Denis Clifford (1939–2023)

The topic is something everyone of a certain age needs to consider. If you have any real estate or investments that should be transferred to your heirs upon your demise, this book is a clear, easy-to-understand survey of the topic. It is a hard subject to force oneself to think about, because it means planning for a time when you will not be around. But your loved ones probably will be, and they will be glad you thought of this. This is revision 4 of the book, so the information is show more up-to-date. I got this book just before taking a class on Living Trusts, so it was and is very a propos.

I'm working my way through the book's recommendations. We will likely consult a lawyer for some of our estate planning, but this book provides enough of an introduction to the topic that we will not need to spend our money on a lawyer's time for him to educate us about what our options are, and what basic terms like "probate" mean.

Recommended to get the reader "up to speed" on the terms, concepts, and basis for estate planning. show less

This book is precisely as advertised – a simple to read, well organized primer on the basic elements of an estate plan.
Each chapter begins with a short overview of the topic to be covered – beneficiaries, children, and wills for example. The language is relatively simple, yet not patronizing.
Within each topic, more concise subheadings introduce a short discussion of that subtopic. None of these are very long, ranging from a single paragraph to a couple of pages. Specialized related show more topics are discussed in highlighted boxes. Resources for further information – usually Nolo products - are also lined out.
Nolo’s underlying philosophy is that consumers usually don’t need attorneys. Instead, through fill-in-the-blank forms and checklists (offered, of course, by Nolo online, for a fee), the consumer is told repeatedly that an attorney is unnecessary for “most” estate plan situations. From time to time, the author will opine that a reader with a certain type of problem or needing a specialized kind of legal document needs to see an attorney.
I’m a huge fan of demystifying the law. I believe that legalese isn’t necessary (and that some attorneys use it to appear learned), and that most people can represent themselves or draw up a simple will.
On the other hand, law is full of pitfalls, even for those of us who passed the bar exam. A consumer who fails to study this very carefully may make a problem, rather than solve one. A concern for me is that I don’t believe that the information in this book is always sufficient for a consumer to *identify* an issue that could be problematic.
Otherwise, I have only one little quibble with the content. That was the author’s failure to even mention the existence, let along the effect, of Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDROs) on the distribution of retirement funds post-divorce.

[Full disclosure - I am an attorney. One of the things I really liked about this volume was that it covers the same topics as a first-year law student’s probate class, vastly simplified. I’d forgotten how much ground gets covered!] show less

I classify NOLO's legal books in two broad categories: broad and shallow vs. narrow and deep. Purchasers of this book, as its title should indicate, will get a broad and shallow, "basic" introduction to estate planning. I don't hesitate to recommend this book to someone starting out in total ignorance who is thinking about estate planning. However, this book is not designed, nor is it intended, to allow someone to establish a well ordered estate. It is more of a broad outline useful for show more establishing relevant concepts and vocabulary. To properly set up your estate, you'll either need to consult with a professional in the field, and/or purchase some of NOLO's other "narrow and deep" works on related subjects (e.g., 8 Ways to Avoid Probate). I think that after reading this work, someone wishing to consult with a professional should be able to converse with some clarity as to what is desired.

This fairly slim book (well, around 200 pages is slim for me, especially considering the topic) is organized clearly and written in a straight forward manner. The single brief appendix, gives six, fairly short examples of estate plans. These plans tie things together and are nice leaping off points for exploring more specific goals (again, by consulting with a professional or via further research). This is a useful work, but don't consider it a stand-alone reference. This book really is about "estate planning BASICS." show less

I have to confess, I wasn't exactly thrilled when this showed up in my mailbox as my most recent LibraryThing Early Reviewer book, but I realized that everyone should own a book like this. The subject is one most people don't want to deal with, and most people are blown away when faced with the technicalities and legal aspects of death. I found this book to be well organized and not filled with too much legal-speak. And the fact that it is VERY current, is the most important aspect of the show more book.

(Now I want to go back to getting NOVELS from LibraryThing so I don't have to think about DEATH anymore...) show less