An ethical will is a document designed to pass ethical values from one generation to the next. It's designed for a person to write down what moral and life lessons are important to them so that they can be passed down through generations of their family. If you are interested in crafting an ethical will, follow the tips below for what you should and shouldn't include:

• If your will is intended for multiple recipients and no single specific person, then it's a good idea to craft either an open-ended letter or a first-person essay that touches on your life experiences and your own moral standards. You can include how to handle certain situations and your position on various moral dilemmas.
• An ethical will is not necessarily something you have to write down all in one sitting, or even over a couple of weeks. It can be a work in progress that you update and tweak as you live. You can make it a journal of sorts and offer moral advice based on your own experiences as you live them.
• Be sure that your ethical will doesn't attempt to force your political opinions or religious beliefs on those who read it. Instead, you want to state to future generations what has been meaningful in your life and what your hopes are dreams are for your children and grandchildren. Impart your life experiences and life lessons, but don't attempt to air out any old grievances with friends or family members that could start a firestorm of controversy from the grave.
• Make your ethical will short and succinct. You don't want a 40-page document that is going to be unfocused and intimidating to read. A one or two-page document that succinctly sums up what you think is important in life is what you should aim for.

Unlike a legal will, an ethical will doesn't pass any of your possessions along to others. Instead, it passes along your values. An ethical will should be viewed as a sort of farewell letter that offers some insight into who you are/were as a person and what is important and meaningful to you.