Jim is a leader in Estate and Legacy Planning education. His passion can be seen through is articles, books, software tools, seminars and workshops. Jim is the co-author of Smart Tips for Estate Planning which is a book designed to help people make better decisions when it comes to their estates. In addition, he has created two software applications, My Estate Organizer and My Legacy Organizer, that help people organize, diarize and share their estates and legacies with the people they love. Jim believes Estate Planning and Legacy Planning go hand in hand but has presentations for each specific topic.
1. Estate Planning: It’s about more than just money
The majority of estate plans focus just on the distribution of personal wealth. People often think of estate planning in tangible, financial terms. Typically there is long discussions on wills, power of attorneys, personal directives, trusts, life insurance and of course tax. Jim knows all about this as he co-authored the book “Smart Tips for Estate Planning”.
Wealth, money and taxes are important and you can’t talk about estate planning without talking about the money but remember the old saying “You can’t take it with you”.
Real wealth goes beyond just material possessions and money. It involves our heritage (ancestors, traditions, heirlooms), family (beliefs, values, connections), and community (work, friendships, affiliations). A lasting legacy is never just about money – money is just one of the tools available to us. Most of us know of people with little or no money that have made significant contributions to society through their actions or philosophies alone. These are the individuals who have left a lasting legacy, but would not necessarily be described as ‘wealthy’. Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Dr Martin Luther King come to mind as great examples.
In this entertaining, enlightening program, you will learn:
- Some of the key financial components of an estate plan
- And also some key non-financial components of an estate plan
- Some of the misconceptions of estate planning
- Why everyone needs an estate plan
- How to diarize, document and share your estate affairs
- How to bridge the communication gap and start talking about death and money
- The importance of defining your legacy as part of your estate plan
- Estate Planning is about people, relationships and family. When we die, we pass something on to others and what we pass is much more important than money or property. It is our personal legacy.
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2. Everyone has a legacy: What’s yours?
When you think of the word legacy, what do you think of? You don’t need to be rich or famous to have a legacy. A legacy does not mean you have to have a scholarship or a building named after you. You don’t even have to have an amazing business to have a legacy.
Everyone has a legacy and everyday you are living you are creating your legacy. Every memory, story, experience, relationship, value, passion, interest, accomplishment, regret, belief, knowledge and wisdom, contributes to your legacy. Simply put, your legacy is what you have done, are doing and will do with your life.
Legacies are important because they are the essence of why we live and what we live for. Your life story therefore is probably the most important legacy you can have. For some, their life stories have disappeared forever because it is impossible to remember everything. For me this is sad so I will forever encourage people to diarize, share and remember life’s smallest moments.
Why is Legacy so important? It’s important because it is how you will be remembered when you are no longer here. Your legacy is your opportunity to do things that will last beyond your lifetime. This is critically important if you have children. Your children and future generations will cherish the gift of your legacy.
In this entertaining, enlightening seminar, you will learn:
- The importance of legacy in our lives
- The three key components to your legacy
- Why it is critical to take time in our lives to document the smallest moment?
- How technology has created more opportunities to diarize our personal legacies
- Who will benefit from your legacy?
- How documenting your legacy helps you live your life forward
- The impact of social giving on your legacy
For a PDF version click here
More Information
Jim’s late mother was his inspiration for his work on estate and legacy planning. As a father of 4 young children, he recognizes the importance of having both and estate and legacy plan and hopes to inspire others to do the same. Jim believes all the success in his life comes from learning from others and as a result, we all have a responsibility to share our knowledge, experiences and legacies with others.
Jim is the founder and creator of two software tools to assist people in estate and legacy planning. His two products My Estate Organizer and My Legacy Organizer are practical easy to use tools. Jim is also the co-author of Smart Tips for Estate Planning.
Past Success
These presentations are great feel-good sessions.
Jim has used these programs with many charitable organizations and events because of the aligned philosophy of giving and creatign a legacy. Jim has even helped with raising funds for the charity.
These programs can be adapted for the industry professionals like lawyers, accountants, financial advisors and the medical profession and their clients.
These programs are also a fantastic complement to wills and estate seminars as a complement to sessions that provide purely financial information. Jim is a firm believer that estate and legacy planning goes far beyond just money and financial issues.
To learn about how to put this program into place, contact us
