Plan Your Estate, 14th Edition

Protect your family with solid estate planning

Estate planning sounds difficult―but most people just need a few basic documents. Let Plan Your Estate show you how to protect your loved ones from legal hassles and financial uncertainty after your death. Learn about:

• wills and living trusts
• avoiding probate
• bypass (AB) trusts
• naming guardians for children
• leaving property to children
• estate, gift, and inheritance taxes
• strategies for business owners
• leaving property to charity
• health care directives, and
• financial powers of attorney.

The 14th edition of Plan Your Estate is completely updated to reflect the latest state and federal laws, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Applies in all U.S. states except Louisiana.

Table of Contents

Part I: Setting Your Goal
Chapter 1 Selecting Your Estate Planning Goals
Chapter 2 Personal Concerns And Estate Planning

Part II: Laying the Groundwork
Chapter 3 Special Property Ownership Rules For Married People
Chapter 4 Inventorying Your Property
Chapter 5 Your Beneficiaries

Part III: Children
Chapter 6 Children

Part IV: Wills
Chapter 7 Wills

Part V: Probate and How to Avoid It
Chapter 8 Probate And Why You Want To Avoid It
Chapter 9 Living Trusts
Chapter 10 Joint Tenancy And Tenancy By The Entirety
Chapter 11 Pay-On-Death Designations, Registrations, And Deeds
Chapter 12 Life Insurance
Chapter 13 Retirement Benefits
Chapter 14 State Law Exemptions From Normal Probate

Part VI: Understanding Estate and Gift Taxes
Chapter 15 Estate Taxes
Chapter 16 Gifts And Gift Taxes

Part VII: Reducing or Eliminating Estate Taxes
Chapter 17 An Overview Of Ongoing Trusts
Chapter 18 Ab Disclaimer Trusts
Chapter 19 Other Estate Tax–Saving Marital Trusts
Chapter 20 Charitable Trusts
Chapter 21 Other Estate Tax–Saving Trusts
Chapter 22 Disclaimers: After-Death Estate Tax Planning
Chapter 23 Combining Estate Tax–Saving Trusts

Part VIII: Imposing Controls Over Property
Chapter 24 Property Control Trusts For Second Or Subsequent Marriages
Chapter 25 Trusts And Other Devices For Imposing Controls Over Property

Part IX: Taking Care of Personal Issues
Chapter 26 Incapacity: Making Medical And Financial Decisions
Chapter 27 Body And Organ Donation, Funerals, And Burials

Part X: Family Business
Chapter 28 Family Business Estate Planning

Part XI: Going Further
Chapter 29 Using Lawyers
Chapter 30 After You Complete Your Estate Plan
Chapter 31 After A Death Occurs

Part XII: Sample Estate Plans
Chapter 32 Some Estate Plans