• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Zimmer Law Firm logo Zimmer Law Firm
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Communities We Serve
      • Butler County
        • Fairfield
        • Hamilton
        • West Chester
      • Clermont County
        • Milford
      • Hamilton County
        • Blue Ash
        • Cincinnati
        • Loveland
        • Montgomery
        • Sharonville
      • Warren County
        • Mason
    • Our Client Care Program
  • Services
    • Estate Planning
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA Inheritance Planning
    • Legacy Wealth Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Medicaid Planning and Elder Law
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Young Adult Protection Plan
  • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Fairfield
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Montgomery
      • Sharonville
      • West Chester
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate & Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Free Estate Planning Checklist
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Legacy Planning Definitions
      • Top 10 Estate Planning Techniques
    • FAQs
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Mason
      • Milford
      • Probate Checklist
      • Sharonville
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
      • West Chester
    • Presentations
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Contact

Zimmer Law Firm

Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorneys

513.721.1513
Request a Free Consultation
Request a Free Consultation

Google initial with star next to it

  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Communities We Serve
      • Butler County
        • Fairfield
        • Hamilton
        • West Chester
      • Clermont County
        • Milford
      • Hamilton County
        • Blue Ash
        • Cincinnati
        • Loveland
        • Montgomery
        • Sharonville
      • Warren County
        • Mason
    • Our Client Care Program
  • Services
    • Estate Planning
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA Inheritance Planning
    • Legacy Wealth Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Medicaid Planning and Elder Law
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Young Adult Protection Plan
  • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Fairfield
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Montgomery
      • Sharonville
      • West Chester
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate & Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Free Estate Planning Checklist
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Legacy Planning Definitions
      • Top 10 Estate Planning Techniques
    • FAQs
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate Resources
      • Blue Ash
      • Cincinnati
      • Hamilton
      • Loveland
      • Mason
      • Milford
      • Probate Checklist
      • Sharonville
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
      • West Chester
    • Presentations
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • Contact

Legacy Planning Can Add a Dimension to the Estate Planning Process

Home Our Blog Legacy Planning Can Add a Dimension to the Estate Planning Process

By Barry Zimmer on June 14th, 2022 in Estate Planning

legacy planningEveryone is well aware of the fact that estate planning attorneys help people prepare their assets for distribution to their loved ones. At the same time, there are a broader set of considerations that you should address if you want to consciously craft your legacy.

In this post, we are going to provide some food for thought about the bigger picture. It may give you a renewed understanding about the process and the possibilities.

Funeral Arrangements

You may want to take your funeral arrangements into your own hands in advance. After your passing, your family members will be dealing with their emotions. They will do what they have to do, but it’s not the best time for practical decisions.

These would include choice of burial or cremation, casket or urn selection, choice of funeral plot or the destination of your ashes, and memorial service details. When they are put on the spot by a funeral home, the situation is delicate, and family members can disagree.

When you assert your wishes before the fact, there will be no cause for disagreements. Plus, you will be put to rest in the manner of your choosing, and this is the most important element.

You can develop an arrangement with a funeral home, make your selections, and pay for the final arrangements in advance. Short of this, your estate plan could include instructions about your desired final arrangements.

A Legacy of Giving

If you are in a position to give something back to worthy causes and/or institutions, you can establish a legacy of giving. For an example, look no further than the late sports theme painter LeRoy Neiman. He went to the Art Institute of Chicago, and he also taught at the school.

Nieman had a deep appreciation for his educational underpinning, and as a response, he left a $3 million endowment to his alma mater.

He passed away in New York, and he had an affinity for the city. His estate included a $1 million endowment to the Harlem community center known as Arts Horizon. A Columbia University print study center carries his name, and his $6 million donation help to make it a reality.

You may or may not have millions of dollars to donate, but you will always be remembered for your generosity if you plant seeds for the future.

Ethical Will

The last legacy plan component we will look at here is the ethical will. This document was originally used during biblical times, and it comes out of the Judaic tradition. In the early days, the ethical will was used to pass along spiritual and moral values to surviving loved ones.

You can still use the document to share these ideas, but there are no strict rules. Counselors espouse the benefits of the ethical will, and they encourage people to use them. It is liberating to put your thoughts to paper, and a modern ethical will can be looked upon as a final letter to your loved ones.

Attend a Free Webinar!

We encourage you to explore the content that we have on this site, and you can really take your knowledge to another level if you attend one of our webinars. The sessions are offered free of charge, and you qualify for a free virtual consultation if you join us.

This is a $425 value, and the online seminar is quite valuable in its own right. You can see the dates and obtain registration information if you visit our Cincinnati, OH estate planning event page. If you decide to attend, please follow the instructions to register.

 

 

 

Primary Sidebar

Request a Free Consultation

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

What Our Clients Say

Some years ago, Barry Zimmer suggested we do a basic estate plan for our son when he went to college. We had no idea how important it would be! In our son's freshman year, he ended up in the hospital, and we were able to get crucial information about his condition because we had a health care ...

Read All Testimonials

Zimmer Law Firm

9825 Kenwood Road
Suite 201
Cincinnati, OH 45242

Copyright © 2025 Zimmer Law Firm
Disclaimer Privacy Policy

 

Make a Payment