There is an old saying that goes something like "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day; teach him to fish, he eats for a lifetime." This is some profound food for thought when you are planning your estate. Passing along the assets that you have accumulated during your lifetime is certainly going to be helpful to your heirs, but if you could impart your knowledge to them you may be able to plant a seed that leads to a pattern of success can continue across the generations.
Any time a high profile, successful person writes his or her autobiography it is usually on the non-fiction best sellers list. Why do you suppose this is? Do you think that most people necessarily find the details of the personal lives of these businesspeople to be all that interesting? The primary reason why people want to read the autobiographies of people who were able to generate wealth is because they want to find out how it was done so that they can implement these strategies themselves.
The fact is that you don't have to be famous to write your autobiography and share the secrets of your success. You too can sit down and write your memoirs and pass them along to your family as part of your legacy, and this is a gift that may be more valuable than anything else you can provide for them. Aside from the pathway to financial success, you can also honestly and earnestly share stories from your youth and give your loved ones, and even future generations, some insight into the family tree.
As much as your family will benefit from having the opportunity to read your life story, it can be cathartic for you as well. And it's a satisfying feeling to look at your finished manuscript and recognize that you did indeed have that book in you after all.
