A Legacy of Faith

1. Include the story of your faith journey in your planning documents.

   
   How we came to faith in Christ, our faith journey, is an important key to understanding our values. Include the story of your faith journey as a prominent element of your planning documents. Describe how you met the Savior, how you were discipled, and how that has informed your decisions since. Including that story is an important tradition that has been practiced throughout history. Sample faith journey stories are here.

2. Include your heirs in a discussion about the decisions that shaped your estate plans.

   
   Discuss your estate plans now with your heirs to reduce the risk of misunderstandings and painful disagreements that could happen if you are not present when your family reads your distribution documents. That conversation should begin with prayer and be uplifting. Allow time to resolve questions and give everyone a chance to contribute.

   That conversation will allow you to explain the reasons for the choices in your plans. Express the love for your family that is the basis for those choices and the passion for the ministries you are choosing to include.

3. Include your heirs in distributions that are made during your lifetime.

   
   Involving your heirs now in the ministries and charitable causes that you support, will give them a greater understanding of your passion. They will be more inclined to continue what you’ve started.

   Also, involving them in choices about how your distributions are made will instill a thrill of generosity that will influence them throughout their life. Some families fund Donor Advised Funds, then distribute those funds through a family council that involves the youngest generation to a degree. Learn about Donor Advised Funds.

What to include in your estate documents