Seniors

How To Put Together Your Legacy Drawer

By Ramsey Solutions

If your family loves, you unconditionally now—and they probably do—there’s an easy way to keep that love alive after you’re gone. We’re talking about creating a legacy drawer that stores all your official documents. (Not what you were thinking? Keep reading to see how a little organization can turn into a powerful way to care for your family.)

Carrying out your final wishes should be easy for your loved ones when the time comes. And it will be—if they can find everything, they need in one place! Wouldn’t that be nicer than frantically searching for random scraps of paper?

Don’t be put off if this sounds morbid or like it’s too much trouble. Trust us, it’s not. Creating your legacy drawer is one of the most gracious gestures you’ll ever make for your family. We’ll make it as easy as possible and tell you exactly what to put in it. Let’s dig in.

What Is a Legacy Drawer?

If you've listened to Dave for any amount of time, you've heard him talk about the legacy drawer. But what is it?

Well, it’s a special place to store the important documents your family will need if something happens to you. While this part of planning for the future isn’t as fun as planning for retirement or that next dream vacation, it’s a task that’s worth its weight in gold.

Having your legacy drawer set up eliminates a whole lot of added stress and confusion at a time when tensions are already running high. And while we’re talking about tension, have you talked with your family about your end-of-life wishes? It’s not easy, but you need to have those difficult conversations sooner rather than later.

How to Set Up Your Legacy Drawer

First things first. We do live in a digital world. So, it’s possible that your legacy drawer won’t be an actual drawer in your home. It could be online, and that would make perfect sense. Whether you go real or digital, what you put in your legacy drawer stays the same.

So, let’s talk about what goes in it. Your legacy drawer should include everything from your financial life, your medical wishes, plans for your funeral, even all those passwords you’ve got memorized but no one else knows.

And while you’re setting up your legacy drawer, go ahead and set up a safe deposit box too for storing original documents. But don’t stress! We’ll break down exactly what documents to include so your loved ones can find what they need quickly.

What to Keep in Your Legacy Drawer

Once you have your legacy drawer set up and ready for documents, grab a cup of coffee and start filling it. Here are the documents we recommend you put in your legacy drawer:

Cover Letter

Don’t worry, this isn’t like a cover letter for a job application. And it’s nothing fancy either—just a simple way of stating the purpose and contents of the legacy drawer. We’ve found a cover letter is the best way to let your loved ones know what they can find inside the drawer.

Will and Estate Plans

You’ll want to include all information about your will and estate— they’re kind of like the treasure map your family will be looking for. Don’t forget to include the names of the executor, beneficiaries, and powers of attorney.

Financial Account Information

This one’s simple: Anything that has money in it and your name on it should be listed in the legacy drawer. That includes account names and numbers and account balances.

Funeral Instructions

All the details surrounding your funeral should be included in your legacy drawer so your loved ones don’t have to guess what you would have chosen. And get specific. Do you want to be buried or cremated? Is there a funeral home you prefer? Do you know what clothes you want to be buried in? What do you want included in your service— specific songs, speakers, etc.? If you’re married, create a letter of instruction for you and another one for your spouse that includes all funeral instructions and add-on instructions (usernames, passwords, and PINs)

Insurance Policies

This one’s a biggie. Think of all your insurance policies as the safety net you’ve worked hard to create for your family. In the event of your death or an emergency, you want your loved ones to be able to access their safety net quickly so they can avoid being in limbo—financially or emotionally.

Gather and organize all your insurance information, including health, car, disability, term life and anything else insurance-related into one single document for easy reference. List the type of insurance, who the policy is for, policy numbers and contact information.

Important Documents

Include any legal or other important documents you have. Think deeds, marriage and birth certificates, Social Security cards, and titles.

Legacy Letters

Your legacy drawer is all about your legacy after all. And sometimes the one thing your family will want is a personal message from you! So, take a little time to leave behind letters for your loved ones. Tell them how much you love them, what they’ve meant to you—anything you want to make sure they know if you’re no longer around to

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Pansy Grandma

By Donald Mehl

When I was of grade school age in the 1940's, I would spend 2-3 weeks each year during the summer on my grandparent's farm. I have many memories of those visits.

There was no electricity and no plumbing. Horses were used for pulling all the farm equipment, hay wagons, etc. There was a tractor on the farm, but it was rarely used because of the difficult time starting the engine using a hand crank. The cows were milked twice a day by hand, then, buckets of milk were carried to the hand operated milk/ cream separator. Of course, the barn cats were always nearby at milking time, noisily anticipating a quick handout. Everything done on the farm was done manually, for that was all that was known back then.

Grandma would re-fill the lanterns each day with fresh fuel. She would gather baskets of eggs from the chicken house twice a day. The laundry washing machine had a gasoline engine that grandma would operate, then, she would hang the clothes outside to dry. She would carry pails of fresh water to the house each day from the windmill pump down by the barn. The black iron cook stove in the kitchen burned dry corncobs that she would collect from the hog feed lot. The stove also provided hot water from its built-in tank for cooking and personal use. A fresh baked loaf of bread and cookies were always there to enjoy.

In those days there were no vacuum cleaners, no refrigerators, and no kitchen appliances. Open windows provided all the air conditioning needed. Saturday night baths were done in a metal tub on the kitchen floor, each of us taking our turn. Life was hard and the work was difficult, but grandma did it without complaining and seemed to enjoy it. I remember her allowing me to "help out" with many of those chores.

However, the things she enjoyed the most were growing flowers and tending her garden. She grew flowers and vegetables from seeds she carefully collected and saved from the previous year's blooms and fruit. Although she had many varieties, her favorite flower was the pansy. Grandma grew them in small pots in the house, in window boxes outside, and some were grown in flowerbeds pansies of all colors and sizes. I recall laughing with her as we looked at the different pansy "faces" on the flowers each having its own personality.

She always said she was my "pansy grandma" and that's what I called her. Those memories have stuck with me for more than 60 years. I don't have any grandchildren and probably never will, but if you have them, spend quality time with them and fill their precious little heads with memories they will remember long after we're gone.

God Bless!

During retirement, my prayer is that I might serve the Lord by sharing the Gospel through my writing. As the Lord leads, my work will inform, challenge, and encourage. I also enjoy Biblical theme woodcarving, Bible studies and Christian music. Watch, pray and keep looking up! ©2022 FaithWriters.com. All Rights Reserved >

Do You Know That You Are An Overcomer?

By Dr. Tony Evans

Scripture Readings: (Ephesians

6:10-18)

When Paul established the church at Ephesus, he wanted the believers to understand they had the power to withstand the attacks of the enemy, Satan. He wanted them to know that they could stand firm in their faith and refuse to yield to sin and thoughts of defeat. They had been given spiritual weapons more powerful and effective than the enemies.

But first they needed to understand they were not strong enough on their own to resist Satan's temptations and tactics. God's power and strength empowered them to rebuke the wiles of the devil. Paul explained to the Ephesians that they needed use weapons of spiritual warfare daily. Yes, God protected them and protects us, but every believer must daily put on the full armor of God.

Paul further explained the importance of truly committing our lives to Jesus Christ. One day, our hour of sinful behavior is a sure setup for discouragement and defeat at hands of the enemy. The power that is alive within you and me is OVERCOMING power.

A Purposeless Life

By Dr Tony Evans

In His Presence: God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:27-28).

We exist for God; He does not exist for us. God loves doing things for His people, but the reason we get up in the morning is to fulfill His purpose for our lives, not merely to ask Him to bless our purpose for our lives. God does not want to be our vending machine, where we put in a coin, and He dispenses what we demand. Until we understand that we exist for Him, we will never know our purpose for being.

Purposelessness is everywhere. I would compare a purposeless existence with the life of a dog. Dogs bark a lot, and most of the time they are just making noise and not really telling you anything important. Purposeless people talk a lot just because they want to be heard.

Dogs also like to run in circles. They move, but they're not really going anywhere. When they finish running in circles, they are right back where they started. Purposeless people live like this, running around trying to find fulfillment in activities, only to find themselves not really moving toward anything.

Dogs also function on the level of the external. They like to be petted and rubbed, feeling good for the moment on the outside, but no real impact is felt on the inside. Purposeless people "put on the dog" by getting dressed up to look good and make themselves feel better. If this describes your purposeless wanderings, God's design and desire is to release you from that, but it must be on His terms.

One Minute Please

God has a plan for our lives that will bring Him glory and bring us the greatest good.

Dr. Tony Evans All Rights Reserved >

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LEGACY DRAWER

Continued from Page 20

tell them.

Monthly Budget

Add a copy of your written budget so your family knows how to keep things running in your absence. Make a note of any automated payments and the accounts they’re tied to.

Tax Returns

Keeping tax returns in your legacy drawer is like an insurance policy for yourself in case you’re audited from the IRS. (And yes, you can get audited even after death!) Hopefully, no one will ever have to access them, but if they do, at least they’ll be prepared.

Passwords

Write down all passwords, combinations, usernames, and PIN numbers. (No judgment, this is also a great opportunity to update all your passwords from your dog’s name or your wedding anniversary to something safer.) This allows your loved one’s access to any documents, money or information that’s left when you’re gone. Like we mentioned, a letter of instruction can, and should, include all add-on instructions for anything you mentioned in your will.

Safe Deposit Box Instructions

While you’re building your legacy drawer, you should also set up a safe deposit box. Put all originals of the documents you store in your legacy drawer into your safe deposit box. Then include the location of the safe deposit box and key in your letter(s) of instruction.

Finally, when you finish creating your legacy drawer, don’t forget the most important step. Tell your spouse or another trusted loved one where your legacy drawer is!

This is also a great time to share specifics they might not be aware of or that have changed over the years. Maybe you’ve changed your medical power of attorney or financial power of attorney. Or maybe you’d like to give your grandmother’s ruby ring to someone else. Keep your loved ones in the loop when these types of changes happen.

Make It Easy on Your Loved Ones

Creating your legacy drawer might seem like a lot to do at first, but once you get going you can knock it out in no time. When you finish, set a reminder in your phone, or add a note to your calendar to access your legacy drawer every six months. Check to see if any documents need to be added or updated.

As for that digital option we mentioned earlier, now’s your chance to learn about the Ramsey Vault—the perfect solution for digitally organizing your legacy drawer and securely storing all of your important documents in one place!

Ramsey Solutions has been committed to helping people regain control of their money, build wealth, grow their leadership skills, and enhance their lives through personal development since 1992. Millions of people have used our financial advice through 22 books (including 12 national bestsellers) published by Ramsey Press, as well as two syndicated radio shows and 10 podcasts, which have over 17 million weekly listeners. ©2022 Lampo Licensing, LLC. All rights reserved.>

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LIFE LESSONS

THE RAPTURE

The dictionary defines the word “rapt” as coming from the Latin word meaning “carried away or snatched away.” For example, if you give “rapt attention” to something or someone, you are completely absorbed, sort of carried away mentally or emotionally.

There is an event to come—no one knows when—for those who know that Jesus will return to earth, as promised in the New Testament. During this event, Jesus’ true followers will be “raptured’, literally carried away to Heaven. They will never die and will experience utter joy forever. They will thus be spared further sorrows, trials, disappointments, and other miseries that have afflicted the human race because of sin.

The Rapture is an unpredictable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. We can’t imagine such a supernatural phenomenon, just as we can’t imagine or fully grasp Jesus’ resurrection from the grave—yet it happened. (Luke 24:51) relates an aftermath: “And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.” The Gospel of Mark relates the same event. (Mark 16:19)

Why is it so hard for some to believe these Scriptures? People who lived centuries ago could never imagine—let alone understand—our modern technology: Tv’s, Internet, even putting a man on the moon! Raptures, though very rare, have occurred before, according to the Old Testament. The second chapter of (2 Kings) relates how the great prophet Elijah did not experience death, but was raptured in a chariot of fire into Heaven!

Perhaps, as world systems collapse, scientific advances disappoint, and climate crises increase, we may wish for an escape. But only utter trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins and in His mercy will guarantee our place in Heaven. The New Testament says, in (1 Thessalonians 4:17 & 18) that we who are alive at that time will be caught up in the air, and “so shall we ever be with the Lord; wherefore comfort one another with these words.” When the Rapture occurs, we’ll be rescued from this present darkness. Are you ready? >