A Lasting Family Legacy: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
A legacy is not only about what you’ve earned financially — it’s the wisdom you’ve gained and experiences you’ve had over the course of a lifetime, and want to share with the ones you love. While possessions and inheritances are important, passing along personal and family history and memories is the most meaningful legacy you can leave your heirs. So, what will you leave behind to impact the next generation?
Determining your legacy: What matters most to you and yours
What’s important to you? What do you value? How do you want your life to touch others? Here are some of the ways you can be remembered:
Collect family recipes. When missing a loved one around the holidays, traditional recipes handed down from generation to generation can be a great sense of comfort. Put together a book or binder of time-tested family recipes to be treasured for years to come.
Make personalized photo albums or scrapbooks. Think of all the holidays and milestones celebrated, exciting trips you may have taken, or special events you enjoyed with family. Put together your favorite photos, along with mementos, tickets stubs, itineraries and descriptions to create a tangible book of memories that your family can look back on.
Keep a journal. You don’t have to be a fabulous writer to keep a record of what’s going on in your daily life. Jot down achievements, likes and dislikes, even random thoughts about the day’s news or events so your family can look back on moments big and small.
Put together a video. Have a story to tell or knowledge to pass on? Make a video recording that your family can refer to for laughs or helpful advice. Hate being on camera? Record and save audio snippets on your smartphone or other recording device.
Most importantly, live your legacy. Include family members in your activities now. Share the activities you love to do, and continue to build even more cherished memories.
Get the conversation going
The next time you’re hanging out with family, don’t miss the opportunity to reach out and capture information. Whether you’re the interviewer or the interviewee, use prompts like these to get your creative juices flowing:
- What is your all-time favorite song and why?
- What’s your earliest childhood memory?
- Tell us about your favorite teacher or coach.
- How did you meet your spouse or significant other?
- Have you ever done a good deed for a stranger?
- Describe your favorite holiday — what made it so memorable?
- Which family tradition would you like your family to continue?
Inevitably, legacy planning will also involve ensuring the assets you’ve worked so hard for — like the equity in your home — have the impact you desire, before and after you pass away. A reverse mortgage is a loan option exclusively available to homeowners and homebuyers age 62 and older. It allows you to borrow against the equity in your home, providing funds that you can use today, or a line of credit that will be there when you need it — all while you continue to live in and own your home, and keep making memories in familiar surroundings.
As with any mortgage, you must also meet your loan obligations, keeping current with property taxes, insurance, and maintenance.
Learn more about planning ahead
Whether you’re newly retired or simply looking ahead, smart financial planning is the key to securing the resources you need to build a more comfortable life and legacy — and Reverse Mortgage Funding can help. Call (888) 277-1567 to set up a convenient phone appointment with an experienced reverse mortgage specialist.
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If you have equity in your home and believe you meet the eligibility requirements, a HECM may be the option that could help you retire smart.
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This content is sponsored by RMF, one of the nation’s leading reverse mortgage lenders. We are dedicated to helping older Americans live the retirement lifestyles that they imagined and deserve, in the comfort of their own homes. As a result of our commitment to providing an extraordinary and positive customer experience, we have earned a 96% customer satisfaction rating; a 5-star / Excellent score on Trustpilot; 4.8 out of 5 stars on LendingTree; and an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Call (888) 277-1567 to speak with a licensed reverse mortgage specialist to learn about our retirement financing products and solutions.
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