What is an Ethical Will?

When I first heard about "ethical wills" a couple of years ago, I was immediately attracted to the idea of creating one of my own to share with my children, life partner, and friends. This blog covers my journey of writing an ethical will and invites others to discuss their ethical will experiences.

An ethical will offers a way to convey what is most important in your life -- your values, beliefs, stories, life lessons, wisdom, hopes, dreams, and blessings -- to the most important people in your life. Most ethical wills are in the form of a written document but others are audio or videotaped for listening and viewing. They are intended to be shared with your loved ones and passed along from generation to generation of your family.

Ethical wills are not legal documents but they can provide a personal context for completing your "last will and testament" (legal will) and your "living will" (advance directive for health care). They can also be a helpful guide for estate planning.