," and some of them have had a lot more than that. Others have been aspiring and with more ends in sight than means on hand. Alan Weiss states: I’ve dealt with esteem (low), narcissism (high), family problems, leadership dysfunctions, insecurities, addictions, and ethical quandaries. And I’ve talked with them through the coronavirus crisis. But don’t get the wrong idea. About 95% of these people have been well-meaning, honest (to the best of their knowledge), and interested in becoming a better person and better professional. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be talking to me. I found the equivalent of the "runner’s wall" in their journeys, where they must break through the pain and the obstacles and then can keep going with renewed energy and spirit. But runners know how far they must go after the breakthrough, be it another half lap or another five miles. There is a finish line. I’ve found that people in all positions, even after the "breakthrough," don’t know where they are in the race, let alone where the finish line is. They do not know what meaning is for them. They may have money in the bank, good relationships, the admiration of others, and the love of their dogs. But they have no metrics for "What now?" They believe that at the end of life there is a tallying, some metaphysical accountant who totals up their contributions, deducts their bad acts, and creates the (hopefully positive) difference. That difference, they believe, is their "legacy." But the thought that legacy arrives at the end of life is as ridiculous as someone who decides to sell a business and tries to increase its valuation the day prior. Legacy is now. Legacy is daily. Every day we create the next page in our lives, but the question becomes who is writing it and what’s being written. Is someone else creating our legacy? Or are we, ourselves, simply writing the same page repeatedly? Or do we leave it blank? Our organic, living legacy is marred and squeezed by huge normative pressures. There is a "threshold" point, at which one’s beliefs and values are overridden by immense peer pressure. Our metrics are forced to change. In an age of social media, biased press, and bullying, we’ve come to a point where our legacy, ironically, is almost out of our hands. Yet our "meaning" — our creation of meaning and not a search for some illusive alchemy — creates worth and impact for us and all those with whom we interact.

Grief expert, Gemini Adams, wrote this Mom's Choice Gold Award Winning book, "Your Legacy of Love: Realize the Gift in Goodbye" to help others understand that writing a Will simply isn't enough. After losing her Mom to cancer, Gemini quickly discovered that an inheritance of money and material possessions doesn't give surviving family the ongoing support or continued connection they desire. Wondering if her need for a more loving legacy was shared, she started an online survey asking: "What would you prefer if one of your parents died: to inherit their wealth or a letter saying how much they loved you?" Over 90% expressed a wish for the loving letter. In this heartfelt and inspirational book, Gemini explains that our real "wealth" lies not in our Financial Assets, but our Emotional Assets: the stories, lessons, values, wisdom image, voice, laughter and love that makes us who we are. And how this purposeful activity, is not, as some might expect, a morbid task, but one that can bring incredible insight, peace of mind, and healing, especially for those dealing with aging parents, a terminal illness or loss. By capturing and sharing our Emotional Assets in a Legacy of Love, we can leave our children, partners, and grandchildren a precious parting gift, a timeless memento that will surely be treasured forever. Readers will also discover how to: - Write loving letters to gift as future surprises. - Encourage grief recovery for surviving family. - Provide them with ongoing emotional support. - Minimize effects of grief and bereavement. - Guarantee the preservation of special memories. - Capture and record their life story. - Limit stress surrounding end-of-life situations. - Achieve peace of mind and a sense of meaning to life. - Educate themselves and overcome denial about death and dying. - Plan a life celebration or funeral that truly reflects them. Get more information at: http://www.RealizetheGift.com

You should worry about your legacy later in your career, at the edge of retirement—right? Not according to Robert Galford and Regina Maruca. In Your Leadership Legacy, these authors argue that thinking about your legacy now makes you a better leader today. Based on stories of top leaders who have shaped successful careers, the book explores the art of "legacy thinking," helping you to formulate a legacy that will exert a positive effect on your work immediately. The authors provide a disciplined approach to framing your legacy, as well as shaping it over time. They start with the idea that your legacy is defined by how others approach work and life as a result of having worked with you. They then demonstrate how to assess your current impact on those around you, strengthen that impact, and pass along the best of yourself in the process. While many leaders "find themselves" and hone their work accordingly only after a major life crisis, Your Leadership Legacy enables all leaders to craft their work and build their legacy unburdened by such crises, and to experience personal satisfaction and achievement throughout their working lives.

A book for makers, for seekers of all kinds, an exhilarating look into the heart and soul of artisans—and how their collective wisdom can inspire us all. "Despite our technological advances, we’re busier than ever, our lives more frazzled. That’s why the handmade object, created with care and detail, embodying a history and a tradition, is enormously powerful. It can cut through so much and speak in ways that we don’t often hear, or that we’ve forgotten." —Eric Gorges, from A Craftsman’s Legacy In this joyful celebration of skilled craftsmen, Eric Gorges, a corporate-refugee-turned-metal-shaper, taps into a growing hunger to get back to what’s real. Through visits with fellow artisans—calligraphers, potters, stone carvers, glassblowers, engravers, woodworkers, and more—many of whom he’s profiled for his popular television program, Gorges identifies values that are useful for all of us: taking time to slow down and enjoy the process, embracing failure, knowing when to stop and when to push through, and accepting that perfection is an illusion. Most of all, A Craftsman’s Legacy shows how all of us can embrace a more creative and authentic life and learn to focus on doing what we love.

A proud, empowering introduction to African American history that celebrates and honors enslaved ancestors Your story begins in Africa. Your African ancestors defied the odds and survived 400 years of slavery in America and passed down an extraordinary legacy to you. Beginning in Africa before 1619, Your Legacy presents an unprecedentedly accessible, empowering, and proud introduction to African American history for children. While your ancestors’ freedom was taken from them, their spirit was not; this book celebrates their accomplishments, acknowledges their sacrifices, and defines how they are remembered—and how their stories should be taught.

Your Legacy Matters is a guide for men and women of all ages, faiths, and circumstances. It takes us on the life-changing journey of legacy writing to harvest our life experience and learning for our loved ones and future generations. This modern interpretation of the ancient ethical will gives us a practical method to find spiritual peace in our chaotic world. Legacy letters articulate our values, history, stories, learning, and blessings for those we care about. Included is guidance for writing legacy letters to accompany our wills and living wills, emphasizing their use to initiate important family conversations. Beyond the precious treasure we leave the future, our yield produces a remarkable and profound experience that addresses universal needs deep within each of us.