Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Wills And Estates

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As a development officer for a prep school, I was looking for a book that would give me a birds-eye view of issues involved with estate planning. Steve Maples The Complete Idiots Guide to Wills and Estates does this masterfully. And, to my relief, in plain English. Impressive for an attorney thats taught and practiced for the over 25 years!

In very easy-to-read language, Maple thoroughly lays out the whole terrain of estate planningfrom having a will to ways to save on current taxes and issues to consider in caring for aging parents. Going beyond mere explanation, hes packed this book with helpful forms and lists to get the reader started in their own estate planning. I picked up this book to help me with my conversations with donors but I ended up sitting down with an attorney to work on my own plan!

Maple groups his 24 chapters into five sections:

Part 1: Assets, Assets, Assets
Part 2: About Wills, Trusts. . . and Probate
Part 3: All in the Familyand Just a Little Beyond
Part 4: Taxes You Must Pay, and Those Maybe You Dont
Part 5: Retirement, Elder Issues, and the Broad Planning Picture

The structure of The Complete Idiots Guide to Wills and Estates makes it a great book for busy professionals. Its very easy to read in short chunks of time. And its not just for the beginner. Although its now somewhat dated, Maple gives some pretty technical examinations of taxes and IRS regulations. For readers that way find themselves losing interest during the dryer technical sections there are tips, quotes, and anecdotal information interspersed throughout. As a development professional, I was particularly glad for Chapter 18 How Charitable Donations Can Save You Money. Im trying to figure out how I could make this chapter required reading for prospective donors.

More than any planned giving seminar Ive attended, and for a lot less money, The Complete Idiots Guide to Wills and Estates has helped me see estate planning from the donors perspective. I highly recommend this book.

Excellent source of information for anyone who doesn't have a clue where to start. Easy to read and packed with hints. Motivating little scenarios to keep those of us who have been procrastinating in motion. Both my husband (who this was all new to) and myself (with a background in accounting) found it to be useful.

I'm a big fan of the idiot's guides since they are always clear and easy to follow. The authors do an excellent job of explaining complex terms and concepts so even an ordinary person can understand the reasons behind drafting a will. After reading this book, you'll see that you'll want to do everything you can so that you do not find yourself "intestate" -- then the state fights over what belongs to whom. Although it's difficult to think about dying, it's even worse to think about having all your money thrown to taxes or tied up in court as relatives fight. Prevent this ugly mess by learning the basics of wills and estates. I should add that this book goes well beyond the basics -- even a millionaire could learn a few good tips from this excellent book.

My husand and I just wanted to put together a living will and health care directive and at this point just need something fairly simple. This book is easy to understand, yet comprehensive.

We just had a child and needed to do some simple estate planning and my goal was to be able to go to a lawyer and have a real dialog.

The book did a good job of preparing me for that situation and it did so very quickly. It helped me know which questions to ask even if some of the information in the book the lawyer did not agree with.

So for me, for my purpose it was great.

Have not had a chance to read cover to cover yet, but it looks very well written and organized so far, so that any normal person can absorb and understand. Wish this was the required text for my class. No doubt it will probably fill in the gaps that my real text missed, since this book seems more grounded in reality, than textbook theory. It may not help me on the test, thought I'm sure it will; but I'm sure it will help me in real life.