Peace of Mind - Press Room

Author says it's best to plan for the worst

Plymouth Twp. man shows how to organize estate

July 8, 2007

BY JOEL THURTELL

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Brian Bartes' idea began on a camping trip. What if we don't make it back?

There followed a rough patch when several relatives and close friends died.

After all those losses, Bartes began to think about what happens after someone dies. Beyond having a will and trust, there are computer passwords and financial information that survivors might not know.

The result is a book to organize the vital information about a household. "Peace of Mind for You and Your Loved Ones: The Complete Guide to Organizing Your Estate" was published by Bartes through his firm, Legacy Publishing Group. The 41-year-old Plymouth Township resident is chief financial officer for Wolverine Packing Co. in Detroit.

QUESTION: What precipitated this work?

ANSWER: 2002 was a tragic year in our family. We experienced seven deaths over about a 14-month period of time. My wife's grandfather passed away. He was in his 80s, so that was not completely unexpected. My grandmother passed away. She was a bit younger, but that was not unexpected. But then an 11-year-old boy who was a very good friend of my son passed away, and it was a tragic experience, and that was followed by a friend of my wife who had breast cancer, and I had a friend who had a heart attack. ... I realized we were moving into this stage of life when it's conceivable that tomorrow could be the day, that we were not going to be around forever.

Q: Why do you think this book is important?

A: When somebody dies, you don't prepare for the emotional side, but people also don't prepare for the practical side. There are questions, like 'What do people want?' -- such as funeral planning. The other thing is document locations. We keep all our personal finances on Quicken. I'm the one who does that. My wife knows absolutely nothing about Quicken. There are a lot of people who know Quicken, so it's not the end of the world, but if she doesn't know the password, it is the end of the world.

Q: I take it your book has a place for noting passwords?

A: It addresses everything from funeral planning to financial. What do we own? What do we owe? Insurance. ... The book goes extensively into document locations.

Q: Why self-publish?

A: The format is a little unique in that it's a workbook. It's in a three-ring binder. For instance, in the personal section of the book there's room to write about children. There are spaces for four children, but what if someone has six children? With a bound, hardback book you couldn't add pages.

Q: Where's the book for sale? How much?

A: Legacypublishers.com, Amazon.com, the Book Cellar in Plymouth; $79.

Contact JOEL THURTELL at 248-351-3296 or thurtell@freepress.com.