The Ethical Will, an Ancient Concept, Is Revamped for the Tech Age
From: nytimes.com
JO KLINE CEBUHAR first encountered the ancient concept of creating an ethical will while she was a volunteer at a hospice in Iowa.
The wills, nonlegal documents that pass on heartfelt wisdom to future generations — were being used to help dying patients share their final thoughts. She became taken with the idea of passing on personal lessons — not just assets. And before long, she was creating one of her own.
Rather than putting pen to paper, though, Ms. Cebuhar decided to put her ethical will on a PowerPoint slide show. That way, she could share intimate moments by using family photos, humor and even quotations that reflect her philosophy of happiness and gratitude. One favorite quote was delivered by Chuckles the Clown, a fictional character on The Mary Tyler Moore Show: “A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants.” She keeps the slide show as a computer file that’s ready to go.
“Slide shows have lots of impact because you can put images on them,” said Ms. Cebuhar, who is a lawyer and author of the book “So Grows the Tree — Creating an Ethical Will.” “There’s an extra dimension, which appeals to a wider audience like younger people.”
Increasingly, the 3,500-year-old ethical will is getting a high-technology makeover. Technology aficionados like Ms. Cebuhar are turning to videos, DVDs, digital scrapbooks, iPhones and even Facebook pages to put a human touch on their legacies. And some legal advisers, who have found that ethical wills help avoid nasty family conflicts that can chew up assets, are adding the video wills to their estate planning toolbox to deliver even stronger personal messages.
Originally an oral tradition, ethical wills have been used by Jewish people for centuries to pass on life lessons and ethics, such as the importance of charity. In the 11th century, ethical wills began to be written down, and some still exist in archives.
These days, ethical wills are nonbinding documents that are increasingly seen as important legacy-building ingredients, say experts, because they can convey a person’s deep inner values and beliefs, even helping soothe ruffled feathers when dispensing family assets.
