The Wealth of Your Life

A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating Your Ethical Will

by Susan B. Turnbull – Third Edition © 2012
Published by Benedict Press

Description

Susan Turnbull's book on creating ethical wills — **The Wealth of Your Life**by Susan B. Turnbull

Author Susan Turnbull coined the phrase, “What you have learned is as valuable as what you have earned”® – a quote that beautifully highlights the importance of an ethical will. So often, people focus on their capital assets as they plan their estates – the things that they have – while they give little thought to passing on their ethical assets – the things that they have to come to know and believe. An ethical will is a device that can be used to pass on such intangible wealth. Turnbull defines it as: … a non-binding letter or recording created for your loved ones … with the intention of lasting beyond your lifetime, for the purpose of passing on values, wisdom, stories, wishes, feelings, advice or important information.

The Wealth of Your Life is a tastefully designed book, replete with artistic use of space on the page and of fonts and photographs that elicit reflection and inspiration. Pages are full-sized and held together in a firm, spiral-bound format, and the content provides a thorough framework to help the reader organize thoughts in a meaningful way.

An especially valuable primer for someone not already familiar with the concept of an ethical will but who has something significant to say

There is no single pre-defined format for an ethical will, and there are no hard-and-fast rules in putting one together. Given that freedom for individual expression, Turnbull does an excellent job of identifying questions and themes that an individual might consider in designing and completing an ethical will. She then suggests a generically useful 5-step development process, presented in a workbook format that includes many helpful cues, questions, and possible approaches. She also splashes in testimonials from others to give concrete examples from their ethical wills.

The Wealth of Your Life, at $23.95, comes with a fairly hefty price tag. The superior design and workability of the book, however, help justify the investment. The book would serve as an especially valuable primer for someone not already familiar with the concept of an ethical will but who has something significant to say. In this context, the book would make an excellent gift item for parents and other aging family members, friends, and colleagues who are growing into the reflective phase of life.