Change Makers

How to create a will and leave a legacy

Learn how to create or update your will today using a free online tool. Leave a legacy to help protect your loved ones and help vulnerable families too.

The year 2020 has shown us once again that the future is unpredictable. It’s good to have faith that everything will work out, but it’s also important to plan for the future, even the worst-case scenarios. That’s why it’s important for you to create a will — not just for you, but as a way to extend love and care to family and friends.

Creating a will is more than a legal process. It’s a way to help others and leave a legacy. Now is the time to stop postponing and either write a will for the first time or update an older one. If the worst-case scenario happens and you die without a will, as Dave Ramsey says, “the government steps in to settle things for you.”

Take charge for yourself and your loved ones. You can access an online tool to create or update your will for free, thanks to World Vision’s paid partnership with FreeWill. And it should take you less than 20 minutes.

A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children …—Proverbs 13:22 (NIV)

Create a will in a few simple steps

Before you begin writing your will, think about the people and causes you care about the most. Who do you want to protect and care for even after you’re gone? Your legacy can also make a difference in the lives of children and families around the world when you select World Vision as a charity.

FreeWill guides you through the process:

  • Will and documented wishes: Think about your belongings, savings, and real estate. Name guardians for your children and choose an executor for your will.
  • Advance healthcare directive: Write down clear instructions for your end-of-life care to help eliminate uncertainty for your loved ones.
  • Financial power of attorney: Who do you trust to handle matters for you?
  • Stock gifts: Identify what stocks you own and who or what organizations you want to pass those along to.
  • Qualified charitable distributions: Select a charity like World Vision to make a difference in the lives of children and families around the world.
A family stands outside their home in front of lush trees.
When you create a will today, you can leave a legacy to help protect your loved ones and help vulnerable families — like that of Alejandro (right) and Gloria in Honduras — provide for their kids and their future. (©2019 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)

Leave a legacy by giving to a charity in your will

As you go through the easy steps at FreeWill, you’ll have the option to include World Vision as a charity.

What better legacy could I leave?—Katy, World Vision donor

Just as you want to protect those you leave behind, at World Vision, we want to protect vulnerable children and help their families build a promising future. With over 70 years of experience, we serve alongside the poor and the oppressed in nearly 100 countries. We equip parents to provide for their kids. And, we empower communities to create lasting change by tackling poverty at its roots. Our integrated work includes water, healthcare, education, child protection, and income generation, so every child can grow into who God created them to be.

You can leave a legacy — not just for your own loved ones, but for families around the world.

Are you a resident of California? See your options for creating a free revocable living trust.

As one of our donors, Katy, says, “What better legacy could I leave than to have some of what was left at the end of my life go to places that can do so much with it?”

Learn more about World Vision’s Planned Giving and how to share your legacy with vulnerable children.

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.—Proverbs 22:9 (NIV)

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