Why Must Read 8 Ways to Avoid Probate?

Highly recommend this book, but suggest readers not rely on it exclusively, as there are alternative legal opinions, and of course, every situation is different. For example, some lawyers caution against doing everything via TOD & POD because that can lead to problems (nothing left in estate to pay debts; out-dated TOD/POD names lead to undesired inequities). However, everyone should know that POD/TOD is available for many accounts & assets, and this book does a great job of explaining that. Just wish the book explained the downfalls of relying on POD/TOD for everything. Also, probate isn't necessarily as bad as the author claims. And in some states, it can be quite expedient for certain assets. The book over-emphasizes the duration & costs of probate. Better would be to highlight conditions that lead to prolonged probate, and how to address that via the will. I found a major inaccuracy in the book with respect to IRAs inherited by multiple non-spouse beneficiaries. The book claims that the beneficiaries must take RMDs based on the eldest beneficiary. Not true; the IRA may be divided after death so that the non-spouse beneficiaries can take RMDs based on their own life expectancy. The book does not acknowledge this in any way, and specifically instructs readers to subdivide IRAs in advance of death to avoid this problem. That is an unnecessary burden, and highly inflexible. As with all self-help legal advice, take it with a grain of salt, and use it to develop questions for your lawyer.