Beyond the Grave revised edition: The Right Way and the Wrong Way of Leaving Money To Your Children (and Others) (Paperback)

by Gerald M. Condon (Author) "Some attorneys are in the business of helping you accumulate money and property I am in the business of transferring your lifetime of accumulations to..." (more)
Key Phrases: needier child, inheritance plan, inheritance instructions, Living Trust, Protection Trust, Transparent Trust (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Almost all books on estate planning explain how to maximize inheritance, minimize taxes, avoid probate, set up trusts, etc. The Condons, father and son lawyers, do this, too, but what they also do is consider the psychological and emotional aspects of leaving and inheriting money. Presenting more scenarios than a season full of made-for-television movies, the Condons cover such possibilities as "protecting" the inheritance from one's child's spouse, preventing squabbles over inherited property, selecting trustees or guardians, avoiding disputes between second spouses and children of one's first marriage, leaving money for pets, etc. With good sense, humor, and authority, the authors provide a thorough look at inheritance planning with an eye toward maintaining good, stable family relations well after the estate has been settled. David Rouse --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"[Beyond the Grave] aims to show how proper estate planning leaves your family secure -- not at war." -- --Los Angeles Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Revised edition (June 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060936312
• ISBN-13: 978-0060936310
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,101 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It changed my mind, and I changed my will, July 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond the Grave: The Right Way and the Wrong Way of Leaving Money to Your Children (And Others) (And Other) (Paperback)

The first rule of estate planning might be: Don't ever die. The second rule: If you can't follow the first rule, plan ahead. If you have wealth that will be around longer than you are, spend some serious time thinking about who's going to get it when you go.

I am a professional money manager and the subject of inheritance planning is something I deal with every day. But "Beyond the Grave" opened my eyes to some potential problems and solutions that I hadn't thought of. And after some soul-searching, the book prompted me to change the way I will leave my own estate to my family.

I love the way the authors filled their book not with legal jargon but with stories of their clients. Some did things the right way, others made mistakes. But the lawyers learned from every case, and thanks to this book, I learned too.

Any parent who's disappointed at a son or daughter could take delight in the story called "Our Rotten Children" in which a couple accomplished their own goals - and some of their children's goals - in a most unexpected way. The two married sons and a daughter seemed to be waiting around for their parents to die so they could collect sizeable inheritances from the parents' $30 million real estate empire.

The parents devised a clever inheritance plan to force their chronically unemployed offspring to "get a life." Without spoiling the story I can relate that one result showed up almost immediately: the two daughters-in-law filed for divorce, figuring that - if there was no seven- or eight-figure inheritance in their future - they had little reason to stick with their ne'er-do-well husbands.

The authors repeatedly demonstrate the merits of what I think could be called "smart generosity" to children and grandchildren. In anecdote after anecdote, they show the benefits of treating siblings equally and of thinking ahead of time about how to preserve not only assets but family relationships and harmony as well.

If you have wealth to leave, I can almost guarantee you'll find an interesting idea or two in this book that you haven't thought about. If your parents haven't talked to you about their own plan, you might consider giving them a copy of "Beyond the Grave."

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading if you're doing an estate plan, September 16, 2003

By	C. MACPHAIL "cmacphail3" (Solana Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book gets you thinking about all the pitfalls in deciding who you should leave your money to, and with what stipulations. How do you avoid the mistakes other people have made?

I have read about 9 estate planning books and talked to one attorney. This book gave me crucial advice that I did not find anywhere else. The stories and advice changed my mind about what I will do, because I have learned from the dozens of situations Mr. Condon experienced over the years.

The book is not a masterpiece. And you may need one or two other books to round out your knowledge. However, it is clearly written, well organized, and rather entertaining.

I give it 4-1/2 stars, and suggest it as required reading for anyone creating a will.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop *thinking* you're doing it right, KNOW you are: buy it, August 7, 2002

By	Shawn Kresal (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The advice dispensed in this book is some of the most valuable I have ever read. I thought I knew what I was doing and told myself I would use this book to "double check" myself. What I learned two chapters in showed that I was making classic mistakes that would pit others against each other and dissolve relationships. Although the book is meticulous in its detail only some of the situations would apply to any one person, but still 5 stars because the info is of such a high caliber. Highest recommendation.