Estate Planning Awareness Month: Building legacies, protecting futures

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WITHOUT INTENTIONAL PLANNING, families lose homes, businesses, and hard-earned wealth that could have been preserved for generations.

by Aimee D. Griffin 

For New Pittsburgh Courier

Every October, we observe Estate Planning Awareness Month—a time to shine a light on the importance of protecting families, preserving wealth, and planning for the future. Estate planning is not just about preparing documents. It is about aligning your values with your valuables and ensuring that what you build in your lifetime continues to strengthen your family and community for generations to come.

At Life & Legacy Counselors, our vision is to serve as a premier global network of professionals committed to supporting the creation, protection, and transfer of wealth. We recognize that true legacy building goes beyond the accumulation of assets; it is about passing forward stability, values, and opportunity. Guided by this vision, our mission is to educate, collaborate, and strategically plan with individuals, families, businesses, and communities so they can build multigenerational wealth. This mission fuels our daily work, reminding us that every plan we design carries the potential to change the trajectory of a family’s future.

Why Estate Planning Matters in Our  Community

For far too many families, planning for the future is delayed until it is too late. Studies show that more than 60 percent of Americans do not have a will or trust. Among African Americans, the percentage is even higher. Without intentional planning, families lose homes, businesses, and hard-earned wealth that could have been preserved for generations.

In the Black community especially, the absence of estate planning has contributed to the devastating loss of property, businesses, and financial security. Estate planning interrupts this cycle by ensuring that what has been built is not only preserved but expanded. It transforms personal achievement into a collective legacy.

What We’re Doing  This Month

During Estate Planning Awareness Month, Life & Legacy Counselors is working to bring knowledge and tools directly to the community through educational webinars and workshops that simplify complex concepts, private Legacy Strategy Sessions for families ready to take action, and collaborations with churches, civic groups, and professional organizations that extend our reach. These efforts reflect our commitment to making estate planning accessible, understandable, and achievable for everyone—not just the wealthy.

A Call to Action

This October, I encourage every family to take three critical steps:

Start the Conversation —Talk openly about your wishes and your family’s future.

Work with Trusted Professionals—Online forms cannot replace the wisdom of advisors who know your values and your goals.

Review Regularly—As life changes, so should your estate plan.

Estate planning is not about death—it is about life, love, and the future we choose to create. It is about leaving more than memories; it is about leaving direction, protection, and peace of mind.

At Life & Legacy Counselors, our vision and mission remind us daily that estate planning is not an event but a journey—a journey that allows families to pass forward not only wealth but also wisdom, strength, and hope. This Estate Planning Awareness Month, let us commit to turning our values into action and our hard work into legacies that endure.

Without intentional planning, families lose homes, businesses, and hard-earned wealth that could have been preserved for generations.

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