I read this book and it was just what I needed to lean all about the purpose and need for living trusts. If you are thinking about your estate planning this book is definitey a good read and very informative. I called the number mentioned in the book for a referral but no one ever got back to me. I found that very strange as the entire book is based on useing a trust professional certified by the author. Despite this, the book is very interesting and you will probably get all the information you need in regard to the subject matter. I am glad I purcheased this book and I can now say I know a lot about the need for living trusts and how to get one that meets my estate planning needs.

It is an excellent guide book IF you have a Living Trust. There are a couple other books that Mr. Abts wrote that precede this one which are all very good and information everyone should know about, if you do not want to go through the expense of lawyers and probate. I am very glad that we had our's drawn up back in 1992. My husband passed in 2001, and this has been a great help to me, along with the help and support of an excellent Trust and Financial Advisor. The Living Trust is valid in every state in the Union.

It is an excellent guide book IF you have a Living Trust. There are a couple other books that Mr. Abts wrote that precede this one which are all very good and information everyone should know about, if you do not want to go through the expense of lawyers and probate. I am very glad that we had our's drawn up back in 1992. My husband passed in 2001, and this has been a great help to me, along with the help and support of an excellent Trust and Financial Advisor. The Living Trust is valid in every state in the Union.

Henry Abts is the foremost authority on the workings of a Living Trust in the nation. After researching more I learned that Henry was basically the pioneer of hte living trust industry and has collected the best legal minds to help him in his handling of this important subject.
This book is the best and most easily understood reference in print today. Henry has a special and unique talent of taking a complex and difficult subject and then break it down so that it is both understandable and interesting.
After reading this book twice, I did a lot more research and everything else I learned was already addressed by Henry. He also has another book on settling the Living Trust that helped me greatly. This is my way of saying thanks to a great author and educator. You will not be disappointed in this book.
rh from California

This book gives all the answers in clear, easy to understand language. I have spent a lot of time researching the subject and this is the only source I feel I can trust (get the pun?)

This book is a very long advertisement for the trust-writing services of the man's company, complete with urgings to call their 800 number to find their local agent. Also, everything in the book could have been said in 1/10 the space. It's filled with full page charts that contain no usefull information, and it rambles without reason. And, as long as it is, I still don't know much about living trusts.

It is not for writing your own trust, but it was by far the best for the legal information, explanations and especially case scenarios. After reading 3-4 other books, I found this to have the clearest presentation of a complex subject; but of even greater value--it gave common (but unknown to me and not mentioned in other books) alternatives for dealing with problem personal situations like irresponsible children or family. Ex: dividing estate into three dispursements given out at five year intervals to give heirs a chance to "blow it" and then grow up. Because of this book alone, I was able to make decisions I was finally comfortable with.

This is an interesting book. Being a lawyer specializing in trusts, I am, contrary to public opinion, open to new ideas. Generally, this is a very well researched and written book. Is it a manual for the unlettered? Not at all. Is it a book to be used by the moneyed? Not at all. This book contains many of the fundamentals of trusts, estate taxes, and administration of estates. The technical sections are very well done!

But, I regret to say the book is flawed. For example, the author makes the assumption that the practices of one state are common to all. The average reader will be uncomfortable in the discovery that some of the title practices, public officials, and even terms to which the author alludes or even states are not in use in the reader's locale.

At the same time, the author seems to think that the form is sufficient. Not so! It is the substance of the words, not their form, that is important. I fear that many unskilled readers will prepare their own trusts, leaving out some unconsidered thoughts, only to have the trust fall apart at wrong time, namely after the grantor has died.

Finally, I am pleased that the author has had such a successful business selling...trusts. I wish that the book dealt more with trusts, since their common law inception with the Statute of Uses passed during the reign of Henry VIII, and less with the business.

I was interested in getting an living trust about ten years ago. After visiting three living trust seminars,I came to the conclusion that the lawyers making the presentation probably knew less about living trusts than I did, which was not much although I had taken a course in Wills, Trusts and Estates in my undergraduate years. So I came to the conclusion that I'd better get self-educated fast. I didn't want some highly educated lawyer "going to school" on my money. I searched libraries and book stores for months for "how to do it " books and finally discovered Abts book. While a bit on the "wordy" side with side stories, I found it to be what I believed to be a sound common sense approach to the subject. I signed on with Abts Estate Plan and have all my property titled in the trust. I was also delighted to learn that Abts organization sends out a "newsletter" from time to time regarding changes in trust law. I heartly recommend this book.

This work by itself answered every question clients ever raised in my career as a Living Trust Salesperson/Paralegal. The text is easily understood and well presented.
If you are considering a career in the estate planning industry as a legitimate representative of your trade, make an investment in your clients wellbeing and purchase, don't rent (Public Library), this excellent work. Every subject you will face is addressed in this text. If it is not in this text ... it is definately a question worth the $250 an hour a certified Estate Planning Elder Law Attorney would charge.
If this was your parents estate, this is the book you would consult.
Dave

This book provides a great overview on the smooth an painless trasfer of property through a vehicle known as a Living Trust. Abts has been at it quite a while, and certainly knows the ins and outs of the probate system and establishing a contract that has, time and time again, avoided it.

Reading this will give anyone a solid foundation on the basic principals and mechanisms of a Living Trust. Don't expect to be able to sit down and draw up your own contract after reading this, but do expect to be able to use the education derived from this publication to find a competent individual that can assist you in establishing a Trust.

Contrary to some of the reviews found here - an attorney is not the only person that can provide you with thorough and quality documents (you are free to create your own contract through whatever means) - the Trust Estate can be settled and distributed to the beneficiaries in a matter of weeks or months (depending on the size - I have seen it done many times) - it can be amended after the death of the first Trustor/Trustee, and it cannot be contested the same as a will - both of these depending on IF the Trust is properly worded. IT IS that simple.

Do not fall prey to the individuals that are only interested in the very lucrative and old process of probate. Read this and become informed!

After reading this book two times we contacted a representative (referred by calling the number in the book) in our area. We found her to be EXTREMELY knowledgeable as she guided us along the path to make our own decisions concerning our Trust. After gathering all our information, a rough and final draft of this humongous document was produced. It took only an hour with our "guide" and an attorney to sign the documents. We had lots of homework to do . . . and the book and our "guide" have answered all our questions. The cost of the book and fees for the representative are the best tax deductable expenses we could ask for -- attorney fees were minimal -- MUCH less than other prices we had quoted to us. We intend to pass the book on to our children.

This book served to warn me of lawyers and the non-objective views they have. Just in time information that is clear. Please read before talking to ANY lawyer. I have seen some real dancing when I questioned advice given. I would have been completely taken by what I thought was in my best interests had I not read the book. Now to find a lawyer that can do the small parts, with out trying to provide for his/her retirement. The book tends to repeat a bit, but perhaps that is the only way to set the information in our minds. The collection of Falicy and Fact is worth the price of the book all by itself. I used it with the lawyer and she acknowledged the correct answers. Too late for her. Trust can't be regained on my nickel.

17 chapters, over 350 pages discussing the importance/advantage of Living Trust over Will. Little on how to draw up a living trust except some blank forms to help organize your assests. Although covers touts not needing a lawyer, bottom line message - buy my book, organize your information and hire a lawyer(me, if possible) to prepare the living trust. Look elsewhere for detail information unless you want stuff not fluff.