Leonard D. DuBoff - Estate Planning (in Plain English)

Disclaimer: This book is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with respect to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal or other professional services. At the time of publication, this book is accurate regarding the legal and tax material discussed. However, both national and state laws change. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent attorney, accountant, or other professional should be sought. While every attempt is made to provide accurate information, the author or publisher cannot be held accountable for errors or omissions.

Copyright 2020 by The DuBoff Law Group, PC

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: DuBoff, Leonard D, author. | Bryan, Amanda, author.

Title: Estate planning (in plain English) / Leonard D DuBoff and Amanda Bryan, attorneys-at- law.

Description: New York : Allworth Press, 2020. | Series: In plain english | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019059403 (print) | LCCN 2019059404 (ebook) | ISBN 9781621537267 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781621537274 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Estate planning--United States--Popular works.

Classification: LCC KF750.Z9 D83 2020 (print) | LCC KF750.Z9 (ebook) | DDC 332.024/016--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019059403

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019059404

Print ISBN: 978-1-62153-726-7

eBook ISBN: 978-1-62153-727-4

Printed in the United States of America

Praise for Estate Planning (in Plain English)

Estate Planning (in Plain English) is an invaluable tool to help you collect the information your attorney needs to prepare your estate plan and to help your family put your plan into action. I strongly recommend that you add this book to your library.

Michael Cragun, Utah State Tax Commissioner

When the time for transitioning to the Great Beyond approaches, over one-half of all Americans follow in the shadows of actor James Dean, business mogul Howard Hughes, and President Abraham Lincoln and perish without a will, leaving a mess for others to sort. Better for your loved ones if you read DuBoff and Bryans Estate Planning (in Plain English) and organize your estate so that others dont have to. This treasure of a book, written in language for the lay audience, even explains how to dispose of your digital assets. Buy this book and start happily planning your estate!

Sherri Burr, Dickason Chair in Law Emerita, University of New Mexico School of Law, coauthor of Wills and Trusts in a Nutshell

In my tradition, money is considered neither evil nor good. What matters is how one gets it and how one uses it. As always, we have an obligation to be responsible and thoughtful stewards of the resources with which we are entrusted. Estate Planning (in Plain English) is an indispensable guide to doing just that. It will prove very useful to those of us who wish to put our affairs in order and thus spare those we love an unnecessary burden.

Rabbi David Kosak

Having an up-to-date estate plan is one of the greatest gifts you can give your loved ones. Without one, you leave unintended burdens and potentially divisive pain for those you love and have left behind. Estate Planning (in Plain English) offers a practical road map for addressing all the issues in developing a solid estate plan, from the simplest estate with few assets to consideration of more complex matters that need to be addressed.

Dan Schutte, composer-in-residence, University of San Francisco

Death is certain, and disability is likely. Unfortunately, the majority of individuals plan for neither. In Estate Planning (in Plain English), experienced practitioners Leonard D. DuBoff and Amanda Bryan provide expert guidance in layperson-friendly language on the multitude of reasons everyone needs an estate plan so that their wishes and desires are followed. Then, they succinctly explain the basic techniques available to carry out their intent. I am confident readers of this book will be motived to take action to make the inevitable transition more palatable for themselves, their family members, and their friends.

Gerry Beyer, Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law, Texas Tech University School of Law

There is no doubt that when one is caught up in the never-ending wave of a wide range of emotions upon the news and reality of a loved ones death, dealing with the practical parts of a loved ones passing is made more complicated and overwhelming. A sense of loss brings a family and gathering of friends into a strange new land, where there is no ready guide for understanding our next step on the journey of life. Thats why it is incredibly helpful to have one part of the next step of lifes pilgrimage figured out before the loss of a loved one. Estate Planning (in Plain English) does just that: it provides an incredibly helpful, easy-to-read road map for what to do, today, before a loved ones death.

Brett Webb-Mitchell, ordained Presbyterian Church (USA) pastor, Portland, Oregon

Dedication

To my mother, Millicent, and my father, Rubin, who provided me with the gift of life and the desire to use that gift effectively. To my mother-in-law, Cumi Elena Crawford, for her faith, trust, and inspiration, and to my wife, Mary Ann, for her enduring love and continuing support.

Leonard D. DuBoff

To my children, Random, Grey, and Scout. You are as delightful, quirky, and compassionate as I could have wished for. Your love is my greatest treasure. And to my husband, Josh, for being my safe place and my other half.

Amanda Bryan

Acknowledgments

In order to assemble the vast quantity of statutes, cases, articles, and books that have become available on this topic, it was necessary to enlist the aid of numerous friends and colleagues. Their help is greatly appreciated, and some deserve special recognition.

Amanda and I would like to thank Greg Rogers of the accounting firm Rogers Financial Services and Tony H. Davidson of Tony H. Davidson CPA, PC for their time and expertise in reviewing the tax material in this book.