27 Aug 2026 Living like Dolly
“Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.”
It is rare these days that a well known person passes away and the immediate response is widespread adoration. However, that was certainly the case for Dolly Parton, who passed away this week. You could likely count on one hand the number of non-politicians that the American flag will be flown at half-staff for and that the Buckingham Palace guards pay tribute to (if you need a Friday morning bop).
An entire Brief of just her quotes over the years would be far greater than anything I could pen, but I think there are a few small financial planning nuggets that can be taken away from a life seemingly lived so well.
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”
So much of our financial planning process is designed to help clients slow down and focus on their goals and desires for their financial future. You’d be surprised how often our conversations revolve around “not knowing” someone’s goals for their money. It is easy to see why: life is chaotic and busy and is ever changing. Making a living is important, but figuring out what you want in life and planning for it is a far greater step.
“If you see someone without a smile today, give ‘em yours.”
“I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life. I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain. These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious pieces of good in the world.”
Many people associate Dolly with her music, movie performances, or even her amusement park. However, across the board, it seems that everyone that came in contact with her remarks about how genuinely kind she was. She had all the money you could ever need, but always took the time to notice those around her and to focus on the positives in life. In our society, it is easy to see life as a rat race or competition, but at the end of the day, relationships and connections matter the most, and those can be supported through kindness and focusing on the little things.
“If I’m remembered 100 years from now, I hope it will be not for looks but for books.”
“The seeds of dreams are often found in books, and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
As an office of people that love to read, it would be impossible to mention Dolly Parton without bringing up generosity and the Imagination Library. What started as a local program for one county in Tennessee has grown to a program that has gifted over 330 million books. At a time when much ink has been spilled on the death of pleasure reading or the decline in literacy, through Dolly’s Imagination Library books are being shared with children for free.
Charitable giving is one of the items we at Beacon love to talk about and advocate for. While there are of course direct tax benefits (especially in 2026), the bigger focus can be on looking for organizations you want to support and seeing tangible needs being met over time. Dolly started the Imagination Library to honor her father who was never able to learn to read. She may not have been able to help him learn to read, but as the old Greek Proverb goes “a society grows great when old men (women) plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” Through generational giving and thoughtfulness, she has helped many children learn how to read and to enjoy it.
One final financial planning item we can take from Dolly is to consider taking time for estate planning, specifically your end of life desires. Dolly’s family shared a video and talked through a few of her final wishes. It is never fun to start that conversation, but it can be rewarding to do so to lay out what you want it to look like when you pass. This may look like a video, a letter, a picture, or just starting a conversation with your family. We have resources that we can point you to that can assist in that process when you are ready.
While it is hard when anyone passes, it can be a good time to stop and reflect on the story of someone’s life. Coming from a poor family with 11 siblings in a one-room cabin in Tennessee, I imagine it was impossible for Dolly to imagine what her life would look like when she grew up. But that never stopped her from being kind to those around her, deciding what she wanted out of life, and ultimately being generous with what she had.
I leave you with one last Dolly quote that I imagine most of us can relate to: “Every single diet I ever fell off of was because of potatoes and gravy of some sort.”
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