🏛️ STEP 7g — LEGACY DESIGN & END-OF-LIFE GIVING

How to Ensure Your Wealth, Values, and Impact Continue After You’re Gone

🔍 STEP 7g — OVERVIEW

Legacy does not happen by accident.

Without intentional design, wealth is distributed by default systems that:

do not know your values
do not understand your intent
do not protect family dynamics
do not preserve long-term impact

Step 7g teaches how to design legacy intentionally, so that:

your giving does not stop at death
your family is guided, not confused
your wealth does not become a burden
your values continue to influence future generations

This step is not about fear, control, or micromanagement.

It is about continuity.

⭐ STEP 7g — INTRODUCTION

Most people delay legacy planning because it feels uncomfortable.

Others assume:

“I’ll deal with that later”
“My family will figure it out”
“A will is enough”

These assumptions are costly.

When legacy is not designed:

families argue
money divides
causes disappear
wealth dissolves
intent is misunderstood

Legacy design is not about death.

It is about responsibility to the future.

This step helps you think clearly, calmly, and intentionally about what continues after you.

🎯 STEP 7g — OUTCOMES

By completing Step 7g, students will:

✅ Understand the difference between inheritance and legacy
✅ Learn how giving fits into end-of-life planning
✅ Avoid the most common legacy mistakes
✅ Design continuity without control
✅ Create clarity for family and beneficiaries
✅ Build a legacy that aligns with personal values

🧠 SECTION 1 — Inheritance vs. Legacy

Inheritance is what people receive.

Legacy is what continues.

You can leave money without leaving meaning.

You can leave assets without leaving guidance.

Legacy exists when:

values are clear
intent is documented
structure supports continuity
people understand the “why”

Without those elements, inheritance becomes confusion.

🧠 SECTION 2 — Why a Will Alone Is Not a Legacy Plan

A will answers logistical questions:

who receives assets
who is responsible
basic instructions

A will does not:

explain values
guide behavior
protect beneficiaries from misuse
ensure charitable continuity
preserve long-term intent

A will is necessary.

It is not sufficient.

Legacy requires context.

🧱 SECTION 3 — Designing Legacy From Values First

Legacy planning should always begin with values.

Ask:

What do I want my wealth to stand for?
What problems do I care about most?
What behaviors do I want encouraged?
What outcomes matter beyond money?

When values are clear, structures become obvious.

When values are unclear, structures fail.

🧠 SECTION 4 — End-of-Life Giving: Conceptual Approaches

End-of-life giving allows your generosity to continue even when your income stops.

Conceptually, this can include:

allocating a percentage of your estate
funding specific causes
continuing existing giving commitments
establishing long-term impact vehicles

The goal is not complexity.

The goal is continuity.

🧠 SECTION 5 — Timing: Giving While Alive vs. Giving at Death

There is no single correct approach.

Giving While Alive

allows you to see impact
provides feedback
teaches family
allows course correction

Giving at Death

preserves lifetime capital
creates large, lasting impact
simplifies life-stage decisions

Blended Approach (Recommended)

active giving during life
continuity structures at death

This balances presence with permanence.

🧠 SECTION 6 — Avoiding “Control From the Grave”

One of the biggest legacy mistakes is over-control.

Over-control looks like:

rigid rules with no flexibility
punishment-based structures
zero trust in future generations

Healthy legacy design:

provides guardrails
allows adaptation
trusts future leadership
emphasizes values over enforcement

Your goal is to equip, not dominate.

🧠 SECTION 7 — Preparing Family for Legacy

Legacy planning without communication creates shock.

Families need:

clarity
context
gradual understanding
opportunity for questions

This does not mean sharing every detail.

It means sharing:

intent
values
expectations
reasoning

Silence creates confusion.

🧠 SECTION 8 — Common Legacy Failures to Avoid

Failure 1: No Conversations

Leads to surprises and resentment.

Failure 2: All Money, No Meaning

Leads to entitlement and misuse.

Failure 3: Over-Engineering Too Early

Creates burden and rigidity.

Failure 4: Ignoring Family Dynamics

Assumes harmony without evidence.

Legacy design must be realistic, not idealistic.

🧪 SECTION 9 — Case Studies

Case Study 1: The Accidental Legacy

Assets passed with no explanation.

Outcome:

family conflict
giving stops
values lost

Lesson:

documentation and communication matter.

Case Study 2: The Over-Controlled Legacy

Rigid rules imposed.

Outcome:

resentment
legal disputes
mission drift

Lesson:

flexibility sustains continuity.

Case Study 3: The Designed Legacy

Values documented, family prepared.

Outcome:

unity
continued impact
wealth preserved with purpose

Lesson:

clarity creates confidence.

🧠 SECTION 10 — The Legacy Map (Your Framework)

A Legacy Map documents:

core values
causes supported
giving intentions
family involvement approach
continuity guidelines

It evolves over time.

It is revisited periodically.

It guides decisions when you no longer can.

🧰 SECTION 11 — Exercises & Action Steps

Write your top 3 legacy values
Identify causes you want supported long-term
Decide whether giving continues after death
Determine how much guidance is appropriate
Commit to a legacy conversation timeline

🧭 STEP 7g — SUMMARY

Legacy is not about control.

It is about continuity.

When designed well:

wealth becomes a tool, not a burden
giving outlives income
families stay aligned
values endure
impact multiplies

You are not planning for death.

You are planning for what continues.