Funding a Legacy That Lasts

Legacy planning is about far more than financial inheritance — it's about preserving stories, sharing wisdom, and honouring identity. But just like other aspects of care, creating a meaningful legacy often comes with practical needs: time, support, technology, and occasionally, financial investment.

For individuals living with early-stage dementia, financial planning for legacy projects is a vital and empowering step. It ensures that their vision for what they leave behind — emotionally, spiritually, and practically — is both preserved and protected, without placing extra pressure on loved ones.

Using secure tools like Evaheld, families can record financial preferences, upload key documents, and manage the cost of legacy preservation in a way that reflects dignity, autonomy, and foresight.

Why Financial Planning for Legacy Projects Matters

Legacy preservation takes many forms: video storytelling, photo digitisation, memory books, family recipe collections, or even advance care directives.

These projects often require:

• Technology (e.g. cameras, scanners, or digital storage)
• Professional assistance (e.g. editing, transcription, or printing)
• Platform subscriptions or services
• Time from family, carers, or support professionals

When families don’t plan for these costs, legacy work is often rushed, incomplete, or placed on hold due to stress or financial burden.

According to Advance Care Planning Australia, clear financial planning results in better implementation of care and legacy wishes — and reduced conflict among family members.

What Legacy Projects Might Involve Financial Considerations?

Here are some common examples:

• Storytelling videos: Hiring someone to film, edit, and preserve key life stories
• Voice note libraries: Using secure tools like Evaheld to store and share voice reflections
• Photo albums: Digitising, captioning, and professionally printing collections
• Memory boxes: Curating keepsakes and family history with support from carers
• Cultural or spiritual projects: Creating documents, letters, or rituals for future generations
• Family Legacy Series-inspired guides, journals, or reflection tools

Small costs add up — and when budgeted in advance, they can be managed without compromising quality or meaning.

Integrating Legacy Projects into Financial Planning

When creating or updating a financial plan, consider the following legacy-related costs:

1. Technology & Digital Tools

Subscriptions, cloud storage, or equipment for capturing and storing content.

2. Professional Support

Editing, coaching, or design services for storytelling projects or printed legacies.

3. Platform Services

Secure storage and scheduling of content through tools like the Evaheld Legacy Vault, which includes privacy controls and recipient access options.

4. Printing & Materials

Books, photo albums, recipe collections, or letters printed for future gifting.

5. Facilitation Support

Costs for home care staff, doulas, therapists, or other facilitators to help complete legacy work compassionately.

6. Legal and Estate Planning

Fees for updating wills, nominating power of attorneys, or aligning financial structures with legacy goals.

These items can be built into broader financial or estate planning to ensure alignment with the individual’s values and goals.

Steps for Financially Preparing a Legacy Plan

Step 1: Define Your Legacy Vision

What does the person want to preserve — and how? A recorded family history? Letters for future birthdays? Music that meant something special? Defining scope helps estimate cost.

Step 2: Involve a Trusted Advisor or POA

Engage a financial adviser or the nominated power of attorney to assist with planning, access, and budgeting.

Step 3: Use a Legacy Planning Platform

Evaheld provides a secure place to capture and manage both emotional and logistical aspects of legacy. It can also track costs and allow shared access.

Step 4: Set a Dedicated Legacy Budget

Consider allocating a specific amount from savings or estate planning to complete legacy projects. This can reduce guilt or hesitation in accessing small but important resources.

Step 5: Review Regularly

As dementia progresses, revisit your legacy goals and budget. Family circumstances or care costs may shift — the plan should evolve with them.

Role of the Sandwich Generation

For the sandwich generation, managing financial decisions for a parent with dementia can be emotionally and administratively complex. Planning early helps avoid unexpected costs and ensures that legacy work isn’t left unfinished due to burnout or budget constraints.

Platforms like Evaheld allow shared access, delegated tasks, and scheduled content — ensuring coordination across siblings, carers, and decision-makers.

Resources such as Nurse Info can also guide families on managing carer-related expenses and legal responsibilities.

Combining Legacy and Advance Care Planning

A complete plan includes both emotional and medical clarity. Alongside budgeting for legacy, families should ensure documents like:

• Advance health directives
• Appointment of power of attorney
• Digital access instructions
• Funeral or spiritual planning notes

These items can be stored in the Evaheld Legacy Vault, ensuring everything is accessible and connected in one place.

Reducing Anxiety Through Clarity

Knowing that memory preservation is funded, structured, and in progress offers significant peace of mind — not only to the person living with dementia, but also to their family.

The Evaheld Blog features insights from families who’ve successfully budgeted for legacy work, highlighting how structure leads to empowerment, not pressure.