Legacy Arts is dedicated to the journey of developing a great legacy and passing on non-financial assets (such as beliefs, values & wisdom). It is produced by Paragon Road, the leader in meaning legacy planning.
By Laura A. Roser
Note from the Editor
Great Hope for the World
Several weeks ago, I was speaking with a friend who said he believed our world was doomed—politically, environmentally, morally, and in almost every way possible. Although I can understand his point of view, I strongly disagree. Our world is full of kind, good, competent people who will propel us into a better future. I have the opportunity to speak with them every day. If you look at the trends, you will see some very encouraging developments from advancements in science to increases in philanthropic giving.
In this issue of Legacy Arts, we feature some of these legacy-making people. Gail McGovern, the CEO of the American Red Cross, for example, told me about how humbled and grateful she feels to witness the courage and resiliency of survivors of disasters. Brad Hewitt, the CEO of Thrivent Financial (a nonprofit credit union with more than $100 billion in assets), spends his time focusing on a mission of love and generosity. Dr. Joanne Conroy, CEO of Lahey Hospital & Medical Center and Founder of Women of Impact, aims to transform the health care industry by empowering patients.
We also feature individuals who are following their path, charting their own legacy, and helping people as they go along. Steve Le wrote a brilliant article about his experience traveling around the country and holding dinner parties in people’s homes— many of them started out as strangers. The love and warmth he has felt has been overwhelming. Shawn Barberis has created a software to help HNWIs with transferring their most-important assets (their values, principles, vision) along with their money. Relationship advisor, Alison Lessard assists people in coming to terms with their destructive patterns and building authentic connections. And Krishna Pendyala, CEO of ChoiceLadder Institute, offers insight into how our small choices make up our minutes, hours, days, weeks, and years. His simple, yet effective, models for making decisions help his clients avoid regret and create a legacy they will be proud of.
My feature article, The Family Paradox, is about how to gain wisdom and cultivate a family legacy of love, loyalty and joy despite dysfunctions and the sometimes unbearable irritation of dealing with everyone’s character flaws.
It’s been an absolute pleasure to head this magazine. We have such a wonderful team. Their creativity and devotion to the mission is quite remarkable. I feel so fortunate to be in the legacy design industry and have the opportunity to speak with so many kind-hearted individuals that are doing tremendous good in the world. And whenever I find my mind veering off in a negative direction—national debt, entitlement, declining morals, etc.—I remind myself of the words of Margaret Meade, “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.”
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by Laura A. Roser
CEO and Founder of Paragon Road
#1 Expert in Meaning Legacy Planning
