Building a Family Legacy That Lasts with Jan Thompson

What does it mean to design a family legacy with intention? And how do you make sure that legacy is rooted in faith? 

Today, we’re talking about the legacy you’ll leave behind—and how to shape it while you still can. Jan Thompson joins us to share how you and your family can ensure your faith is reflected in what you leave behind.

Jan Thompson is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA®), and the co-founder of One Degree Advisors with over 30 years of experience in financial planning, where she specializes in purposeful financial planning, investment management, and multi-generational legacy coaching. 

Legacy Is More Than Money

When people hear the word “legacy,” most think of money or assets passed down after death. But that’s only one part. Here are five interconnected aspects of legacy:

1. Financial Legacy – Assets and resources passed on to the next generation.
2. Personal Legacy – Your character, life choices, and how you’ll be remembered.
3. Family Legacy – The stories, traditions, and values shared through generations.
4. Business or Ministry Legacy – The mission, culture, and influence of your work.
5. Kingdom Legacy – The eternal impact of your life through faith, generosity, and gospel-centered living.

When families neglect the non-financial elements, their wealth is often left without context, and that’s when legacies tend to fail. The legacy failure rate is alarmingly high when these pieces are missing.

Wisdom Before Wealth

The largest wealth transfer in history is currently underway, but statistics indicate that wealth rarely lasts beyond three generations. Why? Here are three reasons:

1. Lack of trust and communication.
2. Unprepared heirs.
3. Absence of shared values or a clear family vision.

Wealth is a valuable tool, but without wisdom and unity, it often leads to division. Psalm 78:5–7 provides a beautiful framework for legacy planning across generations:

“He established a testimony in Jacob… that they should teach them to their children, that the next generation might know them… so that they should set their hope in God…”

These verses highlight three keys to a lasting legacy: remember God’s works, share your stories, and live in obedience. Whether through blessings or mistakes, we encourage families to reflect on the ways God has been present in their journey and to discuss it openly.

Practical Tools and Resources

To help families start this process, you can join a weekly email list at SomewhereOnPurpose.com that will provide you with simple actions to take toward building a meaningful legacy.

Remember, legacy doesn’t build itself—intentional steps must be taken. And while many families delay because they don’t know where to start or feel too busy, procrastination is the “silent killer” of strong legacies.

Start today. Expose your family to serving others. Take a mission trip. Engage in a local service project. Let them see the joy of generosity firsthand.

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