The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts, Third Edition

The best legal guide to wills and estates—with more than 80,000 copies sold—now updated to cover the current asset protection options and estate laws

Whether grappling with modest or extensive assets, The Complete Book of Wills, Estates, and Trusts has long been the indispensable guide for protecting an estate for loved ones. In this completely revised third edition, updated to cover the latest changes in estate law, attorney Alexander A. Bove, Jr., clearly explains
• how to use a will to avoid probate and legal complications
• how trusts work and how to use trusts to save taxes
• how to contest a will and how to avoid a contest
• how to settle an estate or make a claim against one
• how to establish a durable power of attorney
• how to protect assets from creditors
In his straightforward and humorous style, Bove shares easy-to-understand legal definitions, savvy advice on taxes, and pragmatic and simple sample forms, all illustrated with entertaining examples and actual cases. The Complete Book of Wills, Estates, and Trusts is the best guide available for defending your financial legacy

Customer Reviews:

4/5 of the book is excellent...

By Jonathan R. Rynd "seeker of quality" - February 1, 2007

The problem seems to be that the author originally thought he was writing "The complete book of Wills and Estates" and would save Trusts for a followup book. The chapters on wills and estates are entertaining, informative, useful, and even easy to read (something I thought would never be possible in a legal book -- even a pop-level legal book). The author is able to make the legal concepts seem alive and useful through clever writing, amusing or relevant real-life scenarios, and thoughtful what-ifs.

Unfortunately, the chapter on trusts is lacking. It feels unorganized and rushed. Sections duplicate each other or sections from the previous chapters. There are no amusing anecdotes; the sample scenarios are contrived and make it harder rather than easier to pay attention -- it is at the level I expected from a pop legal book. The pacing is very poor. All of the similarly-named trusts blur into each other. There are quite a few spelling, wording, and other typographical errors... read more