Legacy Planning

What Do You Want to Leave Behind?

Your legacy is the part of what you’ve built that outlives you: support for a spouse, a head start for your children or grandchildren, or a gift to a cause you care about. Legacy planning starts with a question most people never write down: what do you want to leave, and to whom?

Where Life Insurance Fits

A life insurance death benefit is a direct way to leave money to a specific person. It is paid to the beneficiaries named on the policy, and beneficiaries generally receive it free of federal income tax. If you already own a policy, the question is whether it still matches the people and the amounts you have in mind today.

Your Beneficiary Forms Decide More Than You Might Think

A life insurance policy or an annuity pays whoever is named on its beneficiary form, and that form can override what your will says. A form filled out years ago, before a marriage, a divorce, a birth or a death in the family, can quietly send money somewhere you no longer intend. We review each policy’s beneficiaries against your current wishes and flag anything that no longer fits.

How It Connects to Your Estate Plan

Legacy planning decides what you leave and how your policies deliver it. Your estate documents, such as a will or a trust, govern the rest. For that side, see Estate Planning, where we work alongside an independent estate attorney who drafts the documents directly.

This page is for general informational purposes only and is not legal or tax advice. How a death benefit is taxed depends on your situation; consult an independent attorney or tax professional for guidance specific to you.