Customer Reviews

A Family Guide to Wills, Funerals, and Probate, Second Edition

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I'm glad I read this introductory book on the topic of estate planning "and more." I found it in the reference section of the Westfield Pubic Library (NJ) along with its companion book: The Executor's Handbook (ISBN: 0816044260). This book was written for a person who should write a will, and the companion book is written for someone who performs the work of an executor pursuant to a will.

The edition of the book I read was hardbound and very pretty. There was an index of terms in the back of the book. However, I would have liked it better if there had been a glossary of terms back there, too. Don't worry that the book doesn't have your state in its title. It is written so it is applicable to residents in all 50 states.

Most, if not all, the books I've read on estate planning are written for people with lots of assets. Larger estates usually required some "fancy footwork" in order to minimize estate taxes, and that fancy footwork is what estate planning authors typically describe in their books. This book is different. It is written for the little guy who needs to do some "estate planning" so his or her death does not create a hassle for his loved ones - and so his or her estate hopefully is not eaten up by legal and other fees. The book also covers some issues about planning so a small estate is not eaten alive by medical and nursing home expenses. Interestingly, most estate planning books don't cover funerals and planning them, but this one does. A very nice touch.

I think this book is something a person doing a simple job of planning for his death should read. Most books on this subject have "estate planning" in their title. The title to this book is different from most estate planning books because it's not about estate planning techniques per se, but instead is about why and how to do basic planning for the time when death arrives. I recommend that anyone who wants to learn about estate planning and to consult an attorney for estate planning advice read this book first. It will be time well spent.