The writer to the Hebrews (most think it was Paul) warned, “…people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” That ought to get our attention, don’t you think?

Personally, I’d rather be in the crowd Paul was describing when he wrote to the Thessalonians, “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever.”

But whatever the Lord chooses for my final day, I want to be ready by following wise King Solomon’s advice from Proverbs: “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children.”

Deuteronomy adds, “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

The scriptures teach us a lot about leaving a legacy.

Our words, our choices, and what we build while we live affects those we will leave behind when we go to be with the Lord. And a true legacy is passing on a spiritual inheritance—godly character, wisdom, and faith—to future generations as well as our material wealth.

One of our Servant Solutions members, Dr. Rolland Daniels, has written a wonderful little book to share with his sons and their children the legacy he received from his parents. (By the way, his wife Ellen is a beloved member of our Servant Solutions team. Together they are passing along this legacy of faith and wisdom to their sons and their families.) I encourage you to check out Legacy Maker: Live a Life That Matters on Amazon. After reading it myself, I immediately ordered more copies to share with my family.

Your Servant Solutions Account Will Also Leave a Legacy

You have worked hard, saved regularly, and invested wisely to grow your retirement account. And I hope you’ve learned that our team is always ready to help you do that well. The goal is always to have enough to meet your needs, to answer God’s prompting for giving and serving on into your retirement years, and to have something left to bless those you love when He calls you home.

But what about that “something left?” If you are married, your account balance will pass to your surviving spouse unless the two of you agree and specify otherwise. But what if your spouse dies first? Or what if you are single? In all these situations, it’s best to have an up-to-date Beneficiary Form in your file here at Servant Solutions.

Using our form to name specific beneficiaries generally keeps the account out of probate and court supervision, allowing the funds to pass directly to whomever you name. That saves both time and money. And surviving spouses can choose to leave funds here where they continue growing tax-deferred until they take distributions, if that best fits their needs.

You should also name contingent beneficiaries, those that stand “next in line” to receive your funds if the first one has also passed. Not sure if your form does this? Contact us to see if your Beneficiary Form is up-to-date. We’re happy to help.

You Can’t Take It With You

How about closing with one more scripture, this one from our Lord himself?

“And he (Jesus) told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” – Luke 12:16-21

Dr. Jerry Fox serves as our Director of Financial Planning. He leads our financial planning initiatives as well as engaging with new/current members to meet their financial education needs.

Jerry recently retired as a business professor and teacher of financial planning at Anderson University’s Falls School of Business. Over more than forty years of service and teaching at AU, he has held the roles of Director of the Annual Fund, Director of Global Business Studies (leading student groups to study with government and business leaders in over twenty countries), interim chair of the Business Department, and Chair of the University Faculty. Jerry often says that he accepted all of these other assignments just so that he could be on campus to teach the Personal Financial Planning course each semester. He sincerely enjoys helping members find fiscal peace and clarity through our Financial Roadmap process.