Leave A Legacy™ So Nobody Is Left Out

May 2, 2013 - PRLog -- Recently a 97 year old New York man left his $40 million fortune to….No One.  In what is being called the largest unclaimed estate in New York History (http://business.financialpost.com/2013/05/01/he-left-us40-million-to-no-one/), people across North America, and his friends in particular, are left scratching their heads around how, and why, a shrewd and outgoing business man would leave no will behind, even though there had been much discussion in the months and weeks ahead.   The truth is that yes, even the smartest and most knowledgeable people can procrastinate, become uncertain, or make poor decisions where their estates and their legacy’s are concerned.

May is LEAVE A LEGACY™ (http://www.leavealegacy.ca/) month and no one knows better than Author and Speaker Jane Blaufus how important, and life changing, making those decision in advance can be.  “While gathering information about tools and resources to help people ease into the process of planning for their estates, I came across a Canadian and US national public awareness program designed to encourage people to consider leaving a legacy in a manner they might not have thought of before today.”.

“People need to encourage their friends and family to start sharing their wishes and their wants...to make it an acceptable coffee time discussion topic. “, says Jane, “With the ageing population we need to help raise awareness of the importance of thoughtful, well-planned, tax-preferred gifts and their impact on the quality of life for everyone in our communities, from all walks of life, as well as all the other decisions that go into planning for the distribution of our estates.”

A champion of having those Courageous Conversations (http://www.janeblaufus.com/), Jane often speaks about advocating for your family through open and honest discussions about pre-panning and final wishes. In her new blog (http://courageousbeyond.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/leave-a-...), Jane reviews the Top 10 things everyone needs to account for, from the Leave a Legacy™ (http://www.leavealegacy.ca/) website (click here (http://www.leavealegacy.ca/) for the Canadian site):

1. Prepare a will
2. Leave a gift
3. Be specific
4. Consider assets
5. Name an alternate beneficiary
6. Existing life insurance
7. New life insurance
8. Memorial gifts
9. Encourage others
10. Ask your Advisor

To learn more about how you might consider incorporating this into your estate planning or to find out more about activities taking place in your communities this month I invite you to visit the websites linked above. Visit me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/janeblaufus) or Facebook (http://facebook.com/jeblaufus) for an expert opinion on how you can begin leaving a legacy now.

Jane Blaufus is an Author, Professional Speaker and Catalyst for ‘Courageous Conversations’.  Her first book, WITH THE [STROKE] OF A PEN™, Claim your life features a forward by Chief Financial Commentator for CTV News Channel, Pattie Lovett-Reid. She has been featured on the CTV National News Channel, CBC’s Lang and O’Leary Exchange, CHCH Morning Live, and CTV News at Noon.

To book  Jane for an interview or to provide commentary, please contact:
Rania Walker
Phone: 416-258-8953
E-mail: rania@sparqstreet.com
www.sparqstreet.com