Articles & Guides
Practical advice on estate planning, legacy letters, family stories, and building a plan your loved ones can follow.
10 Things to Do Before You Die That Actually Matter
Skip the cliches. These 10 things — from legacy letters to honest conversations — are what truly matter before the end. A practical, meaningful guide.
50 Memoir Writing Prompts to Capture What Matters
50 thoughtful memoir writing prompts organized by life stage and theme. Perfect for capturing your life story, legacy letter, or family history.
A Letter to My Children: Writing What Words Can't Say in Person
A heartfelt guide for parents who want to write meaningful letters to their children but don't know where to start or what to say.
Advance Directive: What It Is and Why Everyone Needs One
Learn what an advance directive is, what medical decisions it covers, how to create one, and how to communicate your wishes to family and doctors.
Annual Legacy Review: What to Update Every Year
Keep your estate plan current with this annual review checklist covering beneficiaries, accounts, life changes, and document updates.
Beneficiary Designations: The Estate Plan Most People Forget
Beneficiary designations override your will and control who gets your retirement accounts, life insurance, and more. Learn how to review and update them.
Business Succession Planning: A Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to create a business succession plan with this complete step-by-step guide covering timelines, key elements, and common mistakes to avoid.
Can I Write My Own Will? Pros, Cons, and How To
Find out when writing your own will is safe, when you need a lawyer, and how to create a valid DIY will with step-by-step guidance.
Digital Estate Planning: Your Accounts, Photos, and Crypto
A comprehensive guide to digital estate planning — how to organize your email, social media, cloud storage, cryptocurrency, and streaming accounts for your family.
Do I Need a Will? A Quick Self-Assessment
Find out if you need a will with this interactive self-assessment covering common life situations, misconceptions, and when a will is truly essential.
Emergency Binder: What to Include (Free Template)
Build a complete emergency binder with this section-by-section guide covering documents, contacts, accounts, and instructions your family needs.
Empty Nest Syndrome: What It Is and How to Navigate It
Understand empty nest syndrome — its symptoms, who it affects most, and proven coping strategies to help you move through this major life transition.
End of Life Planning Checklist: The Complete Guide
A comprehensive end of life planning checklist covering medical wishes, funeral preferences, personal messages, digital accounts, and pet care.
Estate Planning Checklist: Everything in One Place
The definitive estate planning checklist covering documents, accounts, beneficiaries, digital assets, and important conversations to have.
Estate Planning for Blended Families: A Practical Guide
Navigate estate planning for blended families with stepchildren, second marriages, and complex family dynamics. Avoid common pitfalls.
Facebook Legacy Contact: Complete Setup Guide
Learn what a Facebook Legacy Contact can and cannot do, plus step-by-step instructions to set one up and prepare for your account's future after death.
Family Business Transition: How to Do It Without Drama
Learn practical strategies for smooth family business transitions including communication frameworks, phased handoffs, and managing family dynamics.
Finding Purpose After 50: Why This Chapter Matters Most
Discover how to find deep purpose after 50 — backed by research on longevity, with practical frameworks for volunteering, legacy projects, and meaningful work.
First Steps in Estate Planning: A 30-Minute Start
Start your estate plan in just 30 minutes with these three simple, actionable first steps that any beginner can do right now.
From Empty Nest to Full Life: What Comes After Parenting
Discover the surprising research on post-parenting happiness and learn how to transform your empty nest into the most fulfilling chapter of your life.
Getting Your Affairs in Order: Where to Start
Feeling overwhelmed about getting your affairs in order? This guide breaks it down into simple, manageable steps starting with what matters most.
Google Inactive Account Manager: How to Set It Up
Step-by-step guide to setting up Google's Inactive Account Manager — protect your Gmail, Photos, and Drive by choosing what happens when you can no longer access them.
How Much Does Estate Planning Cost? A Realistic Breakdown
Get honest cost ranges for wills, trusts, power of attorney, and full estate plans. Learn when DIY works, when to hire an attorney, and how to save.
How to Avoid Probate: 7 Ways That Actually Work
Learn 7 proven strategies to avoid probate including trusts, TOD designations, joint ownership, and beneficiary planning to save your family time and money.
How to Be Fair in Your Will When Your Kids Are Different
Equal vs equitable inheritance: how to handle different financial situations, special needs, caregiving roles, and family dynamics in your will.
How to Choose the Right Successor for Your Business
Learn how to evaluate and select the best successor for your business using proven frameworks, whether choosing family, employees, or outside candidates.
How to Discuss Money With Your Aging Parents
A practical guide for talking to aging parents about finances, caregiving costs, scam prevention, and financial vulnerability. Scripts and strategies included.
How to Let Go When Your Kids Grow Up
Struggling to let go of your grown children? Learn the psychology behind this transition and practical strategies for staying connected without controlling.
How to Record Family Stories Before They're Lost
Practical methods for recording family stories using audio, video, and written formats. Includes interview questions for elderly relatives.
How to Talk to Your Parents About Their Estate Plan
Practical scripts and strategies for adult children who need to discuss estate planning with aging parents. Timing, approach, and conversation frameworks.
How to Write a Legacy Letter Your Family Will Treasure
Learn how to write a meaningful legacy letter for your family. Step-by-step guide with tips for overcoming writer's block and creating something truly personal.
How to Write Your Life Story: A Practical Guide
A practical guide to writing your life story. Learn how to break it into manageable parts, find your starting point, and create something meaningful.
Important Documents Your Family Needs to Find
A complete checklist of the important documents your family needs — from wills and deeds to insurance policies — plus how to organize and store them safely.
Instructions for My Family: What They Need to Know
A complete guide to creating a family instruction document — everything your loved ones need to know about your finances, accounts, wishes, and practical details.
Legacy Letter Template: A Simple Framework to Start
Use this legacy letter template with sections, prompts, and examples to write a meaningful letter to your family. A simple framework anyone can follow.
Legacy Planning by Age: What to Do in Your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s
Discover what legacy and estate planning steps to take at every life stage from your 30s through your 60s with this age-specific guide.
Password Manager for Families: How to Share Access Safely
Compare the best family password managers with emergency access features. Learn how to share passwords safely for everyday use and legacy planning.
Power of Attorney Explained: Types, Forms, and How It Works
Understand power of attorney types, how to choose an agent, common mistakes to avoid, and why every adult needs financial and healthcare POA.
Reinventing Yourself at 50: A Guide to Your Next Chapter
Ready for a fresh start at 50? Discover how to pivot your career, learn new skills, and redefine your identity beyond parenting in this practical guide.
Selling vs. Passing Down Your Business: A Comparison
Compare selling your business versus passing it to family or employees. Explore financial, tax, emotional, and practical factors for each path.
Sibling Conflict Over Inheritance: How to Prevent It
Common triggers for sibling inheritance disputes and proven strategies to prevent them. Communication frameworks for families planning their estate.
The Family Meeting About Inheritance Nobody Wants to Have
How to organize and run a productive family meeting about estate planning. Includes agenda template, ground rules, and tips for keeping peace.
The Legacy Drawer: One Place for Everything That Matters
Learn how to create a legacy drawer or legacy binder — one organized place with all the critical information your family needs if something happens to you.
The Retirement Bucket List You Haven't Thought Of
Forget skydiving and world tours. This retirement bucket list focuses on what actually matters — legacy, family stories, difficult conversations, and real impact.
Unequal Inheritance: When Parents Leave More to One Child
Why parents choose unequal inheritance splits, how to communicate the decision, and how to prevent resentment among children.
What Happens If You Die Without a Will
Dying without a will means the state decides who gets your assets and who raises your kids. Learn about intestacy laws and why even a basic plan matters.
What Happens to a Mortgage When Someone Dies
Find out what happens to a mortgage when someone dies — from the Garn-St. Germain Act to reverse mortgages, co-borrowers, and how heirs can keep the home.
What Happens to a Small Business When the Owner Dies
Learn what happens legally and financially when a business owner dies without a plan, and how to protect your business with proper preparation.
What Happens to Joint Bank Accounts When Someone Dies
Learn what happens to joint bank accounts after death — right of survivorship, frozen accounts, tax reporting, and payable-on-death alternatives.
What Happens to Your 401K and IRA When You Die
Learn what happens to your 401(k) and IRA after death — beneficiary rules, spousal vs non-spousal options, required distributions, and tax implications.
What Happens to Your Debt When You Die
Find out what happens to credit card debt, student loans, medical bills, and mortgages after death. Learn who is responsible and how to protect your family.
What Happens to Your Facebook When You Die
Find out what happens to your Facebook account after death — memorialization, deletion options, legacy contacts, and how to set up your preferences now.
What Happens to Your House When the Owner Dies
Learn what happens to a house when the owner dies — from joint tenancy and probate to transfer on death deeds and mortgage implications.
What Happens to Your Online Accounts After Death
From Google to crypto wallets, learn what happens to your online accounts when you die — and what you can do now to protect your digital legacy.
What Is an Ethical Will (And Why Every Family Needs One)
Discover what an ethical will is, how it differs from a legal will, and why passing down values matters as much as passing down assets.
What to Do When Your Kids Leave Home
Practical guide for parents adjusting to life after kids move out — rediscover hobbies, reconnect with your partner, and build new daily routines.
When Siblings Fight Over a Parent's Estate: A Prevention Guide
Real scenarios of sibling estate disputes, mediation options, legal remedies, and how proper planning prevents the vast majority of conflicts.
Why 70% of Family Businesses Fail at Succession
Discover why most family businesses don't survive the transition to the next generation and learn practical strategies to beat the odds.
Why 90% of Family Stories Disappear in Three Generations
Research shows most family stories vanish within three generations. Learn why oral traditions fade and practical steps to preserve your family's legacy.
Will vs. Trust: Which Do You Need? (Plain English Guide)
Understand the real differences between wills and trusts in plain language — costs, probate, privacy, control, and which one fits your situation.