Leaving an inheritance to secure your family’s future is important, but what if you could make an impact that goes further? "Your wealth can contribute to building a more equitable and supportive environment for the wider community. It’s time to explore ways to leave a mark beyond your immediate circle, creating ripples of positive change for generations to come.

Legacies are the new inheritance

Traditionally, leaving an inheritance has meant passing down a sum of money to family members to help them live comfortably and pursue opportunities. Some people choose to be more intentional, putting a clear purpose behind how they distribute their wealth. For example, you might use an insurance plan to leave a lump sum to future generations which can be used for education or starting a business – reflecting your belief in the power of opportunity and your desire to equip the next generation to realise their potential, uphold your values and write their own success stories.

While using your wealth to protect your loved ones’ future will always be a meaningful act of love and foresight, the concept of inheritance has evolved into something deeper. It’s about making a greater impact with your wealth by leaving a legacy, and that means not just about looking after your family but making a lasting difference for the world around you. It’s about the greater good.

Aligning your financial decisions with your values allows you to support the causes close to your heart, deepen your sense of purpose and experience the fulfilment that giving back brings.

Driving the world forward with your wealth

If you’ve already secured your family’s future through your legacy plans or if you don’t have children to whom you can pass on your success, you may be seeking ways to use your wealth to drive broader change at a new level. By putting conscience behind your capital, you can create a legacy that goes beyond provision. Here are three ways to leave an inspiring legacy that goes beyond your family.

1. Invest towards a greener world

As the effects of global warming worsen, resulting rising temperatures and sea levels and more frequent and intense weather events such as floods, hurricanes and forest fires, you might be looking for a meaningful way to create a more sustainable future for yourself and generations after you.

You can do this through climate-conscious investing. From green bonds and green Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) to Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) funds, there is a range of options for aligning your investment portfolio with your environmental values. For instance, Singlife gives you access to more than 70 funds inclusive of ESG funds in its investment-linked plan fund offerings and GROW with Singlife offers more than 130 ESG funds through its investment platform GROW.

Of course, performance still matters – and many green investments marry healthy returns on investment with meaningful returns on impact. In other words, your money can work for you and the planet. Whether you put your capital behind renewable energy, low-carbon transportation, eco-friendly developments or sustainable agriculture, you’re helping to power real change while building a future-focused portfolio.

2. Empower vulnerable communities

In a world where many still face systemic barriers, poverty and discrimination, your wealth can be channelled to uplift lives and create more inclusive, resilient communities. From supporting individuals with disabilities and the elderly to helping victims of domestic violence or those impacted by conflict and natural disasters, charitable giving can extend hope and opportunity where it’s needed most.

One powerful way to make an impact is through targeted philanthropy. Whether it's funding education programmes, healthcare access, clean water initiatives or grassroots organisations, your support can tackle root causes of inequality and help build stronger social foundations for future generations.

Your legacy of helping communities thrive can begin with a bequest in your will – this might be a fixed sum, a percentage of your estate or a residual gift after other obligations are fulfilled. You can also nominate charitable organisations as beneficiaries of your CPF savings, or go a step further by establishing a charitable trust to provide ongoing support for the causes you care about most.

Giving isn’t just about generosity – it’s about empowerment.

3. Support social enterprises

With social responsibility becoming increasingly important, there are many opportunities to chart a legacy of enabling positive transformations through your investments and business dealings.

By investing in social enterprises, you can support ventures that are built around a mission – whether it’s creating jobs for former convicts or the hearing-impaired, running food banks, or developing tech that expands access to healthcare and education. As an impact investor, your support helps these ventures grow, innovate and reach more people. And if you’re a business owner yourself, you can make a difference by integrating social enterprises into your supply chain. That could mean hiring a web design agency that trains and employs at-risk youth or catering your next event through a company staffed by individuals with disabilities.

To get started, platforms like the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise (raiSE) showcase a wide range of impactful businesses. You can also explore crowdfunding platforms that connect you directly with mission-driven ventures aligned with your values. With thoughtful investment, you can use your wealth can help build a more inclusive economy where doing good and doing well go hand in hand.

Conclusion

Your legacy doesn’t have to stop at providing for your loved ones – it can be a blueprint for a better world. By being intentional with your wealth, you can leave behind not just security but also hope, opportunity and a planet worth inheriting.

Whatever your values and beliefs, there are various ways to extend your impact beyond your lifetime – from sustainable investments and wills to strategic partnerships. So, if you’ve ever thought about doing more – about leaving something greater behind – this is your moment. Start shaping a legacy rooted impact. One that lives on through every life it touches.