Customer Reviews

Best Intentions

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Almost all books on estate planning explain how to minimize taxes and avoid probate. Colleen Barney and Victoria Collins take a totally different approach focusing on the emotional aspects of leaving money. Using compelling real life stories and letters, the authors focus on what fairness really means, passing values, wisdom, goals, ideals and life's lessons in a meaningful way, preventing fights after your death, who are the "right" people to choose as trustees and more importantly as guardians, sweating the small stuff like passing personal effects and dealing with the always sticky situation of second marriages. With a great deal of emotion, the authors take a very non-technical, understandable and realistic look at the personal side of estate planning with the goal of ensuring that your best intentions are realized after the estate has been settled.

An excellent book -- the best I've ever read on the subject. As a financial advisor I can't recommend it enough. Most find estate planning confusing. This book is not confusing. It's an easy read. Each simple, short, touching story illustrates a different problem that can arise by not doing good estate planning. It will make you think about your own situation with more clarity than was possible before. This book could be called Chicken Soup For Your Legacy.

This is the first book I have actually seen on estate planning that was actually interesting. The stories and letters are captivating. I found myself drawn into the next one without even knowing it. By the time I had finished the book I felt like I not only learned a fair amount about estate planning, but that I also learned a lot about myself. I found myself thinking about what I really wanted to pass on to my heirs (and not so much thinking about the money). Kudos to these great authors.

Wow what a great book. I never knew there were so many different scenarios that could play out after a person has made their will. I like how this book explained people's feelings and how a person may read something into the will that the person who created the will didn't mean. I now understand why I need to give careful consideration to how I plan my will and why I choose to do the things I'll do. I will be sure to explain the reasons I choose to do what I am doing so no one will be left with questions.

I never thought I would read an estate planning book, let alone recommend one. A friend recommended I read the book. He told me that the book was a unique perspective on estate planning. He was right on the mark. The stories and letters were captivating. I actually read the whole book over one weekend -- I just didn't want to stop. I would recommend that anyone who cares about someone read this book and use the lessons from it to design an estate plan that is meaningful -- not just about passing money, but about passing valuable life messages.

Best Intentions is the most refreshing take on estate planning I have ever seen. The authors use of stories and letters of real people are compelling - and easy to read. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. I saw so many of my own friends and relatives in these stories. This is the first estate planning book that actually made me think about what it is I truly want to accomplish through my estate plan, rather than on simply how to save taxes. I hope this is just one of many books to come from these authors.

What a refreshing and interesting take on what normally is a boring topic (estate planning). Once I started reading all of the stories and letters, I just couldn't put the book down. Not only was the book interesting and easy to read, but it is the first time I actually understood what it really means to plan my estate - it isn't just about the money, it is about passing on the values and ideas that I cherish.

Using real stories, the author tried to tell you just a will may not be enough. You have to think, plan carefully before writing a will to make sure it is what you want to do with your leftover.

The stories show you a lot you never thought of. Worth reading for everyone.

This is a great book for anyone in the financial services industry or for those specializing in estate planning. These are real world cases that illuminate the need for proper planning by a qualified professional. This is also a great book if you are planning your own estate or you find yourself thrown into managing an estate for parents or loved ones. I can't say enough good things about this book or its authors.

I enjoyed the book, Best Intentions, and have given copies to several friends. It includes real-life examples that are easy to understand and addresses hard to face issues well. For those of us 'Baby Boomers' who do have the best of intentions for loved ones we will someday leave behind, it is a good way to start the dialogue and plans for the inevitable.