fainancial

It always lurked in the back of my mind: make a will. The main obstacle that kept me from moving was the thought of a lawyer's fee. Now, this lawyer/author, Christine Sovich, brings the good news that the services of her expensive profession are not necessary to create a perfectly legal will. You can get this book/CD combo for about the price of six minutes of a lawyer's time.

I had a list of questions about the process, which the book was concise enough to answer in ten minutes of page flipping.
Question 1. What happens if you die without a will? Answer: A state court decides who gets everything you leave behind. The court makes these decisions in accordance with your state's intestate succession laws. In the process of getting this good and simple answer, my attention was drawn to a fascinating table on page 184 that shows who gets what in various intestate scenarios. For example, if you die unmarried with no surviving children or siblings or parents, your entire estate goes to your grandparents. If they are dead, the state starts searching for aunts and uncles.

Question 2. How does one ensure the will is legally binding? Answer: Make sure that you are at least 18 and of sound mind. Make sure the will is in writing, preferably printed. (Video wills are only legal in the state where the Simpsons reside.) Lastly, the will must be signed and dated in the presence of at least 2 and preferably 3 adult witnesses, and the witnesses must also sign and date.

Question 3. Who tells the state court that you have a will and that it is legally binding and who carries out its provisions? Answer: The Executor. This impressive title goes to whomever you select for the role. The legal requirements of the executor are the same as for witnesses. The practical requirement is that he or she must be well-organized and knows where to lay hands on your will if you should pass away.

After finding these basic things out so quickly and efficiently, I resolved to buy WRITE YOUR WILL IN A WEEKEND as a handbook for the details as I write my will, which may or may not take me a weekend. The writing is clear and plain, but also provides all the mellifluous legal terms that sound Old English, terms like "escheat" and "surety bond" and "forced heirship". Shopping enthusiasts will be interested to know that the legal term for all personal, movable property is "personality".

Sovich has an ability, finely honed during her career as an estate planning lawyer, to bring up all the right questions about the process at the right time, and to answer them--all in 172 pages of fairly large font. The other 160 pages are appendices--interesting and useful in their own way, but not indispensable.

I think this book does a great job of walking you through the steps to get your finances together - and it's not boring like so many other finance books. Part of the book is following a young couple in their planning process which I think makes it easier to understand how the "to do's" are applied in everyday life (and makes it more entertaining!). My husband and I were married just over 2 years ago and we're expecting our first child soon, so this book definitely applies to us! I would highly recommend this book to anyone (regardless of age) who is trying to get on the right track with their finances!

when can I order the 2000 edition?

Busby has done a superb job helping a minister figure out tax complexities yet his work is not complex itself. It is worth it by far!

This series by Dan Busby (both the Church & Nonprofit Organization Tax & Financial Guide and the Minister's Tax & Financial Guide) are a must have EVERY YEAR for anyone doing church finances, and payroll in particular. These books are especially helpful for non-accountants serving as church treasurers as they are written in plain English with little or no "accounting jargon". They are easy to read and understand and, more importantly, put into use. I also recommend them for tax preparers who have little or no experience doing returns for ministers. Even the best, most professional tax preparers can make mistakes on ministers' returns (I've seen it happen!) because of some of the strange tax codes particular to ministers.

This book is simply a "must have" for anyone involved in any way in the finances of a church. I have been in church finance for over 10 years and I am frequently chagrined to find out how many misconceptions and how much bad information is out there about church accounting and ministers' tax treatment. This book is a clear and concise guide to the specific issues related to accounting and record keeping that are unique for ministers.

Though written by an accountant, it is easy to read for non-accountants while remaining useful for accounting professionals.

I cannot recommend this book, or it's companion, Zondervan 2003 Minister's Tax & Financial Guide, highly enough. I pre-order the new editions every year.

This book is simply a "must have" for anyone involved in any way in the finances of a church or a minister. I have been in church finance for over 10 years and I am frequently chagrined to find out how many misconceptions and how much bad information is out there about church accounting and ministers' tax treatment. This book is a clear and concise guide to the specific issues related to accounting, record keeping, tax preparation and tax planning that are unique for ministers.

Though written by an accountant, it is easy to read for non-accountants while remaining useful for accounting professionals.

I cannot recommend this book, or it's companion, Zondervan 2003 Church and Nonprofit Tax & Financial Guide, highly enough. I pre-order the new editions every year.

To become successful in any skill, model yourself on those who have already achieved success, and becoming financially successful is no different from any other skill, so grab this book & start reading! This 240 page compendium of insights from some of the world's most successful human beings is a real bargain. The authors have drawn out in a very readable, down to earth set of conversations, the enduring tenets of becoming rich and successful while remaining decent generous people from the best of the best. I've already read the book twice & I only received it a week ago! This is indeed a "proven, practical book that will accelerate you along the road to financial independence" as Brian Tracy says. Follow its wisdom & you can't possibly fail. I hope the authors produce more of these Conversations, and that they will be able to include readers of THIS book. Go for it, chaps! The radio program was a great idea and the book lets the rest of the wide world in on the act.

I could not put this book down. I have always wanted to get into the mind of a millionaire and ask them how they achieved the success that they have...what they did, how they did it, and what advice they have for people just starting out in their careers. Mike Litman does this in his book. He interviews several authors, CEO's and businessmen and asks the questions that we all want answers to. I have learned priceless information on some of my favorite authors and businessmen on how to create such a successful business, what they do to stay on top, what do they read or study to continue to grow and better themselves and their companies. I can't say enough great things about this book. After I finished reading this book, I emailed all of my friends and associates and told them to rush out and buy this book, becasue it is worth it's weight in gold. I have read several good books, but this is the only one I felt deserved a review. Good work Mike!

Imagine sitting down next to nine highly successful individuals and listening to them talk about how they achieved success.

How much would you pay for something like that? How much would you pay to get a copy of the transcripts? Well my friend this book is exactly that--the transcripts of successful people telling you how they achieved success. And how you can also reach success and get similar results by using them as a role model.

My favorite interview was the one with Jack Canfield. Jack's humble and generous style really impressed me. He is my motivational role model.

Getting this book for only $15.95 is a joke! Why? Because Mike is a great interviewer, and he really gets these guys talking about HOW they achieved success. If you take only one idea from this book and really run with it, you WILL greatly improve your life! I found many, many great ideas in this book. I am sure you will too.

Mike has tremendous enthusiasm for achieving success. You can hear clips of him doing his motivational/success radio show on mikelitman.com. I highly recommend you go check them out. When I need a boost of motivation I listen to them, because hearing Mike is MOTIVATING!

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated &
Founder of www.CoachingWithResults.com

My expectations of this book were perhaps mislead. I thought that this would deal with more the generalized view of Wall Street. However, it really concentrates on the lives of traders.

Lewis does shed some light on Wall Street trading in general, including a good description of mortgage trading and junk bond trading. However, this book sort of throws it into the mix. I wasn't sure what Lewis was trying to do. Sometimes it felt like a history book, sometimes a biography, sometimes an economics lesson, sometimes a comedy. It felt haphazard and lacked direction, and with the writing style presented, it lacked a certain amount of fluidity.

It was fun to learn the different people in Wall Street. From the obese, abusive traders, the short sighted and greedy executives, the brown nosers, to the "back row" trainees. It's basically a fun little description of office life at Solomon Brothers in the eighties, not an exciting expose on the finance industry as the cover would like you to believe.

This book is hilarious. I didn't think a bond trading floor could be so amusing, but Michael Lewis proved otherwise. Look up a picture of John Gutfreund online before reading the first chapter.

I am a novice at financial markets. I picked up this book "just because it was there" (mountaineers will understand the pun!). I loved every page of it. The author's sense of humor and writing style is very impressive. What's more, for a finance novice, it is an education on bonds with a good mix of historical perspective. I found, at times, the author's low opinion of himself, a bit strange. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in a candid account of the upheavals, tricks and treacheries of the financial market.

As I began the book, I found myself nodding and agreeing with many of the observations. But by the end I was disappointed. The recommended obsessive tracking of money (including coins found in the sofa!); the way the authors summarily dismiss the more expense pleasures in life (e.g. referring to travel as "vacating"); and their rejection of the idea of right livelihood all seemed to belie their overall message that your time is more important than your money.

Also, they recommended a low-return investment as a one-size-fits all approach, dismissing very lucrative options like retirement plans, mutual funds, and stocks. You'd have missed out on a lot of easy money if you had all your money in treasury bonds in the recent market.

I suppose very materialistic people could really benefit from this book, but of course they're not going to be the ones reading it.

Cutting back on expenditure and living well within our means is good advice. But don`t give the book to too many friends because if everyone starts doing this a consumer driven society such as that found in the USA will head rapidly into recession ! But the financial advice is somewhat dubious. I live in Zimbabwe where inflation is 35% and rising. It may be 100% by next year. So anyone holding their life savings in bonds would be reduced to poverty within a few years. And just because you lucky folk living in the USA have had low inflation for many years don`t think it will last forever.

Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin, is a collection of simple, common sense observations about money. Perhaps because money is so fundamental to our lives, or because we associate it with work, often we don't examine these simple truths. But the first step to making sound decisions, about money as about every other topic, is to gather all the facts so you can make a knowledgeable and concious decision. This book helps you do that.

The book takes you through 9 steps to Financial Independence, from cataloging all the money you've ever made to keeping a budget to their solution for non wage income. The lessons are told in a easy, simple manner, with 'real life' stories interspersed throughout. Some of their most profound ideas aren't about money, but about work--what human beings look for in work that they used to look for in community and family.

I'm a single guy, and I felt this book was aimed at big spenders with families, mortgages and boats, but I still felt there were lessons to take away. Their end solution is something I'm still up in the air about, but the steps along the way were fabulous--every one simple enough to understand, yet powerful enough to change the way you thought about the concepts discussed. I liked this book and would recommend it.