Today in Chicago
Friday
12.05.08
Overcast
12ºF
Your Messages and MailPersonals and MatchmakerJobs and CareersDance Music 24/7ShopProfiles
Login:       Password:    
View cart | Checkout


Luke Eberl 
11/13/2008

Val Emmich 
11/12/2008

Joey Arias 
10/29/2008

Cindy Guidry 
10/22/2008

Bart Yates 
10/15/2008

Kathy Griffin 
10/15/2008

Rufus Wainwright 
10/8/2008

More Interviews

Books Music DVD Movies
  Search type

Keyword

Inventory

 

   
You have no items in your shopping cart




Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To (Book with CD-Rom)
NOLO
$21.99



How to Settle an Estate (How to Settle An Estate)
Plume
$16.00



The Executor's Handbook
Checkmark Books
$18.95



How to Administer an Estate
Career Press, Inc.
$16.99



Plan Your Estate (National Edition)
NOLO
$44.99



The Executor's Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Settling an Estate for Personal Representatives, Administrators, and Beneficiaries
Checkmark Books
$17.95


  
Executor's Guide: Settling a Loved One's Estate or Trust
by Mary Randolph

List Price: $39.99
Price: $26.39 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
You Save: $13.60 (34%)

Add this item to your shopping cart

Paperback
Publisher: NOLO

Settling an estate can be like moving through a maze -- let The Executor's Guide lead the way.

If you're faced with wrapping up the affairs of a loved one who has died, you may feel overwhelmed by all the work ahead -- especially when you're grieving. But with the right legal and practical information, you can do it.

The Executor's Guide will show you how to get organized, get the help you need and make progress one step at a time. Let it help you navigate an unfamiliar land of legal procedures and terminology. It explains:

  • preparing for the job of executor or trustee
  • the first steps to take
  • claiming life insurance, Social Security and other benefits
  • making sense of a will
  • what to do if there is no will
  • how to determine whether probate is necessary
  • caring for children and their property
  • taxes
  • an overview of probate court proceedings
  • dealing with family members
  • handling trusts
  • looking up your state's laws
  • working with lawyers, appraisers, accountants and other experts

    The 3rd edition contains updated tables outlining key points of each state's laws, the latest information on estate taxes and worksheets that help you stay organized and on track.


    Customer Reviews:
     
    This Guide Helped Me Settle My Father's Estate
    Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 
    If you have just become the executor of your loved one's estate, let me say that I am so sorry for your loss. This book helped me get from the funeral to final settlement for my father's estate. Randolph filled this book with easy to understand descriptions, sample letters and checklists to keep you on target -- what to do first, second, third and so one.

    Executor' Guide is intended to be a general guide for all 50 states so it doesn't address every state's individual laws. You may still need a local attorney to advise you on specifics for your area. There is still a lot you can do on your own. This book guides you through it.

    Re: Kindle edition
    Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 
    The good news is that contrary to the review about the "e-edition", the Kindle edition is NOT formatted in 2 columns. That review may have referred to the PDF file version one can buy from Nolo or Amazon, and the 2 column format of those is indeed extremely annoying.

    The bad news is that the Kindle edition is possibly a faulty conversion from PDF, which Kindle conversion does not do at all well. The result is a table of contents that doesn't go where one expects, and generally problematic formatting and hyperlinks. It also doesn't always change type size correctly.

    The other bad news is that this is the 2006 2nd edition: the 3rd is the current paper edition. This is another case of a high priced Kindle edition that has problems and is out of date to boot.

    That said, if you are working on estate plans or a new will or anticipating serving as executor in future, this book will give you an excellent idea of what you'll be faced with and have to do. But when the time comes, get the current edition in paper.

    executor
    Customer Rating: 1 out of 5 
    PA state inhertince tax book tells you everything in this book for free and it is available for download from the state. I wish I had not bought the book.

    Executor's Guide:Settling A Loved One's Estate
    Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 
    This book was informative and served as a good guide for getting started on settling an estate. It also was easy to understand.

    An estate administration and settlement book with lots of good content, but kind of sloppy when it comes to organization!
    Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 

    I think this book is wonderful. It is packed with content. And it's very informative. However, I wasn't particularly impressed with its organization. There are many books that could be written to help an executor do his or her job in adminstering and settling a decedent's estate, among them would be the following titles:

    EXECUTOR DUTIES
    1. An executor's guide about an executor's role, responsibilities, and fiduciary duty
    2. An executor's guide on what to do when the decedent dies
    3. An executor's guide to what constitutes the unauthorized practice of law
    4. An executor's guide to estate property
    5. An executor's guide to estate liabilities
    6. An executor's guide to professionals who help in the administration of an estate
    7. An executor's guide to services offered and performed by estate attorneys
    8. An executor's guide to settling a trust (if the executor is a trustee)

    THE LAW
    9. An executor's guide on how to read a will
    10. An executor's guide to the laws of intestacy
    11. An executor's guide to probate procedure
    12. An executor's guide to guardianship law
    13. An executor's guide to disclaimers for post-death estate planning
    14. An executor's guide to Louisiana custom, law, and procedure regarding an executor's duties

    TAXES
    15. An executor's guide to federal estate taxes
    16. Case studies: Completed Federal Estate Tax Forms
    17. An executor's guide to state inheritance taxes
    18. Case Studies: Completed State Inheritance Tax Forms
    19. An executor's guide to generation skipping taxes
    20. Case studies: Completed Generation Skipping Tax Forms
    21. An executor's guide to income taxes
    22. Case studies: Completed Income Tax Forms

    The instant book being reviewed was close to 500 pages long. Each one of the suggested books above could easily be 500+ pages long if written well and completely. In fact, #s 10 and 11 could be done for each state and probably be 500+ pages each. The point is, that for the instant book being reviewed to get a 5-star rating it has to be well organized so it can act as a springboard for the reader into other resources. In my humble opinion, this book does not force the reader to quickly and easily grasp the material presented. Accordingly, I have bumped down its star rating. But don't take my word for it. Judge for yourself. Does the book cover the 22 topics listed herein above in a clear and organized manner?

    This book totes itself as an "excutor's" guide. But I think it is better defined as an adminstration and settlement guide for executors AND TRUSTEES. Thus, I would change the title a bit to make it more representative of what the book covers.

    I think Part I (Getting Ready) along with chapters 3 (The First Week), 4 (The First Month), and 9 (Managing Money & Paying Bills) should be moved to the end of the book and renamed Appendix A. And I think the title of the new Appendix A should be "Roles, Responsibilities, & Fiduciary Duty." I would move chapters 6 and 7 to the end of the book and call them Appendix B. Reading a Will is something an executor must do, but it is ancillary to his or her roles, responsibilities, and fiduciary duty. And I think Part IV (Getting More Help) should be made Appendix C. The current Appendix A should be renamed Appendix D.

    I think the middle of the book should be reordered as follows:

    8. Taking inventory
    >>5. Life Ins, SS, & other benefits
    >>15. Retirement plans
    >>16. POD assets
    >>13. Survivorship property
    >>14. Community property
    12. Property that doesn't go through probate
    18. The regular probate process
    17. Special procedures for small estates
    11. Taxes

    I'm not sure where Chapter 10 belongs? It seems to be just thrown into the middle of the book. I think it should at least have been positioned somewhere close to Chapter 20 (Managing a Child's Trust). 4 stars!




  • Login | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Media Assets | Webmasters / RSS | Advertise

    Sponsorship or Partnerships | Contact the Editor | Email the President | Press Inquiries | Contact Us

    Serving Boystown and Gay Chicago since 1995
    © Copyright 1995-2008 All rights reserved. Info on this site is strictly for entertainment purposes.