Customer Rating: Summary: A gentle, thorough system, even for an ostrich like me! Comment: I've been left to pick up the pieces after a loved one's death and would not wish that experience on my family. That said, exactly because the subject was so intensely emotional, I'd put off meaningful gathering and preparation.
A recent experience I watched unfold showed me how selfish that approach was and I started looking for a method to pull together information. This book came highly recommended, and I liked the idea of the accompanying CD-Rom.
We've been making progress with our worksheets (I printed one file for each of us, with a master file for joint things like checking/savings accounts and our home). When we're almost done, we'll sit down with a professional and use this material to develop a living trust.
The author's manner throughout is professional and yet compassionate. Instructions are easy to understand, yet there's not a feel that you're being talked down to. You also can hop from one place to another in the book and worksheets as your information and mood take you.
I'd add these suggestions to the process:
* If you don't already have a grid of account numbers, simply gather your monthly statements now, while you're waiting for the book to arrive, and add new statements as they come in.
* "Tax time" is a perfect time to work on the financial sections, since you've probably got a lot of materials more at your fingertips than you do at other times of year.
* Practice security wisely. Keep the material at home, preferably locked up. Although you can work on the files on your computer, I would advise very strongly against leaving them on your drive. Either secure the printouts or archive your documents on a removable drive, which you then secure.
* There's a note that no tech support is available for non-Windows users. I have found that the CD operates easily and flawlessly on the Mac OS X platform.
* If you're reluctant for time or emotional reasons, you'll find that you can get a lot done in 20-minute chunks. For the same reason, turn to the portions where you indicate your wishes (remembrance service? full-blown viewing and service?) since your voice will provide comfort and solace to those you leave behind.
(This review is of the second edition of the book, which was purchased directly from Amazon.)
Customer Rating: Summary: Not as expected Comment: We were hoping to set up a will and living directive, but the CD didn't have that. The forms are in PDF format so you print them off and fill them out?? Not sure why that is, deliver a Word doc so people can type it in. It's a great get all the information together type of book, just not great on the other parts of what to do if you become incapacitated type situations. Customer Rating: Summary: Everyone has important paperwork and legal information which loved ones should have access to Comment: Everyone has important paperwork and legal information which loved ones should have access to: GET IT TOGETHER: ORGANIZE YOUR RECORDS SO YOUR FAMILY WON'T HAVE TO appears in its second updated edition to tell how to sort important records, help your family find needed information, and how to do so with or without a computer in hand. Step-by-step descriptions of what documents will be needed, how to organize and protect them, and how to provide selected users with keys for finding them quickly make GET IT TOGETHER a top pick for any public library reference section. Customer Rating: Summary: Covered All The Bases...And More Comment: I bought this book thru Amazon in June 2006 because of my experiences working with a close friend who had just lost his father rather unexpectedly. My friend faced a monstrous task of trying to track down his father's assets, business records, last will, credit accounts, etc. just to scratch the surface. As a participant in his frustration, I began to think about the arrangement of my personal life and how my loved ones would tend to my estate.
"Get It Together" brings so much to the table to deal with. I think most people refuse to face their mortality and the task of making such arrangements, let alone there really is a large volume of papers, decisions, conversations, and organization to be handled. GIT is very thorough in all topic areas (see Table of Contents). The book discusses the emotions involved with each topic area, numerous websites to obtain additional information, what to get a copy of, keeping the info current and arranging your "estate" or life, for that matter, to benefit those close to you.
My parents or other people I look up to would never or be highly uncomfortable discussing these topics in detail. This book is perfect to compensate for the lack of those conversations. Now, just a warning for those willing to purchase and conform to this book. I was quite diligent in following all their instructions and recommendations to the "t". It took longer than expected, about 12 weekends, until I had gathered and organized everything to my satisfaction and I don't have a wife, kids or other complicated situations...just me alone.
But I have such a peace of mind that my successors will have no trouble making decisions or tracking down stuff because it's all there with explicit directions from me. I find going forward that I try to keep my life organized in a simple fashion and refuse to take on unnecessary stuff that I will need to add to my planner. And I feel no stress at all looking at my desk now because all the meaningless clutter is gone and GIT was a big reason for that.
Finally, the greatest resource is the forms CD included with the book, which saves a great deal of time when the organizing process starts and got me unstuck in some areas. Customer Rating: Summary: Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To by Melanie Cullen Comment: My mother died suddenly and left her estate in a total mess. I was left shocked, grief-stricken and alone in struggling to make sense of what needed to be done. I wouldn't wish that ordeal on anyone let alone on those I love. This workbook and companion organizer is the perfect solution. Nothing will be left to guesswork if I am incapacitated or dead. It is thorough yet simply organized and written from a compassionate perspective. It is a gift of love to provide this kind of direction to those who must make decisions on your behalf.
Get your life organized with the best workbook available!
Paperwork and personal information isn't always easy to find, and organizing your records can seem like an intimidating task. But, whether you need to organize records for yourself, your family or your executor, Get It Together will show you how to keep track of:
instructions for survivors
secured places and passwords
final arrangements
estate planning documents
employment records
insurance policies
tax records
retirement accounts
government benefits, and
real estate records
This workbook provides a complete system for structuring a records binder and easily organizing it for your loved ones. And, if you'd like to work on your computer, use the CD-ROM and print your work and put it into a binder.
List of Forms The book contains 28 blank tables where you can organize information about the following topics:
Letter to Loved Ones Instructions for Loved Ones Biographical Information Children Others Who Depend on Me Pets and Livestock Employment Business Interests Memberships Service Providers Health Care Directives Durable Power of Attorney for Finances Organ or Body Donation Burial or Cremation Funeral and Memorial Services Obituary Will and Trust Insurance Bank and Brokerage Accounts Retirement Plans and Pensions Government Benefits Credit Cards and Debts Secured Places and Passwords Taxes Real Estate Vehicles Other Income and Personal Property Other Information
