Legacy Letters: The Most Valuable Asset You’ll Ever Leave

Your Kids Need Your Words More Than Your Wealth

What if the most valuable thing you leave your children isn’t money—but your words? This
conversation is less about financial strategy and more about something far more foundational:
the words we leave behind.

Wes sits down with Blake Brewer, founder of Legacy Letter, to explore the difference between
inheritance and heritage—and why most families unintentionally neglect the latter.

The discussion begins with a story that immediately reframes everything.

A Letter That Changed a Life

At 19 years old, Blake was on a family vacation in Hawaii when his father drowned during a
snorkeling trip. In a matter of moments, one of the best days of his life became the worst.

Later that day, his mother handed him something found in his father’s briefcase—a letter written
specifically for him.

Blake describes reading that letter as the clearest he had ever heard his father’s voice. In the
middle of grief, confusion, and shock, those written words brought clarity, comfort, and direction.
They shaped how he processed the loss and influenced the man he would become.

That experience ultimately led Blake to build a company focused on helping parents and
grandparents write meaningful legacy letters—documents that communicate love, belief,
apology, wisdom, and blessing.

Inheritance vs. Heritage

As advisors, we spend significant time helping clients plan for inheritance. We structure trusts,
optimize taxes, coordinate beneficiaries, and ensure assets transfer efficiently. That work is
important.

But this conversation challenges a deeper question: what are clients leaving in their families, not
just to them?

Wes makes the distinction clearly: inheritance is what you leave to someone. Heritage is what
you leave in someone.

Most parents assume their children know how much they are loved, valued, and believed in. But
assumption is not the same as articulation. Blake shares a story of a father who wrote a legacy letter to his adult children. His daughter later said it was the best Christmas she had ever
experienced—not because of a gift, but because she had quietly believed her father loved her
brothers more. The letter corrected a story she had been telling herself for years.

The gap between intention and interpretation is real. Legacy letters close that gap.

For advisors, facilitating conversations like this moves the relationship beyond performance
reporting and portfolio construction. It creates depth, trust, and long-term loyalty that cannot be
replicated through technical expertise alone.

It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect — And That’s the Point

One of the biggest barriers to writing a legacy letter is perfection. People hesitate because they
don’t know how to begin, they feel unqualified, or they believe they have made too many
mistakes in the past.

Blake addresses this directly. The goal is not to write a perfect letter. The goal is to write a
finished one.

The structure is simple and intentional: explain why you are writing it, offer an apology where
necessary, clearly communicate love and belief, share meaningful memories, pass on life
wisdom, and end with a blessing. It is not a novel. It is not a memoir. It is clarity.

Interestingly, Blake explains that writing the letter often transforms the author as much as the
recipient. Putting values, hopes, and convictions into words forces alignment. It clarifies
priorities. It sharpens vision. Many who complete the process report becoming more intentional
parents, spouses, and leaders—not because of what they wrote, but because of what writing
required them to confront.

In that sense, the letter is not simply a gift to the next generation. It is a tool for present-day
growth.

The Takeaway

Financial planning is not just about transferring assets. It is about helping families transfer
clarity, belief, and intentionality.

If something happened tomorrow, would your children clearly know how you feel about them?
Would they understand your pride, your love, and your hopes for their lives—or would they
assume?

As advisors, we often help clients protect and grow wealth. But wealth alone does not create
confidence or identity. Words do.

Inheritance matters. But heritage shapes generations.

And in the end, your kids will remember what you said far longer than what you left.

Want to learn how to integrate tax intelligence into your process?

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