We look forward to helping you preserve your history. We offer these general guidelines to help you decide which service most closely meets your needs. Each project is unique and we will work with you, within your budget, to come up with a project that satisfies your requirements.

Legacy letters:

A legacy letter is a document that preserves in writing information you want to share with loved ones or friends. The most common legacy letter is the ethical will. With roots in Jewish tradition dating back centuries, ethical wills have grown in popularity since the events of 9/11. An ethical will passes on to heirs your hopes and values in much the same way a legal will distributes possessions. A wonderful complement to a legal will, an ethical will ensures that your voice is heard, in your own words.

Legacy letters are not just last testaments, however. They are appropriate at other points in your life as well – the death of a close relative or friend, anniversaries, birthdays, weddings or any other occasion you wish to commemorate.

A basic legacy letter costs around $500, which includes planning, a short interview at a place of your choosing, writing/review/revision of the manuscript, a printed copy on acid-free paper, the interview tape plus all printed materials on a compact disc. Initial no-obligation consultations are free.

Family/Personal Histories:

This is perhaps the ultimate gift you can share with your family – the telling of your story. It’s also the most versatile product we offer. We can produce a full-fledged, several hundred pages long, hardbound record of your entire life, or something as short as a legacy letter, briefly detailing the highlights of your life. We can focus on a specific time period, or a specific event. You can have us do all the work, or you can do some of it yourself as we guide you through the process. It’s up to you. Whether you have a specific plan, or just want to brainstorm some ideas, remember that our initial no-obligation consultation is free. Depending on the scope of the project and the amount of work you’re willing to do on your own history, we can do a short history for around $1,000.

Corporate/organizational histories:

The process is similar to a personal or family history. If you would like to document the history of your small business, school, place of worship, historical society, hospital, museum or library, give us a call. Our initial no-obligation consultation is free.

Workshops:

We do workshops to teach people how to write their own ethical wills and histories. A typical workshop for 15-20 participants will run 2 hours and cost $25 a person, materials included. Prices are for workshops in Central Iowa. Additional mileage and expense charges apply to other locations. Please try to book workshops at least 30 days in advance.

Other history services:
Audio interviews (for oral histories, etc.)
Family holiday newsletters
Milestone books/letters: birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, graduations, weddings, and retirements.

General editing services:
Brochures/flyers
Web content
Media consulting
Investigation and research
Ghost writing
Writing/editing/proofreading
News releases/publicity

In addition to our services, we offer:
Translation services of up to 42 different languages through the Iowa Council for International Understanding.
Graphics design support through Jason Jasnos of jasonj.com.