Customer Reviews

Seasons of Decision : A Practical Guide to Making Life's Financial and Legal Decisions

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Here's just what I needed - a comprehenseive, accessible resource to help me navigate the financial and legal questions surrounding the major life changes we all face - financing education, marriage/divorce, starting a business, providing for grandchildren and many more. Seasons of Decision avoids technical jargon and mind-numbing detail. If you want to know what questions you need to ask, and how to get help answering them, the information is here at your fingertips. It will make you feel comfortable that you aren't missing something big and important - and you can use those sections you need when you need them. The book is written in easy to understand, lay terms; my first read took just over two hours, cover to cover. It's a good resource for talking with my son who is buying his first house, or my financial planner who is helping me invest for retirement.

Written in direct, conversational language, this guide helps readers from the least to most knowledgable (in fields of law and finance) plan how to manage their resources from college through retirement and beyond. A cast of prototypes shares common "real-life" scenarios: first job, first marriage, first home, starting a family, divorce, retirement, estate planning, to show how the average citizen might build and protect savings throughout these stages of life. A helpful list of websites referring to insurance,investing, social security and more is included in an Appendix at the end. A straightforward read and most handy reference for all the seasons of your life.

I was inspired to get a copy of Seasons of Decision after reading Susan K. O'Brien's intriguing article, "Passion without Planning Is a Myth" (go to Jobfind.com and click on Career Connections). This is not a book that has all the answers - nor does it aspire to. What this little gem does is raise the legal and financial questions that are ever-changing as we progress through the life cycle. It cleverly points us in the direction of where to look for appropriate answers. As O'Brien says, "This book is really about strategic thinking." I found it to be that and much much more.