Deborah Jacobs. Estate Planning Smarts: A Practical, User-Friendly, Action-Oriented Guide. DJWorking Unlimited., New York, NY. 2009. 352 pages.

$13.57 at Amazon (click on book to purchase).

Planning an estate involves fitting together many pieces. You need to think about wills, trusts, life insurance, guardians, executors -- the list goes on. Estate Planning Smarts explains in a straightforward and easy-to-understand way all the different puzzle pieces and how they interconnect.

Written by lawyer and business journalist Deborah Jacobs, Estate Planning Smarts presents the basic information you need before getting started on estate planning. Jacobs covers planning for incapacity, dividing up assets, taxes, providing for children, trusts, retirement accounts, gifts to family members, and much more. Noting that we live in a global world, Jacobs includes a chapter for individuals who have a non-citizen spouse or who live abroad. She also discusses options for dealing with family businesses. Sprinkled throughout the book are interesting facts and stories about the estates of famous people like Julia Child, Arthur Miller and Heath Ledger.

Estate Planning Smarts features helpful charts that compare different estate planning options, and each chapter concludes with a to-do list with specific instructions. The book is full of practical information that will help you get a handle on your estate planning needs and make you a much more informed client when sitting down with your attorney to map out your estate.