Creating the Good Will: The Most Comprehensive Guide to Both the Financial and Emotional Sides of Passing on Your Legacy

by Elizabeth Arnold

Leave your family peace of mind with this new approach to wills and estates Whenever Elizabeth Arnold tells people her specialty, they usually share their own family dilemmas. Maybe Dad left behind a misguided or inadequate will. Maybe Aunt Sue nabbed the vase that wasn’t in Grandma’s will and Aunt Pat hasn’t spoken a kind word to her since. Maybe Sis can’t decide who should get the kids in case of a tragedy, so she doesn’t have any will at all. Such tales of woe have nothing to do with legal or tax problems. The real issues behind wills gone wrong—or wills that never get off the ground—are the human ones. Creating the Good Will tackles the important human dimensions that most books about wills fail to address. Arnold teaches her readers that wills are not just legal documents but also heartfelt emotional tools.

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 2005

Reviews

[David S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book mainly addresses the difficult personal decisions in writing a will, choices that most lawyers are not able to address. Author Elizabeth Arnold is a family law lawyer who wanted to discuss and explain the critical issues in estate planning that law schools don't teach. She includes many examples from her personal experience, issues like is it okay to NOT leave equal amounts to all, how to handle troubled child, and much more. And importantly, how to discuss and inform these issues with the recipients of the estate, WHILE you are alive. It is an easy read (buy I did take notes), and pretty quick, as I could skip many of the examples were not relevant to my own life. It's a caring and valuable contribution.

[Shellie G · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good one. Elizabeth has some great expertise with estate planning. Her book helps you understand the importance of getting it right with estate planning, wills and leaving a great legacy. Highly recommend.