Plan Your Estate

Great book for learning what should be included in an estate plan and all the decisions you have to make to have an effective estate plan. It will prepare you when you meet with your lawyer to ensure all your bases have been covered. There are many legal traps that only lawyers will recognize for your family. Every estate plan is unique.

I bought this to become more familiar with estate planning for the family. The book has much good information.However, a HUGE issue is that for many important points (MANY important points), the author provides only unhelpful phrases like, "this is different in different states" or "in most states ... " or "in some states... " without providing specific information for particular states - so the reader is left entirely in the dark about her/his particular state! How is the reader supposed to get this information if it's not in this book (which the reader obviously bought to get such information)? The book references a Nolo Press website -- but the missing information is NOT there. Other Nolo Press books (for example, Executor's Guide, and Trustee's Legal Companion) include wonderful appendixes that provide detailed information for each state, listed in alphabetical order. THIS book badly needs such an appendix where the state-specific (but currently missing) information can be provided!Also, the Nolo Press website should be updated to make it actually useful - or mention of it should be removed from the book.Additionally, it would help if the author consolidated his discussions of each topic into ONE part of the book rather than giving you "bits and pieces" of the topic here and there as you read from section to section to section. Or, at least provide cross-references to other relevant pages so the reader can see look for what else the book has to say about a given topic. I ended up making numerous notes in the book's margins by myself so I could see where else the author discusses a given topic. For example, "Adding property to your trust" first appears on page 155 ... and then, surprise, it also appears (in much greater detail) on page 444 - but you are completely unaware that the author has more to say about this topic until you have waded through the intervening nearly 300 pages!Another issue is that the author needs to address is places in the book where readers can easily get confused. For example, on page 152 he gives reasons why you may want to "Name the trust as the beneficiary to receive specified property after you die..." but on page 211, where he talks about doing the same thing with your retirement plan he says, "Usually, this is not a good idea." The difference is that the first section relates to "property" while the second relates to "retirement plans" --- this crucial difference should be pointed out to help avoid confusion.The index is nicely done, something that I very much appreciate. The author has taken the time to include many items that readers will find helpful when they use the book as a reference and need to look up specific topics (after, presumably, first reading the book cover to cover).

This is one of a few books I bought while beginning to make my estate plan. I use the book primarily as a reference work to consult as I plan my living trust and a will. Clifford has been writing on this topic for a long time so I have confidence that he has accurate knowledge of the various problems and solutions available. All except one, that is. He does not provide an accurate description of the options available to have a trust and will prepared professionally and is very accepting of the legal profession in recommending how the reader should find a lawyer. He does not even mention internet-based options for creating one's own will and/or trust, such as LegalZoom or Trust & Will. They are substantially cheaper than hiring the average T&E lawyer. I fear this information is omitted from the book because NOLO, formerly an independent company dedicated to helping the consumer, is now joined at the corporate hip with the sister company lawyers.com and AVVO.com, which are directory/referral websites for the legal profession. Some of these online options also compete with NOLO's own online product. In short, Clifford's book is good for familiarizing yourself with many of the issues you will come across, but is not sufficient to help you find cost-effective professional assistance.