The Living Trust Advisor: Everything You Need to Know About Your Living Trust [Hardcover]

Jeffrey L. Condon ESQ (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470261188 | ISBN-13: 978-0470261187 | Publication Date: October 6, 2008 | Edition: 1

Praise for The Living Trust Advisor

"The Living Trust Advisor is a necessary survival guide in the inheritance arena for every American in these turbulent economic times."
--Congressman Thaddeus McCotter

"Living trusts can be the most important part of an estate plan-saving time and money by reducing or eliminating estate taxes and by avoiding probate. For all those who have or are considering a living trust, The Living Trust Advisor is an invaluable source and an essential tool for any estate plan. Your beneficiaries will thank you."
--Angelique M. Neal,

former attorney with the IRS,

Office of Chief Counsel, Los Angeles

"In The Living Trust Advisor Jeffrey Condon not only shows how to make the baffling world of trusts work for the average person, but gives invaluable advice on navigating the complex web of family emotions that inevitably come to the surface in estate planning. His expert advice and guidance should be on the bookshelf of anyone who needs more than just a basic will."
--Brian J. O'Connor,

Personal Finance Editor, The Detroit News

"Jeffrey Condon bonds with the reader on a level that encourages our complete trust in his trust instructions. In this book, he wisely walks readers through all of the pitfalls, tax implications, changes that may occur, and subsequent legal implications. The Living Trust Advisor is a fine and entertaining read as well as an indispensable resource for everyone in need of advice and compassion in making a will or a trust."
--Grady Harp,

Reviewer for Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powells, Reuters, USA Today, and Blogging Authors, Author of War Songs, and contributor of essays to museum catalogues

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Many of us spend a lifetime building wealth and accumulating assets, but fail to properly plan how all of this will be passed on once we are gone. And while dealing with complex financial issues such as inheritance and estate taxes forces us to face our own mortality, making these difficult decisions is something we all need to do.

Living trust attorney and bestselling author Jeffrey Condon is extremely familiar with these types of situations and understands the importance of a living trust in an increasingly uncertain world. Now, with The Living Trust Advisor, he skillfully discusses the various aspects of this document and details how it can provide a seamless transfer of assets to your spouse, children, and other beneficiaries after you are gone.

Written in a straightforward and accessible style—and peppered with Condon's trademark humor—The Living Trust Advisor puts the living trust in perspective and walks you through the four life phases associated with it. Page by page, this practical guide will help you:

• Address the numerous issues that should be considered before first meeting with a living trust lawyer and other key players in this arena

• Establish and manage your living trust over the course of your life as well as prepare it to carry out your financial wishes once you and your spouse have passed on

• Identify potential inheritance problems now, so you can build solutions into your living trust before it's too late

• Distribute living trust assets to future generations and protect those assets once the transfer is complete

• And much more

Throughout the book, Condon provides you with real-world examples that illustrate key points or clarify particular concepts. While many of these examples are drawn from Condon's professional relationship with clients, some anecdotes are associated with his personal experiences in this field.

If you've picked up this book, then you're probably thinking about putting together a living trust. Or, perhaps you already have a living trust and you're looking to revisit it. Whatever your reasons, this reliable resource contains the straightforward advice and practical insights you need to create and maintain a living trust that will ensure your final financial wishes are carried out in full.

From the Back Cover

Praise for The Living Trust Advisor

"The Living Trust Advisor is a necessary survival guide in the inheritance arena for every American in these turbulent economic times."
—Congressman Thaddeus McCotter

"Living trusts can be the most important part of an estate plan–saving time and money by reducing or eliminating estate taxes and by avoiding probate. For all those who have or are considering a living trust, The Living Trust Advisor is an invaluable source and an essential tool for any estate plan. Your beneficiaries will thank you."
—Angelique M. Neal,

former attorney with the IRS,

Office of Chief Counsel, Los Angeles

"In The Living Trust Advisor Jeffrey Condon not only shows how to make the baffling world of trusts work for the average person, but gives invaluable advice on navigating the complex web of family emotions that inevitably come to the surface in estate planning. His expert advice and guidance should be on the bookshelf of anyone who needs more than just a basic will."
—Brian J. O'Connor,

Personal Finance Editor, The Detroit News

"Jeffrey Condon bonds with the reader on a level that encourages our complete trust in his trust instructions. In this book, he wisely walks readers through all of the pitfalls, tax implications, changes that may occur, and subsequent legal implications. The Living Trust Advisor is a fine and entertaining read as well as an indispensable resource for everyone in need of advice and compassion in making a will or a trust."
—Grady Harp,

Reviewer for Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powells, Reuters, USA Today, and Blogging Authors, Author of War Songs, and contributor of essays to museum catalogues

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 258 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470261188
• ISBN-13: 978-0470261187
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 9.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could be titled 'Legalese for Dummies'!, October 1, 2008

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Living Trust Advisor: Everything You Need to Know About Your Living Trust (Hardcover)

Jeffrey Condon has accomplished what to the layperson has always seemed impossible - writing a book about a legal document that doesn't stumble over the rocks and crevices of legalese! In THE LIVING TRUST ADVISOR rest assured we have found a friend, an intelligent and sensitive attorney/author who radiates good will, humor, honest caring, and the ability to explain the intricacies of establishing and maintaining an important legal document. That is not to say this is a book to skim lightly: there is so much well organized information here that it takes time to absorb the importance of each helpful step Condon explains. But instead of burying the reader with information of the bloated importance of the attorney's role in arriving at a means to protect those we leave behind, Condon instead lays it all out in basic terms, adjusts our thinking to ask questions that are pertinent to us, and takes us step by step through all phases of writing or rather establishing a Living Trust, living with the decisions stipulated in that Trust while both partners drawing the Trust are alive as well as when one partner is deceased, and ultimately knowing how the Trust will be executed after the death of both partners. Peace of mind is what the Trust is all about and Condon wisely walks us through all the pitfalls, tax implications, changes that may occur and their legal implications - all of the nasty little stumbling blocks that usually color discussions of legal issues - all in the tone of an ally and friend and coach and master teacher. Would that every legal document we all face could be so user friendly! In the end Jeffrey Condon bonds with the reader on a level that encourages our complete trust in his Trust instructions! This is a fine and entertaining read as well as an indispensible resource for everyone in need of advice and compassion in making a Will or a Trust. Highly recommended reading. Grady Harp, October 08

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for Investment Advisors, October 27, 2008

By 

Casey Grigg - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Living Trust Advisor: Everything You Need to Know About Your Living Trust (Hardcover)

I am an investment advisor and was looking for a book to help me learn more about trusts and other legal structures. I learned more from this book than from several executive courses I have taken at local colleges in the past. I have also read many books on trusts and estate planning and this is one of the best I have read so far. Clearly written and effective use of examples. I keep it on my desk for quick reference now. A good investment for financial professionals.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Understand Football You Can Understand Living Trusts, November 12, 2008

By 

Emory Daniels (Westland, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Living Trust Advisor: Everything You Need to Know About Your Living Trust (Hardcover)

My wife and I needed a Living Trust because we are parents of a Special Needs child (now an adult) and went to see an advisor who specialized in trusts for Special Needs families. It was one of the best moves we made.

But to make sure, and to get a "second opinion" as it were, I decided to pick up a book on the subject and see what another expert had to say on the subject. I found a book by Jeffrey Condon, a bestselling author and attorney who is an expert on Living Trusts. In addition, he has a brother who is a Special Needs adult and has helped other families write up trusts with these special needs requirements.

While reading The Living Trust Advisor, I really came to appreciate the author's sense of humor but soon came to realize that he is a caring individual sensitive enough to understand human needs as well as having a solid grasp of the law. The author takes his reader, step by step, through the process of creating a Living Trust. He warns of the pitfalls, raises red flags along the way, and stresses those areas that require special attention. I found him to be especially insightful when warning about how siblings may squabble after both parents die and in advising what to do when remarrying after a divorce. Condon likens the process of drawing up a Living Trust to the four quarters of a football game and organizes his book the same way - into four quarters. And functioning as an author and attorney, Condon becomes a Living Trust Coach to guide you through all four quarters.
The Living Trust Advisor: Everything You Need to Know About Your Living Trust
I enjoyed Condon's humor, insights and war stories so much that I almost forgot why I picked up his book in the first place. I put the book down feeling our financial advisor and attorney had done the right thing for us years back. Anyone who has not yet secured their family's financial future with a Living Trust would do well to read The Living Trust Advisor by Jeffrey Condon before making an appointment with their attorney or financial advisor.
By Emory Daniels