Who should I share my Letter of Wishes with after I write it?

All adult children. Your spouse. Key advisors. Trustees. Kris Kluver, in The Dysfunctional Family Office, lists this exact distribution at the end of the Letter of Wishes template. The point of sharing during your lifetime is the entire reason the Letter exists. Adult kids should be able to read it, ask questions about it, and respond to it while you're still alive to clarify what you meant. Spouses already know the content because they helped write it. Key advisors and trustees need it because they will be making decisions in alignment with the document after you're gone. The template also notes that the document is not legally binding. It articulates values and intentions, and it should not contradict your will, trust, or estate plan. Most founders write the Letter and then quietly file it without sharing. The unshared Letter has almost no value. The point is the conversation it produces while you're still here to have it.