Writing an Ethical Will or Legacy Letter

Beyond the legal and practical documents covered elsewhere in this hub, some people choose to write something more personal — a reflection of who they are, not what they own.

What is an ethical will, and is it legally binding?

An ethical will (sometimes called a legacy letter) is a written document sharing your values, life lessons, hopes for your family, and personal messages. Unlike a legal will, it has no legal authority - it doesn’t distribute property or make binding decisions. It exists purely to pass on something more personal.

What should I actually include?

• Life lessons you’ve learned, and how you learned them
• Values you hope to pass on to your children or family
• Specific memories or stories you want preserved
• Hopes for your family’s future
• Direct personal messages to specific people

When should I write this - now, or closer to the end of life?

There’s no required timing. Some people write this while perfectly healthy, treating it as a reflective, meaningful exercise. Others write or revise one after a serious diagnosis, when the motivation feels more immediate. Both are valid times to begin. See our guide on what David Bowie’s final album teaches us about facing death for a striking example of someone who chose the latter - creating a deliberate final statement once time was known to be short.

Can I update it over time?

Yes - many people treat an ethical will as a living document, adding to it or revising it over years, rather than writing it once and considering it finished.

Getting started if you’re not sure what to write

Sometimes it helps to imagine writing directly to a specific person - a child, a grandchild - about what you’d want them to know or remember, rather than trying to write something universal from the start.

This is a personal, reflective document with no required format — write whatever feels most true to what you want to pass on.