Ethical Wills: Putting Your Values on Paper

by Barry K. Baines

Book Overview

As evidenced in the Terri Schiavo case that made national headlines, having a living will is an essential element in ensuring that the way in which you would like to spend your last days will be respected. It informs both family and doctors of your medical treatment preferences in specific situations. An ethical will is a complementary text that communicates personal values, beliefs, blessings, and advice to relatives and to future generations. It...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738210552
• ISBN13: 9780738210551
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Great idea for a family tradition

This is a great introduction to ethical wills. They sound really mysterious but it's a great concept -- writing a letter to the future -- that's a really valuable gift for a family. And it's a really useful process for the writer. It can give you a whole different perspective on how valuable your experiences are.

They May Be Needed More Than You Think

Most wills are legal documents. They discuss how to split up the physical assets you have accumulated over the years. For the most part this comes down to money, perhaps a few treasured possessions, a house/car/boat, and so on. A second legal document is a living will. It is a document that directs decision makers if you are no longer capable of making decisions on your own. Perhaps the most famous such situation in recent memory was that of Terri Schiavo. In the absense of a living will, the courts said that her husband was the one legally in charge of making these decisions. As you probably remember, her parents held different opinions, but in the long run the husband was in control. An Ethical Will, on the other hand, is not a legal document but a letter you might write to your family to express the values you hold dear. It's a document that explains how you think, perhaps why you think that way. This little book explains Ethical Wills, gives some excellent examples, and explains why you might want one.

Great Overview of Ethical Wills

Ethical Wills: Putting Your Values on Paper provides a terrific introduction to ethical wills, with historical background, specific guidelines for writing an ethical will, and a variety of samples. With its reader-friendly tone and clear suggestions, Ethical Wills makes a useful handbook for anyone interested in creating such a document. I especially appreciated the sample wills to show a range of approaches.This book was a great help to me when I started writing ethical wills. As a member of the Association of Personal Historians, I help others record their own ethical wills and family stories. I keep this book in my professional library and recommend it often.My only beef? It's too short! I wanted more samples and more history. Guess I'll have to wait for Dr. Baines' next book.

Excellent guide to ethical wills.

I found this to be a wonderful guide to ethical wills. As a video biographer I often find that clients wish to speak about their values and beliefs, and tell their loved ones how important they are. This book enabled me to aid my clients with this aspect. The time spent on values is often one of the most touching and commented on parts of the final video. I found out about this book through the Association of Personal Historians, as a member of this group the author has contributed greatly to our knowledge in this area.

A Written Legacy

As the creator of a product ... designed specifically for assisting in writing an ethical will, I share the same mission as Dr. Baines. In our world of materialistic accumulation, this book helps an individual realize that the most valuable thing that can be left to heirs is a "love letter." It is heart touching to read the samples of ethical wills which Dr. Baines shares with his readers; especially emotional is the one that the author's own father wrote when he knew he was dying. The book shows that creating a written legacy is a treasure from one's heart, an intangible gift, and can be done by anyone whether rich or poor.