As parents, we spend our lives caring and providing for our children. However, many of us lack the foresight to create a plan that will ensure our children are supported even after we are gone. Parents neglect to handle their estates and affairs during their lifetime and leave their grieving children drowning in paperwork and tough decisions. It is even more demanding and grueling for stepchildren and members of blending families to sort through these estates. As a member of a blended family himself, tax attorney Paul Hood has pooled his personal and professional knowledge to create this comprehensive guide to estate planning for blended families. In Yours, Mine & Ours, Hood offers real-world advice while cover crucial topics such as:
Property Ownership
Documents for Planning
Important Payers in Planning
Challenges One will Face
Words of Wisdom
When nearly 70% of estate plans yield unfavorable results for the family, the need for a meticulous estate plan cannot be overstated. Hood’s guide to estate planning will allow individuals to rest assured that their families are provided for thoroughly.
Laid out in three parts, Hood’s guide focuses on the basics of estate planning, planning issues that could impact families, and Hood's personal experience in the field. That experience shines as Hood includes a wealth of fresh information, such as “Questions a Client May Secretly Have during an Initial Interview with an Estate Planner,” checklists covering information the estate planner may ask for and identifying your goals, and pragmatic actions. Hood acknowledges that the process can be frightening and at times overwhelming, but throughout offers both the tools and encouragement to help readers see the task through. An emphasis on the “bricks and mortars” of the job is a strong reminder that estate planning means building something to last.
The result is an effective, highly targeted guidebook written with inviting clarity, directing readers’ attention to complex issues and complex situations. From steps on finding an estate planner, to keeping the plan current, to an examination of why many estate plans fail, Hood offers intricate but never overwhelming detail on how to ensure a legally binding estate plan is executed and that the benefactors’ wishes are realized.
Takeaway: Thorough, inviting guide to estate planning for blended families.
Comparable Titles: Richard J. Shapiro's Secure Your Legacy, James L. Cunningham, Jr.'s Savvy Estate Planning.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
