ABA/AARP Checklist for My Family: A Guide to My History, Financial Plans and Final Wishes

I bought "AARP Checklist for my Family," along with "My Final Wishes," for my me and my husband. This "AARP Checklist for My Family" is 250 pages covering all aspects of one's life. It covers personal and family history; insurance; retirement and veterans benefits; banking and savings; investments; real estate; other assets and debts; wills, trusts, and powers of attorney; and medical and final wishes. Each chapter has an extensive "to-do checklist" and many questions to probe your memory and request information that one would have not otherwise thought of. "My Final Wishes," on the other hand, is a 37-page booklet that consists mainly of empty or blank pages.

This is a well thought out workbook! My father is long retired and 88 years old. He was a banker, is still in our family home and very lucid and in control of his faculties but after a recent motorcycle accident (hit by a deer at 65 mph) that occurred to a friend of mine I got to thinking about what I didn't know (he is a WWII vet...how are military honors handled, who do I call? He's not a religious man but has a lot of friends in town so how do we handle a funeral or memorial service? I also decided to get the book for myself as well (I'm 50) realizing that none of my friends or family know what I want for myself. Best to start making some choices. And, my Dad and I can do it together...my Mom has been gone a while and my brother is absent though we fear he may turn up at the end. The book is thorough (including documenting tech stuff/passwords, etc.) and well organized. Sometimes having these conversations are tough & teary, especially at first but this workbook helps and I get to learn more from what my Dad already knows and has done.

This is a wonderful way to start the tough job of itemizing your life to ease your family's work. We had just gone through a difficult probate that should have been simple, but the records were scattered in boxes, computer files and banks. That prompted us to look for a way to help our children avoid some of the pitfalls we faced. The book is a good start, but we find that it ignores the fact that some couples are equal partners and have separate data to share. The way the book is set up, there is plenty of room for one and then much smaller areas for the second person.

This book has all the information you need to know, and so much more that I never thought of, all in one place. Instead of having to search all over and talk to different people, this book has all the information you could want in a step by step, methodical sequence. I believe it's a book that would help anyone prepare, and to do the best for their family and loved ones. The book was in brand new condition, and shipping was very fast. I recommend this highly as a useful tool that will help those that want to organize their affairs, wishes, and even family history. A book with information that eventually we will all have a need for. Highly recommended!!!

Way more book that I was expecting!!! This will take longer than I probably have in order to fill out. This is truly a book, and I can see where you can impart all kinds of info to your next-of-kin here. I was looking for a booklet, that my 25-year-old would have the patience to stick with. I'll use this as a guide to do my own booklet, as I waited too long to return it. A quality production, but way more than I was looking for.;;

I've been putting off this task for several years... finally getting back on track -- this is making it a LOT simpler to get organized -- stuff I never would have thought of. You'll STILL eventually need a lawyer, but this book will help to avoid thousands of $$ so the lawyer doesn't have to charge you for getting it all together... and then more because you forgot or didn't know about a lot of it.

Very detailed and very time consuming. I thought I was prepared, but I have been working on this project for months I am sure my daughter will appreciate the work when she needs to deal with all of this. I do not want to leave her with the chaotic mess my father left me. Well worth the money and the time involved. I feel relieved that I am leaving an easy to follow trail to all documents and contacts. Glad I landed on this publication through AARP.

Not what I thought it would be but good anyway.I thought it would give you advice as to how to prepare for an orderly death but gives advice for organizing information.

This is a very useful book for end of life and estate planning. It is well organized and it will be a good resource for thinking through all the issues we face as death comes our way and then for our family after we die.