Die Smart: 11 Mistakes That Cost Your Family Money When You Die: Probate, Power of Attorney, Living Trusts (And More)

I recently loss my father and am helping my mother work with the trusts, wills and financial accounts my father had set up for her. He did a great job but there were still so many details and questions we both had-- This book was my bible and in turn has helped me review what I currently have in place for my assets and estate planning. Great, great resource that helped me talk with my mom's financial advisors, attorney and trust department. Loved the checklists, glossary of terms and easy reference book formatting. A Must reference book for all of us who are helping parents with their estate planning and our own as well. Keep the information coming Kathy--would love a companion workbook and filing system. Love your site as well--[...]

Die $mart, tackles the question that all of us face at some point in time; how to leave the greatest amount of what you have worked for throughout your life to your loved ones when you leave this earth. Not the most pleasant thought but then, not everything about life need be pleasant. What is needed though is a plan, a plan as to how you can avoid given a large percentage of your net worth to the tax man and/or lawyers and administrative nightmares. The book is organized into ten major mistakes that you definitely want to avoid and at the end of each chapter, there's "bottom line" section that gives it to you straight - here's what it could cost you by not acting and, here are the main bullet points that the chapter covered. Speaking of the chapters, they are broad in scope. The most surprising dealt with the concept of long term assisted living. The numbers there are staggering. The author cites statistics that some 80% of the population will not die a sudden death, but instead a longer and slower death that has significant implications in terms of cost and legalities. "If only we had known" seems to be the reoccurring theme through this title - if only you had known that in most states a financial power of attorney does not permit language for you to manage health care to a loved one who has lost the ability to communicate. If only you had known that you needed a Health Care Power of Attorney document to give your loved one the authority to act on your behalf if you become incapacitated. If only you had known ... For a book of roughly 225 pages, there is a tremendous amount of material. From probate (the act of the state stepping in to "protect" your beneficiaries and debt holders upon your death and all the necessary fees associated with the process) to estate taxes (how much you owe Uncle Sam assuming your net worth is greater than your personal exemption amount), the depth and breath of coverage is quite remarkable. The book is quite readable by the layman even though it tackles difficult and very legal materials. A glossary is provided, along with step-by-step instructions and web site links to needed forms. The sum total of the approach enables you to take action and prevent unneeded costs and emotional pain if and when future events dictate. If I have one criticism, it would be that an index was not provided. I find indexes quite useful and the absence of that in, what was otherwise a well organized and presented book, an interesting omission to say the least. Maybe that will be corrected in a future edition. In summary, it is difficult enough to suffer the emotional and physical drain required to care for someone that is dear to you. The same is true of a loved one's death. Unfortunately, death is not an escapable event. There is nothing one can do about that event. In our normal day-to-day lives, we typically do not plan for death or incapacitation. If you read this book, however, that will change. It will both show and enabl

I won this book through Library Things Member Giveaway program. Not that I am planning to die any time soon I just thought it was a good book to try and win because it looked very helpful. I found the book filled with a lot of information. Some of the information was confusing yet helpful. To discover that even if you have a will doesn't guarantee your estate will be divided properly or that you will avoid probate court which would delay your beneficiaries from acquiring your assets. Die Smart has made me want to start talking to a lawyer about creating a will and trusts, etc. just to make sure that my beneficiaries earn the most out of my estate and retirement funds. This is a great book to read prior to going through the death of a family member. I have to say that when my mother died I knew none of this and my dad is still alive so my sister and I didn't have any involvement in her estate. Now I actually want to talk to my father about what he has done to see if he is prepared so that my sister and I don't have to go to court or delay thing with probate. I recommend Die Smart for a great reference book. Take it with you when you go to see a lawyer about your will or trusts, etc. Don't wait until it is too late and make it hard on your family.

This book is a must read for people of all ages. It is never too early to plan for death or incapacity. We should hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Don't leave the decisions to the courts. This book gives valuable information and is a valuable resource book.

As one who has gone through the probate/estate issues of a parent, I completely recommend Die Smart! Believe me everyone needs as much information concerning estate matters as possible, no matter how old you are. As the old saying goes, we are all just passing through and we should be prepared financially to prevent major mistakes in probate issues. NEVER , NEVER have property not divided with siblings .... this only causes heartache later. Also, a must to take with you to lawyers offices... to keep them honest.