LEAVING A LEGACY

In the summer of 2007,the Bank of Escondido, Joel Beyer, a financial advisor and personal
friend of mine, and I hosted a private screening of the movie “The Ultimate Gift”. We came
away from the movie with a desire to develop a way to help people leave more than just their
tangible goods and assets to their loved ones. We knew that more than material wealth, a
person’s values, the totality of their lifes’ journey, their own personal story is truly The Ultimate
Gift! We subsequently attended a seminar in Florida with a small group of other attorneys and
financial advisors where we learned some very valuable information about how to help our
clients pass their legacy.

Many people think that legacy is about money, but it really has nothing to do with money at all.
Legacy is about life. It’s about the here and now. It is about behavior. It’s about how we live in
this world rather than how we leave it. And to be intentional about our legacy, we must know
our purpose.

What are we here for? How are we impacting the world? What values are we passing to our
children? What life stories should be documented? What is the texture of our family culture?
And most importantly, how can it be captured for future generations? Our legacy is the most
important asset we can pass on.

A recent study found that non-financial items that parents leave behind, such as wisdom, life
lessons, stories, values, morals, and faith are ten times more important to both baby boomers and
their parents than financial inheritance. The question is, how can we pass this non-financial
wealth to our children and later generations? There is an old saying that goes something like
this: When one of us dies without sharing our lessons, insights, stories and wisdom, it’s as if an
entire library has burned down.

We now offer two different ways for you to leave your legacy for future generations. You can
choose between an audio or video recording. We have an office that has been set up specifically
this purpose and offers a warm and comfortable feeling where you can record conversations that
will be priceless to your family for years to come. If you are interested in learning more about
“Legacy Planning”please contact our office for an appointment.