It seems to me that we spend a lot of time with the here and now and never create a family legacy. I would like to help my family stay close and try to build a lasting legacy. To help my children and future generations of my family. I don't have much now but I feel that planning for the future should not just include money but also values. Anyone else trying this?

Interesting. I think that we do this when we do things as a family, whether that be eating dinner together on a regular basis, going on family vacations (my kids are now 16 and 14 and they still enjoy going on them), or just hanging and watching a movie as a family.

I agree with John. A family legacy is more about memories and traditions than it is about material things or monetary wealth.

My children are grown now and on their own. One of the best pieces of advice I received when they were small children was something I read in a magazine article. It said that our children wont grow up to reminice about the new bathroom we added to the house, or the new car we got, but about the times we spent together as a family.

With that in mind, my wife and I chose to spend our disposible income on family trips around the country. We also set aside time for sharing meals as a family, and every Sunday night was family movie night in our home. It was something the children looked forward to each week when they were young, and speak fondly of now that they are grown.

Also, we were blessed to live close enough to both sets of grandparents, that our children grew up with the grandma and grandpas very much a part of thier lives. This has imparted in them a very strong sense of family history and loyalty.

In my opinion, these experiences are the very best legacy I could provide.

Of course, future inheritance doesn't look to good for either of them , but I wouldn't change a thing!

I, too, agree with John. But building family legacies/memories doesn't end when the kids leave home.

My son and I are doing more stuff together now than we have for several years even though he lives in another city. We not only reinforce the memories of things we did when he was younger (like camping trips, scouts, etc), but make new memories as well.

I will be planning a small reunion of my cousins and their families one of these days because family is not just your wife and kids, but your extended families as well. That's a way to keep the legacy of our parents, grandparents, and beyond still alive.