"Take what you have and do something great with it"

When Jesse and Lindsay Keeler married in 2013, the couple made two very important decisions. Wedding colors — royal purple, of course — and how to combine their future financial interests into one estate plan.

"The process of combining my life with my wife's got me thinking about what kind of legacy I wanted to leave," Jesse Keeler said.

The biggest surprise came when his neighbor in Phoenix, Arizona, sat down to help prepare the couple's estate plan and revealed that he, like Keeler, was a graduate of Kansas State University.

"All those great memories from K-State came flooding back," Keeler said. "I thought I could go ahead and give a little back, and this seemed like a good way to do it."

Planting a seed for future growth
By designating a percentage of his total estate value, Keeler won't have to revisit his gift, but can let it grow over time as his estate value expands.

"If you have something you care about, spell it out in your will and determine where you want your assets and hard work to go," he said. "Hopefully, you've magnified that money over time, and now it can go to magnify someone else's life."

Although estate planning isn't always the foremost priority for young alumni, Keeler considered it a natural next step. It's something he wanted to do eventually, so he decided to go ahead and put the plan in place.

"Estate planning can be a really positive opportunity to talk about what we want to do with what we have and what kind of legacy we want to leave," he said. "Take what you have and do something great with it."

Plan your legacy
It's never too early to plan your estate! Request your Personal Estate Planning Course by contacting your Gift Planning team at 785-775-2000 or giftoptions@ksufoundation.org.