Estate planning is one of those unpleasant but really important tasks. Unfortunately, the process is not only hard to get started, it is then easy to make mistakes. Even the most careful and well-intentioned person can slip up along the way. Avoid the pitfalls! The 50 Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes outlines the major mistakes and their consequences in an entertaining way-and then proceeds to tell you exactly how to avoid these mistakes.

Delivering practical and helpful information in a light tone, the authors help to make these sometimes difficult conversations a little easier. The book's fifty concise chapters are filled with real-life examples, organized under four key areas of mistakes:

• The biggest mistake of not planning at all
• Failing to plan for the possibility of mental incompetency
• Mistakes made during the estate planning process itself
• And common mistakes made by executors

Written by personal finance and estate planning experts, Jean Blacklock and Sarah Kruger, The 50 Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes and How To Avoid Them is an essential guide for Canadians interested in planning their estates effectively, with minimal stress on their loved ones.

Praise for The 50 Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

"Quite simply the best estate-planning book I've read in 30 years. Outstanding!" 

— David Chilton, author of The Wealthy Barber.

"It's a rare occasion when I read a self-help book-because this class of literature is overpopulated with hucksters, snake oil peddlers and semi-literates. It's an even rarer occasion when I read one all the way through and end up recommending it to friends.

This book is, quite simply, the best I've seen in its field. It is sound, comprehensive, helpful, and-most importantly-readable. Its authors know their business, and they know how to explain what you need to know to make intelligent plans for your estate. Unless you are one of those enthusiasts who believe that, through diet, drugs, and denial, you can endure for centuries, you should read this book and use it as a basis for discussions with your family and your professionals. If so, your funeral need not-like so many-be the day your heirs start fighting with each other, and your estate begins to bleed."
—Donald Coxe, Chairman of Coxe Advisors LLP, has been a columnist with the Globe & Mail, the National Post, Maclean's and is the author of The New Reality of Wall Street

"A sensible, sound and savvy guide for everyone who is not immortal-that is, all of us. Thoroughly enjoyable and insightful. A must-read for all those thinking about estate planning-which, too, should be all of us."
—Michael Gordon, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Geriatrician and author of Moments that Matter: Cases in Ethical Eldercare

"In a very readable and easy to understand manner, this book hits all of the common estate planning mistakes head on. I highly recommend it."
—Ian Hull, LL.B., Hull & Hull LLP

"This book is must-read to understand how to protect your hard-won assets and assure a smooth transition for your family when you are gone. It also explains how best to ensure that your wishes are met and without making the mistakes common to do-it-yourself estate planners. While most of us don't want think about our mortality, planning ahead is essential. This easy-to-read guide explains the documentation necessary in the event you are unable to make your own health care decisions. The thoughtful preparation for delegation of personal care and financial decisions is essential to leaving a legacy that does not include hard feelings and family feuds. This book stresses the need for specificity, clarity and regular updating as your life change. The...]]> http://www.banks.ca/retirement/the-50-biggest-estate-planning-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them-canadian-guides/feed/ 0 http://www.banks.ca/retirement/the-50-biggest-estate-planning-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/ http://www.banks.ca/retirement/the-50-biggest-estate-planning-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/#comments Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:56:40 +0000 http://www.banks.ca/retirement/the-50-biggest-estate-planning-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/ http://www.banks.ca/retirement/the-50-biggest-estate-planning-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/feed/ 0 http://www.banks.ca/mortgages/financial-shock-a-360o-look-at-the-subprime-mortgage-implosion-and-how-to-avoid-the-next-financial-crisis-a-360-degree-look-at-the-subprime-mortgage-and-how-to-avoid-the-next-financial-crisis/ http://www.banks.ca/mortgages/financial-shock-a-360o-look-at-the-subprime-mortgage-implosion-and-how-to-avoid-the-next-financial-crisis-a-360-degree-look-at-the-subprime-mortgage-and-how-to-avoid-the-next-financial-crisis/#comments Sun, 09 Jun 2013 21:27:34 +0000 http://www.banks.ca/mortgages/financial-shock-a-360o-look-at-the-subprime-mortgage-implosion-and-how-to-avoid-the-next-financial-crisis-a-360-degree-look-at-the-subprime-mortgage-and-how-to-avoid-the-next-financial-crisis/ “The obvious place to start is the financial crisis and the clearest guide to it that I’ve read is Financial Shock by Mark Zandi. ... it is an impressively lucid guide to the big issues.”

– The New York Times

“In Financial Shock, Mr. Zandi provides a concise and lucid account of the economic, political and regulatory forces behind this binge.”

– The Wall Street Journal

“Aggressive builders, greedy lenders, optimistic home buyers: Zandi succinctly dissects the mortgage mess from start to (one hopes) finish.”

– U.S. News and World Report

“A more detailed look at the crisis comes from economist Mark Zandi, co-founder of Moody's Economy.com. His “Financial Shock” delves deeply into the history of the mortgage market, the bad loans, the globalization of trashy subprime paper and how homebuilders ran amok. Zandi's analysis is eye-opening. ... he paints an impressive, more nuanced picture.”

– Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine

“If you wonder how it could be possible for a subprime mortgage loan to bring the global financial system and the U.S. economy to its knees, you should read this book. No one is better qualified to provide this insight and advice than Mark Zandi.”

–Larry Kudlow, Host, CNBC’s Kudlow & Company 

“Every once in a while a book comes along that’s so important, it commands recognition. This is one of them. Zandi provides a  rilliant blow-by-blow account of how greed, stupidity, and recklessness brought the first major economic crises of the 21st  entury and the most serious since the Great Depression.”

–Bernard Baumohl,Managing Director, The Economic Outlook Group and best-selling author, The Secrets of Economic Indicators

“Throughout the financial crisis Mark Zandi has played two important roles. He has insightfully analyzed its causes and thoughtfully recommended steps to alleviate it. This book continues those tasks and adds a third–providing a comprehensive and comprehensible explanation of the issues that is accessible to the general public and extremely useful to those who specialize in the area.”

–Barney Frank, Chairman, House Financial Services Committee

The subprime crisis created a gigantic financial catastrophe. What happened? How did it happen? How can we prevent similar crises from happening again? Mark Zandi answers all these critical questions–systematically, carefully, and in plain English.

Zandi begins with a fast-paced overview and then illuminates the deepest causes, from the psychology of homeownership to Alan Greenspan’s missteps. You’ll see the home “flippers” at work and the real estate agents who cheered them on. You’ll learn how Internet technology and access to global capital transformed the mortgage industry, helping irresponsible lenders drive out good ones.

Zandi demystifies the complex financial engineering that enabled lenders to hide deepening risks, shows how global investors eagerly bought in, and explains how flummoxed regulators failed to pr...]]> http://www.banks.ca/mortgages/financial-shock-a-360o-look-at-the-subprime-mortgage-implosion-and-how-to-avoid-the-next-financial-crisis-a-360-degree-look-at-the-subprime-mortgage-and-how-to-avoid-the-next-financial-crisis/feed/ 0 http://www.banks.ca/savings/pocket-your-dollars-5-attitude-changes-that-will-help-you-pay-down-debt-avoid-financial-stress-keep-more-of-what-you-make/ http://www.banks.ca/savings/pocket-your-dollars-5-attitude-changes-that-will-help-you-pay-down-debt-avoid-financial-stress-keep-more-of-what-you-make/#comments Tue, 28 May 2013 06:21:49 +0000 http://www.banks.ca/savings/pocket-your-dollars-5-attitude-changes-that-will-help-you-pay-down-debt-avoid-financial-stress-keep-more-of-what-you-make/
Countless free budget plans are available for every possible income level and stage of life. So why do more than 60 percent of U.S. households still live paycheck to paycheck? The key to financial stability and success isn't just about money--it's about attitudes.

Rocha uses the lessons she learned overcoming personal debt to teach readers how to triumph over the lies we tell ourselves, such as "I deserve a treat," "Fake it till you make it," and "I can't afford it." Each chapter uses real-life examples to explain faulty thinking about money, followed by step-by-step instructions for how to overcome these pitfalls. Budgets are helpful, but real change won't happen without a financial attitude adjustment.]]> http://www.banks.ca/savings/pocket-your-dollars-5-attitude-changes-that-will-help-you-pay-down-debt-avoid-financial-stress-keep-more-of-what-you-make/feed/ 0