Tom Brady and Building Legacy
Hi – I’m Mark Nusz, and I thought it would be timely to chat with you a little bit today about building legacy – and the reason it is timely is that we just got through another Super Bowl weekend, and that was what Tom Brady was doing – building legacy (and really solidifying it!).
Now, I’m not a fan of either the New England Patriots or the L.A. Rams. I’m coming at you today from the Pacific Northwest where we are generally Seattle Seahawks Fans.But, I can’t help but respect the achievements of Tom Brady. Here we have a quarterback that went from being drafted in the 6th round of the NFL Draft in the year 2000 (late – by the way) to the quarterback that is arguably the best in the league and possibly the best ever. And I’m not even a Tom Brady guy! But I have a healthy respect for what he’s accomplished in his 19 years in the NFL. He has built himself quite a legacy (Most Super Bowl Wins: 6, Most Super Bowl Appearances: 9, etc.). His legacy is one that will be remembered for years and likely for generations to come.
So – football and Tom Brady are my segue into Building Legacy and Legacy Preservation. When you’ve worked hard and you’ve built your legacy – whatever it is – you want to protect it so that it can live on after you’ve gone.
Areas Where we Build Legacy
How do we do that? Well, there are a number of ways. I can’t begin to list them all, and I don’t even know what all of them are. You each have your own idea what your legacy is, and how it was built.
Part of your legacy is likely made up of human traits. These are traits that you have brought to the table – core principles that you may have had passed down to you, and that you have shaped to your own liking.
Part of the legacy may be intellectual. You may have knowledge or ideas that you want to preserve and pass down. You may have accomplished this by building a business, or establishing a patent. Whichever way you have formed and harnessed this intelligence, you want to protect it and pass to along.
Similarly, you may have social aspects to your legacy. This could be part of the relationships you have or the family that has grown up around you. This may be your part in your community and what you do to give back.
Finally, the last part of your legacy that I’ll mention is the financial aspect of a lasting legacy. This is made up of your collective assets whether it be in the form of real estate, a business, or the investments and retirement accounts that you have. While it may not be the most important part of your legacy – it is this financial part of your legacy that will allow you to protect and preserve your legacy into the future.
Unfortunately, we can’t all set records that will be in the books for decades like Tom Brady has now done. But, we can take steps to build our own legacies, and preserve our legacy well into the future and well past the days when we are here to build and build some more.
These legacy aspects are what people want to preserve. The best way to do that is to think about your estate plan, and ask yourself the question “what do I want my Legacy to be?” “What can I do now that will ensure that my legacy is preserved and extended into future generations?”
I’m Estate Planner Mark Nusz at Westward LAW.
If you would like to connect so that we can discuss your legacy and how Westward LAW can help you build or preserve it, please call us at (360) 899-5468 or book a meeting by clicking the button:
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