In this video up here a couple of weeks ago, I talked about how important it is to educate yourself before you start your estate planning journey. I truly believe education is a key to a great estate plan.
Now in the video I just talked about from a couple of weeks ago, I briefly mentioned these four books. But a lot of you have been clicking on those links that I put down in that video. So that gave me the idea to talk about each one of these books, a little bit more in depth so that you'll have a better understanding. And you can see which one might be actually helpful for you.
Especially the first three, deal specifically with estate planning, the last one deals with what happens after somebody passes away or you're helping to administer somebody estate. They are all four really good books that I would recommend to you.
Now I do have to have full disclosure that if you use one of our links below that those are Amazon affiliate links. So our channel we'll get a little bit of money if you end up buying one of the books. But here's the thing, guys, if you live in Oklahoma city or in the Oklahoma city Metro area, come by our office and I will lend you our copies of the books, you gotta bring them back.
Or it will be just like a little library. But if you don't wanna spend the money, come by our office and I will lend you our copy of these four books for you to take home and read to educate yourself and get a better idea of what you need to do for your estate planning.
Let's talk about the first book and it's called 'Estate Planning for Dummies.' Now I have to admit right off the bat, I really, really, didn't like these four dummies books for a very long time. But I have read a few of them including this one. And they really do break down things into very basic terms that are easy to understand. So I've actually ended up becoming a big fan of them even though I really didn't like the title. I don't know, I just, I just felt kind of insulted buying a book that was for dummies. But Estate Planning for Dummies is a good book that I could recommend to you to help you on your journey.
Some of the topics that Estate Planning for Dummies goes over, how to really just put your estate plan in order, what do you need to do? What do you have to do to minimize estate planning taxes? If that's something that's important.
How to write a proper will, deal with probate set up trusts and make sure your insurance policies are structured correctly to protect you and your family. And the book also talks a little about special kinds of trusts that you really should be paying attention to if they apply to you. And one of 'em like we just talked about in our Lady Gaga video, up here is what to do with your pets.
You need to have a pet trust in place. If you truly, love your little furry friend and you wanna make sure that they're taken care of no matter what happens to you whether you're incapacitated or you ultimately pass away. You wanna make sure that your little dog, cat, turtle, bird, whatever it is, is taken care of. Estate Planning for Dummies really breaks down estate planning into very, very basic terms and is a great place to start your estate planning journey. So I would recommend that book.
The next book that I really like is this one, 'Aging in the Right Place.' This is a great book that explores all of the many options that are now available to people getting older, ranging from just staying in your current home to moving someplace that especially tailored to match your lifestyle and match your needs of what you want to, where you wanna be.
This is a great book for planning and giving you ideas. And out of all of the books, this one, Aging in the Right Place is probably one of my favorites. The next book is called 'Estate Planning Basics.' And this book is very similar to Estate Planning for Dummies, but it goes into how to make a will or a living trust, how to name a guardian, how to pick a guardian for your children or for yourself, how to avoid probate. The steps are for choosing an executor or a guardian, a power of attorney. And really preparing your healthcare directives.
This really is a great book at just getting down to the basics of what you need to do for estate planning. I really like it. If you have a choice between Estate Planning for Dummies and this book is Estate Planning Basics, I would probably get Estate Planning for Dummies. I just think it is a lot better laid out. And in more understandable terms. All three of these books are a great place to start for you to get a basic understanding of estate planning.
Now, just to be clear I'm not saying that once you read these three books you'll be able to create your own estate planning. These books give you a basic understanding of what you need to do for an effective estate plan. And I can tell you from over 20 years of practice that when somebody comes into our office and they have a basic understanding of what we're gonna talk about, it makes the process go much smoother and it helps them get to their goals in a much quicker time.
Now, we don't mind visiting with you and explaining all of this to you. It'll be less frustrating for you if you have a better understanding before you come to our office or your estate planning attorneys office. And understand what the terms are and what you're actually looking for in your estate plan.
Once you have a basic understanding of what you want in your estate plan then we can create a plan that is custom-tailored to what you need. Now, the fourth book that I recommend is part of the, for dummies series and it's called 'Estate and Trust Administration for dummies.' I really like this book a lot. And like I said this is not the same as Estate Planning for Dummies. T
his is what happens afterwards. And it gives you guidance on the probate process. Advice on how to liquidate assets for your loved one, your duties as a trustee or as an executor, filing returns for relatives and the pitfalls that you really need to avoid as an administrator of an estate.
Tips for finding an expert to help you along the way. This book really gives you a lot of guidance on what to do once your loved one has passed away or even if you're just administering their estate because they're incapacitated and you're the successor trustee, you're the incapacity trustee. This book is a lot of help for that. And it's a good starter.
Again, before you go in to talk with your estate planning attorney or your loved one's estate planning attorney for guidance on exactly what to do, it will help you familiarize with the terms and give you a better understanding of what is going on in your loved one's estate.
First three books are what you can do to create the ultimate estate plan for you. And the last book is what you need to do and what you need to know to administer a loved one's estate. I'll provide links to all four of these books in the comment and in the description section below. More than anything, I just recommend you educate yourself on estate planning.
And again, if you live in the Oklahoma city, Metro area, come by our office, and if somebody hasn't checked it out and we have it available, I will let you borrow any one of those four books free of charge, as long as you need it. And as long as you bring it back so that we can lend it out to somebody else. I know I've thrown a lot at you today so that's why we've prepared our free guide on estate planning.
I'll put a link to it in the description below and in the comment section below that. So that you can download it and get started in the right direction. And to help you out even more, watch this video up here and this video up here. If you enjoy this video then guys please smash that subscribe button and click on the like button. And also click on that little bell. So you'll get notified every time we post a new video. Have a great day and an awesome week, and as always, thanks for watching.