Baby Boomers Are Reinventing Death - But Not Always Their Estate Plans

I recently came across a marketing campaign for a product called the “Eternal Playlist Urn.” It’s exactly what it sounds like (an urn with a built-in speaker that plays a personalized Spotify playlist based on your music taste.) So, you “listen” to your favorite music for eternity. 

It’s clever. It’s a little absurd. And it’s surprisingly on point.

Because it reflects something real: people (especially Baby Boomers) are rethinking what death looks like.

For a generation that challenged norms around work, lifestyle, and identity, it’s not surprising that they’re now doing the same with death and legacy. The traditional model (think somber funeral, standard burial, quiet remembrance) is giving way to something much more personalized.

And in some cases, much more creative.

There are “green burials,” where the body is returned to the earth without embalming or vaults. There are mushroom-infused burial suits designed to accelerate decomposition and “give back” to the ecosystem. Water-based cremation is gaining traction as a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cremation (I’d never even heard of this before researching this article). Some people choose to have their ashes turned into diamonds or blown into glass art. Others are opting for memorial forests, where their remains help nourish a tree. The old forms that say either: 1. Burial, or 2. Cremation need to be updated…

Even funeral services themselves are evolving. Traditional ceremonies are more and more replaced with “celebrations of life,” complete with curated playlists, personal storytelling, and settings that feel more like gatherings than rituals. In a way, the idea behind the Spotify urn isn’t so far off, it’s just an extension of a broader shift toward personalization.

At a high level, all of this reflects a common theme:

People want their final chapter to reflect who they are.

They want it to be intentional. Personal. Aligned with their values.

And that instinct (to take control and shape the outcome) is exactly the right one.

But here’s where things get interesting.

While many people are putting real thought into how they’re remembered, far fewer are applying that same level of intentionality to how their assets actually pass.

And that’s where estate planning comes in.

Because no matter how creative or personalized the “front-end” of the plan is (the burial, the ceremony, the symbolism) the “back-end” is still governed by a fairly rigid set of rules.

Retirement accounts pass by beneficiary designation. Not by your trust. Not by your will. The form on file with the custodian controls. Joint accounts pass automatically to the surviving owner. If nothing is in place, state law steps in and decides who gets what.

In other words, there is a structure. A hierarchy. A set of default outcomes that will apply whether you’ve thought about them or not.

And this is where we often see disconnects. Someone has a beautifully thought-out plan for their memorial, but their IRA beneficiary designation hasn’t been updated in 15 years.

A trust is carefully drafted, but key assets never make it into the plan. A client assumes everything will “just flow through the trust,” when in reality, certain assets bypass it entirely.

None of this is intentional. It’s just a mismatch between where attention is being focused and where the real leverage is. The irony is that the same mindset driving these new approaches to death, the desire for control, personalization, and alignment, is exactly what leads to a strong estate plan when applied fully.

It’s not about complexity. It’s about coordination. Making sure beneficiary designations align with the overall plan. Making sure trusts are used where they add value. Making sure the structure matches the intent.

Because at the end of the day, legacy operates on two levels. There’s the emotional and symbolic side—how you’re remembered, how your life is celebrated, what story gets told. And then there’s the practical side, how assets are transferred, who is in control, and what actually happens behind the scenes.

So if you’re thinking about your “afterlife playlist,” or whether you’d prefer a mushroom suit over a traditional burial, that’s great. It means you’re engaging with the idea of legacy in a thoughtful way. Just make sure that the rest of the plan, the part that actually moves the pieces, is keeping up.

Because in the end, it’s not just about how the story ends. It’s about how everything that follows is set up to work.