"Patti Spencer has learned everything there is to know on this subject and has written down a good bit of it in this book. This is a tremendous help to individuals as they try to sort out their estate and tax planning needs." - Matthew J. Creme, Jr. Partner at Nikolaus & Hohenadel LLP, Former President of the PA Bar Association "When it comes to estate planning and tax law, there's simply no one better than Patti Spencer. She demystifies estate planning in a way that is accessible for all. Known for her no nonsense style and humor, this book is a must-have for anyone making their estate plans or just trying to understand the process." - Samuel Bressi, President & CEO of Lancaster County Community Foundation "I have read Patti Spencer's newspaper column on a weekly basis for several years now, and never tire of learning more about estate planning and tax law. Patti manages to take complicated issues and reduce them to their simplest form." - David Griffith, Former Business Editor at Intelligencer Journal We don't intend to neglect our estate and financial plans, but it is so easy to be overwhelmed with conflicting financial advice. Your Estate Matters will bring clarity to those pesky, rapidly changing tax laws and will provide you with the accurate information you need to properly manage your estate. Your Estate Matters offers a practical down-to-earth approach that explains the ins and outs of estate planning, tax savings, and other issues that directly affect your family's pocketbook: income tax, living wills, trusts, prenuptial agreements, college savings, and retirement planning. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, are ready to plan your own estate, have aging parents, or have recently retired, this is the book you need to read.

You will be introduced to these new approaches in our informative and comprehensive new book Estate Planning for What Matters Most: Pass on Your Wisdom and Priceless Moments. This book goes far deeper than most guides to estate planning, while still introducing new ways of thinking about your legacy in an easy-to-understand and readable fashion.If you are not 100% sure you have put the right plans in place to fully protect your assets and autonomy while addressing the needs of your modern family, this book is for you.

What happens to your estate after you are gone is very much within your control. Estate planning is not only for the wealthy; it is for everyone. It is simply the process of deciding where your assets are to be distributed after your death. For those people who wish to preserve their assets for designated purposes such as family or special charities it becomes necessary to make special advance preparations. Your estate plan should also allow for the possibility of your own disability. It should detail what you own and whom you want to leave it to at a time of your choosing and the way you want. Your estate plan should include fully disclosed, controlled costs for you and your loved ones. The last thing you want to worry about is having your estate drained of value through taxes and legal costs. The right plan can protect the value of your estate and spare your loved ones unnecessary hassles and legal conflicts. The Complete Guide to Planning Your Estate in New York will help you glide through this complicated process. This new book has been adapted to offer New York residents state-specific advice for estate planning. Co-authors Margo Pierce and Linda C. Ashar, attorneys at law, have crafted an estate planning primer, allowing New York residents to become more informed and more involved during the process. Many books on estate planning indicate you do not need the services of an attorney, but this book highly recommends using an attorney versed in this area: You should not go through the process alone. This book is intended explain the complicated issues, terminology, and planning strategies of estate planning so when you do meet with a qualified attorney, you will be well prepared. New York-specific information is offered throughout this book, including: New York's probate code; New York rules, regulations, and laws specific to estate planning; elements of a valid New York will; planning your living will in New York; explanations of New York laws regarding durable health care power of attorneys, do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, and directives to withhold CPR. Estate planning should be a positive experience. It involves reviewing your situation and planning for your future. Other books offer a non-state-specific overview of estate planning, causing many readers to be misinformed about rules and regulations particular to their state; but, this new book provides information New York residents need to know. Do not get outdated or wrong information that does not pertain to you specifically. Use this new book to craft an estate plan that is not only legally sound but also fully carries out your last wishes and protects your loved ones. Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company presidentâe(tm)s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.

This book provides concise, straightforward, and easy to read information about the major components of estate planning – without going into endless detail about arcane options that apply only to the wealthy. Topics include: Wills. Why you need one, how to make one, and when having just a will is enough. Living Trusts. When they’re useful, how they work, and whether you need a lawyer to make one. Young Beneficiaries. How to protect gifts you leave to young people to young people, by naming a responsible adult to manage the property until they come of age. Avoiding Probate. What is probate, why you might want to avoid it, and how to do it. Planning for Incapacity. Why you should make powers of attorney and health care directives to plan for a time when you cannot make decisions about your finances or your medical care. Best-selling Nolo author Denis Clifford uses plain English to make these estate planning issues easy to understand, and he lets you know which tasks you can handle yourself and when you’ll need a lawyer’s help.

What happens to your estate after you are gone is very much within your control. Estate planning is not only for the wealthy; it is for everyone. It is simply the process of deciding where your assets are to be distributed after your death. For those people who wish to preserve their assets for designated purposes such as family or special charities it becomes necessary to make special advance preparations. Your estate plan should also allow for the possibility of your own disability. It should detail what you own and whom you want to leave it to at a time of your choosing and the way you want. Your estate plan should include fully disclosed, controlled costs for you and your loved ones. The last thing you want to worry about is having your estate drained of value through taxes and legal costs. The right plan can protect the value of your estate and spare your loved ones unnecessary hassles and legal conflicts. The Complete Guide to Planning Your Estate in Massachusetts will help you glide through this complicated process. This new book has been adapted to offer Massachusetts residents state-specific advice for estate planning. Co-authors Margo Pierce and Linda C. Ashar, attorneys at law, have crafted an estate planning primer, allowing Massachusetts residents to become more informed and more involved during the process. Many books on estate planning indicate you do not need the services of an attorney, but this book highly recommends using an attorney versed in this area: You should not go through the process alone. This book is intended explain the complicated issues, terminology, and planning strategies of estate planning so when you do meet with a qualified attorney, you will be well prepared. Massachusetts-specific information is offered throughout this book, including: Massachusetts probate code; Massachusetts rules, regulations, and laws specific to estate planning; elements of a Massachusetts will; planning your living will in Massachusetts; explanations of Massachusetts laws regarding durable health care power of attorneys, do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, and directives to withhold CPR. Estate planning should be a positive experience. It involves reviewing your situation and planning for your future. Although few people want to think about the possibility of disability or disease, advance planning is also a way to show your love and to reduce potential distress later. Other books offer a non-state-specific overview of estate planning, causing many readers to be misinformed about rules and regulations particular to their state; but, this new book provides information Massachusetts residents need to know. Use this new book to craft an estate plan that is not only legally sound but also fully carries out your last wishes and protects your loved ones. Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company presidentâe(tm)s garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.

Let’s face it: you can't avoid death or taxes. But you can create an estate plan that will make both a whole lot easier for your loved ones and put you in control of how your assets will get passed to your heirs. Here, Wall Street Journal personal-finance reporter Rachel Emma Silverman walks you step-by-step through the process. Chock-full of clear and solid advice on how to get the most out of the main estate planning tools - including wills, trusts, life insurance, guardianship papers, and powers-of-attorney documents - the Wall Street Journal Complete Estate-Planning Guidebook will help make your estate-planning process as simple, smooth, and unintimidating as possible. This book will help you: · Clarify your estate-planning goals, such as dividing up property for heirs, reducing taxes or leaving money for charity · Understand the key estate-planning documents you’ll need, including wills, beneficiary-designation forms, powers-of-attorney and health-care advance directives · Decode the technical jargon that estate planners often use, so you feel comfortable discussing QTIPs and QPRTs when you sit down with your lawyer. · Reduce possible estate, gift or generation-skipping taxes and legal and probate fees – decreasing what goes to the tax man and increasing what goes to your heirs · Learn strategies to divide money and personal property among your heirs, and reduce the possibility of family fights · Discuss sensitive estate-planning issues with your family · Maintain your estate-plan over time, including how to store and when to update your documents With completely up-to-date information on how to navigate the new 2011 estate tax legislation, and thoughtful advice on how to handle your estate in complicated situations – like if you’re single, in a same-sex relationship, or wish to provide for children with special needs - this is the estae-planning guide for today’s messy and complicated world. One of the biggest estate planning mistakes people make, says Silverman, is waiting too long to start. Which is why the Wall Street Journal Complete Estate-Planning Guidebook isn’t just for those planning for retirement or their golden years. It’s for anyone, of any age, who wants the peace of mind of knowing that your wishes will be respected and your hard-earned money will get passed on as you would like.

Suze Orman's Financial Package is a systematic approach for organising your essential documents. The Financial Package is very different from any other product of this type, because Suze has included three CDs that actually include the forms and instructions to create your own advanced directive with durable power of attorney for health care, financial power of attorney, will, and a trust.

You can find estate planning books that focus on reducing taxes, and basic books that explain the necessary documents in simple terms, but no book deals with the complex issues that many Californians face when putting their estate plans together: Prop 13: keeping low property tax rates in the family Understanding community property and how it affects your plan Trump’s tax law: What’s effect on estate planning? international issues (such as people who want to make gifts to family members living abroad, non-citizen spouses, or naming international guardians) and blended and non-traditional families.