Let’s talk about how to build a financial legacy.

Legacy. What is a Legacy?

It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.

— Lin-Manuel Miranda

And no, I’m not talking about the cash you’ve stockpiled. I’m talking about the stuff that really matters. 

• What kind of impact do you want your money to have on you, your loved ones, and your local and global community? 
• What meaningful actions and contributions do you want to be remembered for? 
• How can you use your wealth in a manner reflective of who you are and what you care about?

When was the last time you paused to ask yourself these kinds of questions — questions that get at the heart of what matters most, pushing you past the limiting boundaries of what’s right in front of you and into your imagination?

Whenever people talk about building wealth — both personal accumulation as well as efforts to pass wealth on to the next generation — it’s always about the dollars and cents. The bigger picture gets lost.  

Your financial legacy can absolutely include passing on large sums of money. But building this kind of legacy is about so much more than the simple act of accumulating wealth.

It’s about the interplay of money and knowledge sharing, core values, family tradition, community impact, and personal kindness. It’s about what you leave behind in the wake of you and the life you lived. 

Taking the time to think about your financial legacy NOW can provide a sense of purpose as you consider how your efforts today will benefit those people or causes you care about most long after you’re gone.

6 Ways to Build Your Own Financial Legacy

Legacy (both personal and financial) fulfills the deep human need to feel significant and connected to the world around you — in other words, to know that your presence mattered and made a difference.

The secret? It’s all about being intentional with the resources you have at your disposal now — no matter how big or small — to create a lasting impact.

Here are some creative ideas for building your own financial legacy:

• Education: Allocating your money towards a college education for family members or scholarships for students in need. 
• Community Support: Establishing a fund for your local Boys and Girls Club or supporting community projects that you care about. 
• Connection: Investing in a family vacation home at the beach, in the mountains, or on the lake, to create a space where you and your loved ones can come together to create those sweet memories.
• Entrepreneurship: Passing on a family business or providing startup capital for future family entrepreneurs to help them in their business ventures. 
• Experiences: Taking the family on amazing annual trips to experience new and unforgettable adventures together. 
• Family Tradition: Putting those grocery dollars to good use and compiling a collection of family recipes that can be passed down from generation to generation for meals made with love.  

I truly could go on and on! My point is, you don’t need to be a millionaire or a celebrity to leave a significant financial legacy. Every one of us, through the relationships we nurture and the actions we take, can leave our mark. 

What Financial Legacy Means to Me

Below I share a few examples from my own life to show you exactly what I mean when I talk about financial legacy. 

Our Family Beach House

Over 50 years ago, my husband’s grandparents purchased land in the Outer Banks. His grandfather never lived to see anything built on it. Many years later, a house was built on the land as an investment for the family. 

They’ve now been celebrating over 20 years of Thanksgivings at that same house. It’s where my husband and I got engaged. It’s where our kids perfect their Thanksgiving decorating skills each year. It’s where my family spends summers together—where my kids visit their favorite ice cream shop, we take early morning walks with the pup, and end the day with pizza on the beach at sunset—all thanks to a financial decision their great-grandparents made decades ago.

It’s a tradition and a legacy that was 50+ years in the making, and the whole family remembers who it came from and the story behind it. We all feel truly blessed to have it. That’s a legacy. 

My Family Foundation in Honor of My Brother & Dad

Despite losing my brother and dad far too soon, their legacy lives on in my hometown. They were class acts—on and off the field—deeply involved in and loved by our community.

When my brother passed at 29, the grief was overwhelming. I wanted to honor him, to make sure his name lived on beyond the stories we shared at home. But the weight of loss held me back and definitely held me down.

Nine years later, when my dad passed, I knew it was time to act—to turn my grief into something lasting. I created a Family Foundation in their name to support scholar-athletes in our community, a cause they would have been proud of.

That foundation was funded with thousands of dollars from people who loved my brother, my Dad, our family, and our community. It will live on for years. That’s a legacy. 

College Education

When my grandmother passed, she left my Mom an inheritance—money that could have easily gone toward home renovations, upgrades, or well-deserved vacations. But my parents saw it differently.

Instead of spending it on things for themselves, they chose to invest in our future. She used that money to pay for my college education and my brother’s, ensuring that we could walk across that stage with our diplomas in hand—without the weight of student loans holding us back.

Because of their decision, I had the freedom to chase opportunities, to build a life on my own terms, without debt dictating my choices. That choice, that sacrifice, that commitment to the next generation—that’s a legacy—and one I’ll be eternally grateful for and plan to continue on for future generations. 

Legacy is personal. Remember to think first and foremost about what legacy means to YOU, and plan accordingly for your wealth-building journey. 

What Do You Want YOUR Financial Legacy to Be?

What do you want to be remembered for? How do you want to create an impact long after you’re gone? And how can you use your money and resources to make that a reality?

Money isn’t just about numbers. It’s about creating the life you really want and leaving the world just a little better off than you found it. Contact me today to tell me more about what plans you have in store for your wealth and the impact you’d like to make—I’d love to help you navigate that aspect of your financial journey.