An ethical will is intended to be your heart’s “voice,” or last statement. It might be considered a love letter to your family, not to be read until after you’re gone. Every ethical will is as unique as the person writing it.
Traditionally, ethical wills were used to state funeral and burial instructions, to leave a final blessing or comment for specific individuals, or as a final statement of personal and spiritual values. It is also sometimes used to nominate guardians for minor children in the event both parents die prematurely.
An ethical will is not a legal document and need not be prepared at the time an estate plan is created. However, the best opportunity to prepare an ethical will (sometimes known simply as a “personal statement” or “statement of wishes”) is when an estate plan is being prepared or updated.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | estate planning, ethical will, trusts and estates, will
Thank you for raising awareness of Ethical Wills. I have developed a free 7 part Ethical Will Course which your readers might find helpful. You can examine at it here at: http://dancurtis.ca/tag/ethical-will-course/
Regards,
Dan