As an entrepreneur, I often think about my legacy. I created an ethical will to share my values with my kids.

"It's not a financial document, but an ancient tradition in which a matriarch or patriarch passes their knowledge to future generations. I spent two years writing the document, which I hoped to eventually share with my three kids. I included a bit of family history, like the fact that my grandfather used to write the nightlife column for a Baltimore newspaper, highlighting the local jazz clubs. I talked about my own values and our family's relationship with education."

"Then, when I was in my early 50s, my daughter Cara died unexpectedly in her sleep. She had cancer, but her prognosis was great. Unfortunately, she had a fatal reaction to her chemotherapy. Losing Cara was bone-crushingly painful. I was in a terrible state. Then I stumbled upon my ethical will and thought, "I used to know that guy." I could see the values and beliefs of the man I was before Cara's death."

Eric Becker founded and co-chairs Cresset and is a father of three. He spent two years composing an ethical will, an ancient nonfinancial tradition for passing knowledge to future generations, including family history, values, and views on education. In his early 50s his daughter Cara died unexpectedly after a fatal reaction to chemotherapy despite a good prognosis. Confronted with profound grief, he rediscovered the ethical will and recognized his pre-loss values and beliefs, which aided his recovery. Family entrepreneurship runs through his family: a grandfather involved in jazz columns and a long-running Santa business later continued by Becker and his brother.

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