A witty, digestible legal guide.
A lawyer uses humor to enliven a discourse on wills and trusts.
Willingham (Why Should I Care? I’ll Be Dead, 2017) directly and authoritatively answers the question posed in the book’s title, but he does so in a style that’s enjoyable, conversational, and engaging. Each chapter in this book of legal advice starts with an amusing quotation from comedian Jim Gaffigan, which makes it anything but stuffy. The author intuitively divides it into three parts that discuss the definitions of legal terms, the basic differences between wills and trusts, and the reasons to create a trust. An instructive introduction is augmented by an excellent “Trust or Only Will Decision Chart” that clearly lays out whether a trust is advisable in a given situation. In the first part of the book, Willingham candidly, and humorously, writes about “Wordy Lawyer Words”: “Like doctors, lawyers need to make things confusing so we can charge a lot of money.” He goes on to deftly explain common legal terms and define types of property from a legal perspective. There’s also a useful discussion of estate planning as well as what might happen if one doesn’t adequately look ahead. The second part of the book includes a clear comparison of “probate with no will” and “probate with will.” For readers considering a trust, the third section lays out numerous reasons to go with that option as well as a rundown of various types of trusts. Willingham uses relevant examples from his own practice as well as hypothetical cases as he intelligently discusses beneficiaries and estate taxes, among other issues. The author’s “Tips and Tricks” in the book’s third part are noteworthy in that they not only suggest possible strategies for creating certain trusts, but also ways to reduce legal fees.
A witty, digestible legal guide.Pub Date: June 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-07-063083-0
Page Count: 175
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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