Seven books on estate planning — written for families and business owners, not lawyers. Each book stands on its own. Together, they cover the full scope of estate planning decisions that protect your family, your assets, and your legacy.
The foundation of the series. This book covers the full scope of estate planning — wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives, beneficiary designations, probate, guardianship, Medicaid planning, estate taxes, digital assets, and more. Organized by life stage and decision flow, not legal textbook categories.
Whether you're starting from scratch or updating an existing plan, this guide gives you the knowledge to walk into an attorney's office informed, prepared, and asking the right questions.
Nursing home care averages over $9,000 a month. Medicaid can help — but only after you've spent down nearly everything you own. This book explains what a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust is, how it works, when to start planning, and how it fits with the rest of your estate plan.
Covers the five-year lookback period, Medicaid estate recovery (MERP), community spouse protections, real-life planning scenarios, a scored self-assessment, and a 90-day action plan to get started.
Your will says one thing. Your operating agreement says another. When a business owner dies, the business agreements almost always win. This book exposes where those conflicts hide — in operating agreements, buy-sell agreements, partnership agreements, personal guarantees, and handshake promises — and shows every business owner how to align their documents before it's too late.
Includes the beneficial vs. controlling interest framework, blended family planning, life insurance strategies, a 25-question Business Estate Planning Agreement Audit, and a 60-day action plan.
A well-intentioned gift — an inheritance, a life insurance payout, even a birthday check — can disqualify a disabled person from the SSI, Medicaid, and housing benefits they depend on. This book explains special needs trusts, ABLE accounts, guardianship alternatives, and the letter of intent — the document no attorney drafts but every caregiver needs.
Covers the SSI resource limit, Medicaid waiver programs, first-party vs. third-party trusts, sibling planning, and what happens when the caregiver parent dies first.
When families merge through remarriage, the interests of a surviving spouse and children from a prior marriage collide. "Everything to my spouse" — the most common estate plan — can disinherit your children entirely. This book explains the QTIP trust, prenuptial agreements, stepchild inheritance rights, and the conversation every blended family must have.
Covers community property vs. common law, beneficiary designation conflicts, divorce decree coordination, trustee selection for blended families, and non-traditional family structures.
80% of your wealth may bypass your will. Retirement accounts, life insurance, POD/TOD accounts, and joint property all pass by designation or title — not by your trust. A $500,000 estate plan can be undone by a 5-minute form you filled out 20 years ago.
Covers the SECURE Act 10-year rule, inherited IRAs, trust as beneficiary, per stirpes vs. per capita, joint ownership types (including tenants in common — the one without survivorship), and a complete beneficiary audit.
Probate court handles both incapacity and death — and it's where your family ends up when you didn't plan. The same judge who appoints a guardian for your medical and financial decisions will later supervise your estate. You decide, or a judge decides. There is no third option.
Covers powers of attorney, health care directives, guardianship avoidance, the probate process, six avoidance tools, elder financial abuse, nursing home rights, reverse mortgages, caregiver burnout, and a complete incapacity and probate avoidance checklist.