Estate Planning - Letter of Instruction

In Rick Kahler's book Conscious Finance:  Uncovering Your Hidden Beliefs and Transform the Role of Money in Your Life, he shares different methods of Estate Planning.  

In Chapter 13 he discusses that one of the most difficult things about Estate Planning is getting to it because we hold so many beliefs about our deaths.  He talks about one method of estate planning being a Will.  Many of us are familiar with the purpose of a Will and he talks about the deep introspection that occurs when you are making decisions about leaving assets behind to either a spouse, kids, charities, organizations or causes that you support.

Another aspect of Estate Planning which I had never heard of was "Letters of Instruction".  Although these documents are not often legally binding, a letter of instruction is an expression of your wishes. Within this chapter he tells a story of a man who was dying of cancer who would never see his young son grow up.  It was the recommendation of the estate planner to his client that he should create "Letters of Instruction" to his son in the form of birthday cards that would be given to him each year of his life to a predetermined age.  In these birthday cards the client would be able to share insights, guidance, and love to his son providing him with knowledge of who his father was and what he believed to be important. 

As I read this example, I couldn't help but think of Send Out Cards as a tool to be used to provide this well-thought out plan of communication.   This book provides an example of how to build a relationship through cards as a preplanned initiative to make a difference in someone's life.   As hard as it is to talk about death, having an opportunity to share one's life through instruction, inspiration, or emotion with a survivor might well provide comfort not only to the sender, but also to the receiver for many years to come.