JD Supra, LLC
By Darcy Hamilton
August 11th, 2026
Creating an Ethical Will to Pass Down Your Knowledge, Values and Memories
While having an estate plan in place to provide for your possible incapacity and death is important, many people also look for a way to pass down their knowledge, values and memories. This can be done through a non-legal document called an Ethical Will, which can be one of the most important gifts you leave your family or friends and is an opportunity to share your values with future generations.
An Ethical Will, also called a Legacy Letter, is a personal document that communicates your values, experiences, special memories, hopes for the future, gratitude, life lessons and sometimes forgiveness. An Ethical Will can also be used to complement your traditional estate plan by clarifying decisions made in your Will or trust. It can be a written document or letter, or it can be a conversation that you record on video.
Some people prefer to share it with their family or loved ones now, and others prefer to leave it with their Will for their loved ones to read after they are gone. It can be as simple or detailed as you like and need not be overwhelming.
