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Ethical Will Communicates Your Values

Download your Ethical Will Guide

The "you", you leave behind.

An ethical will is a way to gather your thoughts on your most valuable assets, your values.  When this information accompanies a gift to the Community Foundation or a bequest to your family, your financial assets are better appreciated and utilized.  Your bequest becomes an expression of you. Some years ago, the Community Foundation had the privilege of hosting Susan Turnbull, an ethical expert and remarkable speaker for our Professional Advisor’s Seminar.  The program struck a chord with our Professional Advisor Council members who attended, as well as with our Board and staff.  Following that event, the Community Foundation, with Susan’s permission, put together a brief guide to creating your ethical will. The Community Foundation Stewardship staff use the guide while working with donors on their legacy plans. Writing an ethical will, which is essentially a letter, will provide comfort and direction in the most special moments for your family. You can provide a bit of information about why you handled your estate the way you chose, and add a bit of the wisdom you’ve accumulated.

Your legacy should be genuinely about you, and the essence of what you are all about.

I can imagine a family gathering to remember their loved one and enjoying a sense of warmth, family, and optimism that were his greatest gifts.  Your values are an important gift to pass along to future generations.  Certainly, they are a more significant gift than just your money. At the Community Foundation of Western Nevada, we connect people, like you, who care, with causes that matter.