Legacy Letter
A Legacy Letter is to be shared with your loved ones. If the idea of a family meeting strikes terror into your heart because you envision sibling rivalries flaring up, it may be better to write a letter carefully explaining your goals and wishes as they relate to your estate plan. In the letter, you can simply express your intentions in your own words without worrying about precise legal language. This is especially important if you plan to leave a significant amount to a charity or other organization or to a non-family member. If you worry that your letter will be misunderstood, you can ask us to review it against your estate plan to make sure you have not miscommunicated anything that would conflict with your plan. Even though this type of letter (also called a letter of intent or an ethical will) is not legally binding in the same way that your estate planning documents are, it can be very helpful to keep family informed about your intentions and to express your love and appreciation for family members and friends.
Final Arrangement Declaration
Final Arrangement Declaration declares your desires for your funeral rites based on custom, religious preference, or simply your own whims. A final arrangements document may include, but does not have to be limited too, the following: whether you want your remains to be buried or cremated; the name of the mortuary or other institution that will handle burial or cremation; whether or not you want your body to be embalmed; the type of casket or container in which your remains will be buried or cremated, including whether you want it present at any after-death ceremony; the details of any ceremony you want before the burial or cremation; who your pallbearers will be if you wish to have some; how your remains will be transported to the cemetery and gravesite; where your remains will be buried, stored, or scattered; the details of any ceremony you want to accompany your burial, interment, or scattering; and, the details of any marker you want to show where your remains are buried or interred.