Teach kids about wills with a stewardship mindset, annual audits & legacy letters, and use our Sharing is Caring resource to teach kids about intentional giving
When it comes to discussing the topics of death and wills, people often find it feels taboo.
In South Africa, more than 70% of people pass away without having a will in place, meaning that the state decides who should inherit what, and distributes a person’s estate according to South Africa’s Intestate Succession Act, rather than the deceased person’s personal wishes. Not great.
For a mini millionaire, however, death is the ultimate lesson in stewardship.
Learning about wills is about moving past the sad emotions and scary legalities to focus on what matters: responsibility, reflection, and values.
We’re breaking down the mindset, the habits, and tips to help your child understand that true wealth isn't just about what you own, but about how well you manage it for the future.
We are merely caretakers of our treasures.
Instead of viewing possessions and money as something that will always belong to us, teach your mini millionaire that they are the managers and caretakers of their resources.
Ownership attitudes tend to be all about “here, now, and mine”, whereas stewardship takes a longer-term, less self-interested perspective.
See, a will isn't simply a death document. It’s actually a roadmap for generosity and kindness.
By shifting the focus from what one can get to how one can help, you remove the element of greed from the equation, replacing it with a sense of duty to the people and causes they love.
Takeaway: Legacy comes with the responsibility of being a good manager.
The Annual Audit.
People tend to change over time.
What matters to us changes, our intentions shift, and even our priorities look different.
That’s why doing an annual audit of your child’s most prized possessions is so important.
You can ask them: "If you weren't using this anymore, who is the person you’d most trust to take care of it?"
This normalises the conversation around passing things on and prevents the topic of wills from feeling like a once-in-a-lifetime scary event, but turns planning into a standard life skill they can lean on when they’re older.
Takeaway: Regular reflection makes even heavy topics like inheritance feel like a normal part of a well-organised life.
Words are worth more than gold.
A will is often just a list of stuff, and can be pretty void of feelings or emotion.
But a Legacy Letter is about values. Have your child choose one item they love and write a short note to a friend or sibling explaining why they would want them to have it one day.
This links material items to emotional value and personal stories, teaching them that the meaning behind the gift is the true inheritance.
Takeaway: Use stories to connect physical objects to the values you want your children to carry forward.
A further note on Wills:
Most South African banks offer free wills to their clients (they will then be the executor for your estate when you pass away and earn their fees then). There are also a variety of alternative platforms like Capital Legacy, SmartWill, and LegalWills where you can get your will set up.
This week’s free, downloadable resource, Sharing is Caring, turns the concept of stewardship into a hands-on mission.
Since many of us have more than we need, this activity helps kids identify their abundance and choose one specific item to pass on.
It’s designed to move them from thinking about giving to actually giving. It prompts them to pick something they have more than enough of (like clothing, books, toys, and even money), then they decide who they will give that extra thing to, and when they’ll actually give it.
By filling out this plan, your mini millionaire practices the exact muscle needed for future estate planning: the joy of intentional giving.
Download it, print it out, and get giving.
