August is “Make-A-Will” Month, an annual observance that emphasizes the importance of creating a will. A will is an important estate-planning document that can help you transfer your assets with ease. Nearly two-thirds of American adults do not have an up-to-date will, which can result in unnecessary worry about the future, complications in settling estates, and even legal contests.
This month encourages us to create or update our estate plans. A will gives you security, peace of mind and allows you to support causes you love. As a result of the ALA’s partnership with FreeWill, a free estate planning resource has been made available to remove barriers of access often associated with estate planning and to support you in the creation of a legally binding will.
Universal Class available to Livingston Library cardholders, has a self paced online course on estate planning.
Below are listed some books on wills and estate planning available with your Library card that might help you make or update your will or estate plan.
Wills appear quite often in plots of mystery books. Greed and jealousy prove extremely good motives for murder. Who inherits, who does not, and any conditions of the will can create friction among family members and even lead to somebody being put to death. Included in the list below are contemporary fiction titles where wills are pivotal to the plot.
The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts : Advice That Can Save You Thousands of Dollars in Legal Fees and Taxes by Alexander A. Bove
Attorney Bove synthesizes his decades of field and classroom experience into honest, clear, and entertaining explanations of a host of complex legal topics, including: how to create a will and living trust; 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.
Estate Planning by Jordan S. Simon
This everyone-friendly guide walks you through building a solid estate plan, whatever your current financial situation. In easy-to-understand language, you’ll learn the ins and outs of estate planning, including what happens to your stuff–cash, real estate, businesses, retirement funds, everything–when you pass away.
From creating your advanced medical directives to designating your beneficiaries, estate planning can ensure that your wishes are carried out when you are no longer around. This easy-to-understand guide comes with detailed information on what needs to be done to protect your estate. With information on creating a living will, minimizing estate taxes, choosing an executor, and more, you will be prepared for the future, no matter what it brings.
The Ingenue: A Novel by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
When former piano prodigy Saskia Kreis returns home to Milwaukee after her mother’s unexpected death, she expects to inherit the family estate, the Elf House. But with the discovery that her mother’s will bequeathed the Elf House to a man that Saskia shares a complicated history with, she is forced to reexamine her own past–and the romantic relationship that changed the course of her life–for answers. Can she find a way to claim her heritage while keeping her secrets buried, or will the fallout from digging too deep destroy her?
Kingdom Of The Blind: Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Series, Book 14 by Louise Penny
When a peculiar letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, the former head of the Sûreté du Québec discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will. Still on suspension, and frankly curious, Gamache accepts and soon learns that the other two executors are Myrna Landers, the bookseller from Three Pines, and a young builder. None of them had ever met the elderly woman. The will is so odd and includes bequests that are so wildly unlikely that Gamache and the others suspect the woman must have been delusional. But what if, Gamache begins to ask himself, she was perfectly sane? When a body is found, the terms of the bizarre will suddenly seem less peculiar and far more menacing.
Peach Clobbered by Anna Gerard
Nina Fleet’s life ought to be as sweet as a Georgia peach. Nina’s barely settled into her new B&B-to-be when a “penguin” shows up on her porch. Harry Westcott is making ends meet as an ice cream shop’s mascot and has a letter from his great-aunt, pledging to leave him the house. Gregory Bainbridge intends to turn a convent into a golfing community, so Nina is persuaded to take in the elderly nuns. Whoever is out to stop Harry from contesting the sale of his great-aunt’s house may also be after Nina, so she teams up with him to cage the killer before someone clips her wings.
Precious Gifts by Danielle Steel
Paul Parker was the ultimate bon vivant, charismatic but feckless, who left his wealthy wife and three beautiful daughters wounded and wary of men. But after his death, Paul shows surprising insight in the bequests he leaves to each. Knowing that Veronique’s wealth is reserved for emergencies and special cases, so as to build the sense of responsibility he failed to provide, Paul aims to address their daughters’ immediate needs in his will. To Timmie, he bequeaths the necessary funds to open her own facility to serve her homeless and underprivileged clients. To Juliette, enough to hire a staff to manage her bakery, so she can have time to get away, travel and live more fully. And to Joy, the money to hire a talent manager and funds for two years to get her acting career off the ground. But while Paul may have shown his daughters more support and affection in his final will than he ever did in his actual life, he leaves Veronique with a shocking revelation.
Quick & Legal Will Book by Denis Clifford
This book provides forms and step-by-step instructions to create a simple, valid will that protects family and property after death. It explains how to name beneficiaries to inherit assets, choose a guardian for young children, set up a trust for minors, name an executor (and a backup), choose appropriate witnesses, finalize a will, and revoke or change the will if necessary. Steps one can take to avoid probate court are also explained.
Summer on the Island by Brenda Novak
Returning to a small island off the coast of Florida to help her mother settle the family estate, Marlow Madsen finds her idyllic getaway shattered when her father’s will reveals a shocking secret that tarnishes his impeccable reputation and everything she thought she knew about her family.
What Matters Most : the Get Your Sh*t Together Guide to Wills, Money, Insurance, and Life’s “What-Ifs” by Chanel Reynolds
Founder of popular website Get Your Shit Together blends personal story and must-have advice in this guide to getting your affairs in order—from wills and advance directives to insurance, finances, and relationships—before the unthinkable happens.
What to Do With Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want : From-the-Heart Estate Planning For Everyone, Whatever Your Financial Situation by Marni Jameson
A guide to estate planning that helps you turn your material assets into a meaningful legacy.
Where There’s a Will by Sulari Gentill
When Rowland Sinclair receives word of his friend Daniel Cartwright’s death, he sets out immediately from Singapore to Boston to honor the American millionaire’s last wishes to execute his will. He is met with the outrage and anguish of a family spurned in favor of a missing heir about whom no one seems to have any knowledge-one Otis Norcross. As Rowly battles pressure from all sides to declare the mysterious heir non-existent, he finds evidence at Daniel’s New York City apartment to suggest that Otis was his lover. As he and his friends follow leads up and down the Eastern seaboard, they learn some painful truths surrounding Daniel’s necessity to hide his sexual orientation.
—Archana Chiplunkar, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian