Table of Contents

I. Your Estate Planning Companion

1. Choose Guardians for Your Children

Get It Done
How Guardianships Work
What Guardians Are (and Are Not) Responsible For
Picking the Right Guardian
After You've Chosen a Guardian: Talking It Over
Giving Guardians Some Written Guidance

2. Get Organized

Cash
College Savings Plans and Custodial Accounts for Children
Safe Deposit Box
Real Estate
Investments, Retirement and Otherwise
Life Insurance
Pensions
Annuities
Government Benefits
Automobiles and Personal Property
Moving On

3. Choose Someone to Manage Your Children's Money

Custodial Accounts
Trusts
Your Backup Plan: Appoint a Property Guardian

4. Make Your Will

Why You Need Only a Simple Will
What Wills Don't Do
What Happens If You Don't Make a Will?
Taking Care of Business: Picking an Executor
How to Make Your Will
Filling in the Blanks

5. Consider a Living Trust

Probate: A Judge Makes Sure the Right Things Happen
What Is a Living Trust?
Do You Need a Living Trust?
Creating a Living Trust
Casting the Play: Selecting Trustees and Beneficiaries
Transferring Assets Into the Trust
Do You Still Need a Will?

6. Name the Right Beneficiaries for Your Retirement Plans

Alphabet Soup: Plans Explained
Figuring Out Whom You've Already Named as Beneficiaries
Retirement 101: The Basic Rules of Choosing Beneficiaries
Naming Your Beneficiaries
A Little Housekeeping: Clean Up Your Retirement Plans
Filling Out the Forms

7. Get Enough Life Insurance

Do You Need Life Insurance?
What Is Life Insurance?
Life Insurance Primer
How Much Is Enough?
How Much Life Insurance Costs
Naming Beneficiaries

8. Name Beneficiaries for Bank and Brokerage Accounts

When POD and TOD Accounts Are a Good Idea -- and When They're Not
How POD and TOD Accounts Work
How to Set Up a POD or TOD Account

9. Create Health Care Directives and a Power of Attorney for Finances

Health Care Directives
Durable Powers of Attorney for Finances

10. Keep Your Plan Safe and Up to Date

What You've Accomplished
Storing Your Estate Plan
Whom to Give Copies To
Keeping Your Plan Current
When to Update Your Plan
How to Make Changes to Your Estate Plan

A. How to Use the CD-ROM

Installing the Form Files Onto Your Computer
Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents
Listening to the Audio Files
Forms Included on the Forms CD-ROM

Index

CD-ROM

Forms
The Ideal Guardian
Potential Guardians
Guardians for My Children
Family Inventory
My Children's Money Managers
Inheritance Planner
How Much Could the Kids Inherit?
Property Guardians for My Children
My Executors
Will Worksheet
Will
How to Sign Your Will
Family Retirement Assets: Current Beneficiaries
My Health Care Agent
My Agent for Financial Management

Audio Files
Interview with Author Liza Hanks: Guardianship Issues
An Interview with author Liza Hanks: Family Assets and Leaving Money to Children
Scenario: A couple with two children meets with an estate planning attorney

Back to Top