Customer Reviews

Wear Clean Underwear!: A Fast, Fun, Friendly and Essential Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book definitely lacks substance. The title and description lead you to believe you're getting a full picture of estate planning for your kids. If that's what you're looking for, this isn't the book for you.

Positives of the book:
- It scares you in to taking action immediately. The stories are heart wrenching, and caused me to put guardianship papers in place the next day.
- Points you towards resources (Family Planning Attorneys & websites to create free legal documents).
- Talks about ways to leave a legacy (i.e. writing letters/recording CDs to your kids in case something happens to you)
- It's a quick read - I'm a mother to a 7-month old and the book only took me 1 hour to read, for which I was grateful!

Negatives:
- The book doesn't give any actual information about estate planning beyond saying you should meet with a lawyer to draft documents.
- The book reads like an advertisement for Family Planning Attorneys (I'm not sure, but it feels like this is a group with some kind of affiliation to the author). I agree that an important topic like caring for your children once you're gone is one that should be handled by an expert, but the book doesn't give any further options besides this specific type of attorney.
- The stories are repetitive - it reads like a "Choose your own adventure" book, which means that a lot of the content is repeated word-for-word.

One more thing that annoyed me is that all the online resources given in the book are created by the author and her company, so if you want different opinions about the topic, you won't get it from the websites.

Incidentally, we did request a meeting with a Family Planning Attorney to see if they could help us. Although the website said someone would contact us in 72-hours, we haven't heard anything in over a week.

Now, I'm not a lawyer. Nor do I play one on TV.

I am, however, a parent who has two daughters she loves more than life itself.

You know what? Sometimes love is not enough. We can't just hug our kids and play with them and go to the beach and read books and do all that fun stuff we love to do.

We have to work to provide. We have to house, clothe, feed, and protect our children. One sphere where we've got to do this -- and one, quite frankly, that I suck at -- is in the legal arena.

That's why when the opportunity to read a review copy of Wear Clean Underwear: A Fast, Fun, Friendly and Essential Guide to Legal Planning For Busy Parents came up, I jumped at it. This is an area I don't know much about, and I wanted to fill the gaps in my knowledge.

Author Alexis Martin Neely delivered -- and then some. She brought up questions I'd never even thought about: what happens if the people you appoint as your kids guardians die? what happens if the guardian you appoint really doesn't want to be the guardian after all? what happens if you have people fighting over your kids? what happens if your kids are left without much in the way of financial resources when you step off this mortal coil?

Neely gets you thinking, first and foremost, and that's critical. Much of what you will read here is the same advice you'll find in estate planning guides -- but rendered comprehensible, in easy to read language. I understood this book -- I didn't feel stupid or poorly educated, trying to figure out what legal terms meant. Neely asks the questions we're all terrified to ask.

There's a choose your own adventure feel to the book: If you decide to do X, go to page 55 and see what happens. I liked this. The choices presented were straightforward: you're going to do X or Y, here's the consequences of both. Are the choices exhaustive? No, but she hit the most common ones, and I'd bet they'd answer 95% of most readers questions.

Neely also wins big bonus points for being cultural aware. Frankly, a lot of guides like this (and I've read a ton of the financial ones and I ghostwrite for Long Term Care insurance professionals) ignore the fact that we don't all live in heteronormative families. We're not all Mommy, Daddy, and 2.2 kids. Sometimes there's Mommy and Mommy. Sometimes there's just Dad. Sometimes there's Mom and Dad and Stepmom and Stepdad and the girlfriend no one talks about. Neely acknowledges this, respects this, and provides at least a starting point for those of us with non-traditional families -- and the assurance that the legal system can work for us too, if we're smart and proactive about it.

This book really brings to life questions that are never really asked out loud. You can bet my husband and I will be sitting down to have a heart to heart regarding the hard truths as to what would we do should the unthinkable happen. Thank you for providing some valuable insight into the options available.

I was a little skeptical reading it at first, thinking that it might be too heavy of a topic and filled with too much legal jargon, but I should have known better from the fun title, WearCleanUnderwear! This is a MUST read - quick, intelligent and to-the-point. Alexis sheds graphic light about the necessity of family wealth planning - in a down-to-earth, understandable way. The three parables were enlightening, even for those of us who have worked with her tools and system. She writes her stories elegantly, making them interesting and with options to skip around. I like the way the book folds into itself making it an easy and straightforward read. It is certainly a call-to-action.

Neely uses stories in a friendly non-confronting manner, to help parents face some of the difficult situations that could unroll in life. The scenarios demonstrate the level of detail that parents should and can plan for well in advance, so that their kids do not become victims of the accidents and chances of life. The book is fast reading and fun. Alexis also teaches you how to plan for family wealth for future generations. The book is a must read for parents with young children, and it also serves as a vital guide for parents with adult children, who wish to leave a meaningful and beneficial legacy for their families.

The book assumes US laws and these may not be correct for other countries. Nevertheless it raises universal questions that many parents might not have considered and should follow up with respect to the laws in their own countries.

I haven't read the book in its entirity yet but just reading the first of three possible scenarios, this book really helps push you over the edge to get your legal matters taken care of ASAP. I highly recommend it for new, busy parents. It is crucial to make sure your kids are taken care of in the hopefully unlikely event of a parent's death. And this book gives some great pointers on making sure you do it the right way. It will not spell out everything though and you will still need to see an attorney to get your wishes into legal documents. Bottom-line: this book will give you the tools to know what you want for your children so you don't feel completely lost or like you wasted money seeing an attorney without knowing what you want or need. Read it!

My "mom-to-be" gift has always been "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" - until now. I will definitely be adding "Wear Clean Underwear" to my gift pack!

Alexis Neeley uses real-life scenarios to help understand the importance of planning for our children's future without us. No one wants to think about it, but unfortunately there is a real possibility that our children could be left without parents - and at a young age. Even a child of 15 could be caught up in the throes of legal red tape in the event of a true family emergency.

The book is thorough and heartfelt. It made me cry, but it also made me think - and PLAN.

Estate planning is no longer for old men in dark law offices. Neeley has brought it into the 21st Century, arming everyone with knowledge and empowering them to make safe, intelligent choices for their children.

This is a must-read for everyone, but especially women. We diaper them, feed them, and teach them to walk and talk. It is selfish for us not to provide for not only their safety, but especially their emotional health at a time when they may be so alone and so vulnerable.

What a terrific Mother's day gift for all of the moms and soon-to-be moms in your life.

Wow! Wear Clean Underwear: A Fast, Fun Friendly--and Essential--Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents lives up to its name. It's fast, fun, friendly - and absolutely essential information every parent needs to know. Although my son is grown, there are still elements I can put into place, and as a parent of two precious young ones of his own, you better believe I'm getting a copy of this book for him - and for my nieces and nephews who all have young families. This is a must read for all parents!

Book arrived on time, in excellent condition. Wear Clean Underwear is an excellent guide and motivator to family financial planning.

Length:: 1:02 Mins

Outstanding book! This book was recommended to me by another financial planner. After reading it, I now give a copy to each of my financial planning clients. It is written in very easy to understand stories that captivate the reader while educating him or her. This book is not intended to replace a professional attorney, but it should be read before meeting with one (I do not think the one negative reviewer understood this). As a parent, I highly recommend this book to other parents.