“What a man really fears is not so much extinction but extinction with insignificance.”

Ernest Becker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning psychologist and author of The Denial of Death

My father fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and when I was a young boy I heard a lot of his war stories. They really got me interested in history and the world wars, particularly World War II. When both of us knew that he had a limited time to live, I asked him to get deep and narrow with my two boys about his experiences so that they could have a personal and intimate understanding of their grandfather and what he had endured. They are in their mid to late-20s now, and they are enthralled with history and virtually anything that has to do with the Second World War. Their grandfather left them a lasting legacy. He is forever vivid in their minds.

How many people know anything about their great grandparents or their great, great grandparents? It’s as if memories fade to oblivion after a few generations. In legacy planning, we tell people there comes a time in life when you long to know that you had some purpose. You want to know that you are leaving a meaningful mark in the world.

It goes beyond wills and estate planning. Creating a legacy plan starts with a “bucket list” of the lifetime achievements that you desire, and it helps you to express your values and interests—what truly matters to you. You can document the essence of your life as a priceless bequest to your survivors.