A truly necessary tool for helping your family after you have gone. I've taken care of executing too many estates in my family and I wish we had Brian’s book for each of them. Peace of Mind really takes the "what do I need to do?" out of preparation. The book is literally a step-by-step guide that takes you from "final wishes" to where documents are to financial information, insurance and the planning aspects.
Hopefully my family won't need to USE this book for a long time, but it's here for them when the time comes. Everyone needs this. It’s a great gift from you to those you love when you aren't there to help them anymore. Sincerely a wonderful resource for the rest of your life!
As a virtual assistant, I provide administrative and business support to my clients. Part of the value I add for my clients is finding tools that help them save time and money. When I discovered Peace of Mind For You and Your Loved Ones, I realized what a great tool this would be not only for my clients, but also for me. Peace of Mind is the perfect way to organize my personal and legal records. Thank you, Brian, for creating such a valuable workbook, which will provide peace of mind for my family…and also for my clients and their families.
Tamara Jaros, Owner
Independently Yours, LLC
Canton, MI www.iyvaa.net
I have been trying to figure out the best way to get all this information together. When my father passed away a year and a half-ago, I found myself handling his affairs for my mother, and it was quite an experience trying to handle everything. Theirs was simple, but ours is more involved. Especially with the trust and financial accounts, computer passwords, etc., I wanted to have all my info in one place for my sons to make it easy for them. Thanks very much for coming up with such a thorough estate planning tool.
Patricia Perry
Canton, MI
My family has found "Peace of Mind For You and Your Loved Ones" most beneficial in the organization of financial records. In our family, I manage all of the retirement, college and "rainy day" funds. Having all of these records documented in one location where my husband can easily obtain the information is very valuable.
We have also benefited from the conversations that the book has initiated regarding "Final Wish" preferences. While you may think you know your spouse's wishes, it is important to have these conversations and document what they would like when the end of time comes.
The insurance section of the book was very helpful, too. It is nice to have all insurance companies along with the contact information and policy numbers in one central location. There is a lot of information in this book and it has been well worth our time gathering the required data. Completing the book has truly given our family peace of mind!
Cheryl Geesey
Troy, MI
My grandmother immigrated from Ukraine in 1950 and kept the immigrant mentality all her life. She squirreled away everything (we found electric bills from the late 1970s). She also tended to squirrel away her money in a bunch of different banks in small
amounts. She died recently and, even though she had been ill and her death was not unexpected, my mother still had to figure out where everything was. She didn't have a lot of money, but enough to making the task a lot more difficult because she didn't have something like your book.
On a personal note, my wife and I got our will and estate work in order and the biggest thing we got out of using your book was our need to really catalog everything we had. Even for insurance purposes this proved to be very vital.
Oh, one more thing. I have two little kids at home (5 and 2). Like most families, ours doesn't talk much about finances. So having Peace of Mind for You and Your Loved Ones for my brother in case something ever happened to my wife and me will make the whole traumatic experience a little less chaotic. I guess that is the least I can do for them since they are willing to take care of my children if something happened to us.
Steve Wisinski
Brighton, MI
My 'epiphany' moment about this came in a graduate course in the '80s titled Personal Financial Management. The 8-week summer class required us to pull all of that critical information together in one notebook with page dividers, etc. As a single person I was concerned about someone having to sort through my things after I was gone, trying to make sense out of it all. Organizing the information was key. Then it just became a matter of updating and keeping the information current.
My dad was so impressed with the format that he asked me to organize his materials in the same way, right down to what was in specific desk drawers, etc. And, I'm so glad we did!
It saved so much turmoil and frustration when he died in 2004. I knew where everything was; I knew what types of death/insurance payouts to expect and from where; account numbers, contact people, everything. It was SUCH a blessing to not have to add those 'fact finding' challenges to an already emotionally overloaded situation.
Your book is a wonderful resource for people to organize their information. The format walks people right through the book, and makes it very easy for others to find the information they need. It truly will provide peace of mind for those who complete the book, and for their loved ones.
Anne M.
Saginaw, MI
I always
felt like we had planned properly. We had wills, life
insurance, and an IRA. After we learned that my husband had
lung cancer, we had two years to prepare for his death. But
only after John’s death did I realize the importance of
gathering vital information about personal and business
finances. I learned the hard way—through litigation and being
forced to piece together the information necessary to close
out my husband’s business and estate. Much of the pain and
aggravation could have been avoided if I had only taken the
time to gather some basic information.
Sarah B. New York, NY
My wife
Jennifer and I were very happily married for nine years when
she died very suddenly at just 33 years old. We had talked
about putting an estate plan together—even some basic
information like what insurance policies we had, who to
contact if something happened, and what kind of memorial
service each of us envisioned. I did have the insurance policy
information, but what I didn’t have were all the particulars
involved with her business, which was booming at the time of
her death. We were young, what could we possibly have to worry
about?
When Jen
died, I was literally crushed. What made that horrid,
unthinkable situation worse was not knowing everything I
needed to know (not to mention where to find that information)
in order to make pivotal decisions about the future of her
business…decisions that now affected my future. All this could
have been avoided if only my dear wife and I had taken the
time to do a little planning. Take Brian’s advice, and take
mine: get it done. Make it clear. Do it now. Not tomorrow.
Now.
Steve W.
Kansas City, KS
I
started thinking about an estate organizing system when my
husband and I were going on vacation together—without our
three small children. What if the plane crashed or we had
a car accident and we both died?
Having all
our important information in one place gives me peace of mind,
especially when I’m not with my kids. If my husband and I ever
died at the same time the designated guardian of our children
knows to look in our safe, where she will find any information
she might need. In addition, if anything happened to us
individually, it would spare the surviving spouse from having
to scrounge around for documents in a time of grief.
I update it
every so often. It’s very organized. I think everyone should
have something like this. I wish our parents did.
A truly necessary tool for helping your family after you have gone. I've taken care of executing too many estates in my family and I wish we had Brian’s book for each of them. Peace of Mind really takes the "what do I need to do?" out of preparation. The book is literally a step-by-step guide that takes you from "final wishes" to where documents are to financial information, insurance and the planning aspects.