I’m Single. I Don’t Need A Will. Right?

by | Mar 15, 2020

WRONG!

Let me preface this post by saying that’s my personal opinion, and you are welcome to have a different point of view. After all, you say, I don’t have any relatives; I don’t care what happens to my stuff. I can tell you with confidence that the State of Alaska is happy to become your benefactor, but I encourage you to keep reading to see if that is really the course of action you want to take.

Let’s begin by walking through a short list of questions so that you can determine the best answer for you.

1. Do you own a car? A house? Or other asset that someone else could benefit from? This could include bank accounts, stocks, artwork, collectibles, or even your own creative body of work.

2. You don’t have anyone close you’d like to leave your things to, but you’re not keen on the idea of it going to the State’s General Fund.

3. You’d like to do something to nudge the world in the direction you’d like it to go, but you don’t know what that looks like. Or you don’t think you are a “big enough fish” to make a positive impact. You may not be in a position to have a whole building named in your honor, but you’re not excited about leaving your assets to the usual players like medical research or higher education.

Your Legacy Will Make a Difference

Let’s explore some other ways that allow you to leave this world a better place. Maybe you’d like to set up trade school scholarships for students at your old high school. Or support a small non-profit that rehabilitates injured wildlife.

There are a million positive things you could do with your assets when you’ve finished with them. And no, you don’t have to wait until you’re gone to start using them for good. You simply need to figure out what’s important to you. Who or what do you want to benefit from your years of experience, knowledge and hard work – and then put a plan into place to make that happen.

I love to brainstorm with my clients to discover what makes them tick, the people they’d like to bless, or what dark corner of society they’d like to illuminate with hope. Consider some of these options. Did you know you can:

  • Buy a cow (or other livestock) for a poor family in an undeveloped country.
  • Provide inexpensive water purification systems to third world villages.
  • Sponsor blind draft horses so that they can live out their lives in safety and comfort.
  • Support a charity that uses art therapy to reach young offenders and at-risk youth.

Want to support something closer to home? Then peruse this website compiling a list of Alaska Charitable Organizations and find something that resonates with you: https://www.pickclickgive.org/index.cfm/pfdorgs.orgs

Make Your Legacy a Personal Reflection of Your Life!

When it comes to planning your own personal legacy, it’s important to find something you really connect with. What are you passionate about? What do you enjoy? What dream do you want to fulfill for others?

For me, literacy is important. The ability to read well is not only the key to lifelong learning, it unlocks new worlds that we can visit anytime we crack the cover of a book. Life is diminished significantly for those who lack the basic ability to read.

So, at my law office, a high spot of every year is our Back To School project. I love heading to the office supply store in late summer for their big sale on everything from paper to protractors (does anyone still use those?) It has been an ongoing project for many years and will continue to be a work I support long after I am gone.

The point of my post today is simple: your life is, was and will always be important. The work you do, the skills you have, and the knowledge you’ve acquired has value and can be shared with anyone you wish. It’s time to think outside the box and create your own Legacy work. I’d love to help you do just that.

Call (907) 334-0902 to schedule your own Vision Meeting with me today. I look forward to meeting you and crafting a legacy of which you’ll be proud.

 

Blogs by The Law Office of Constance A. Aschenbrenner

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