Estate Planning & Taxation 2003-2004

Rating:
Summary: Good but not the best for beginners
Review: When I first bought this book, I spent less than 2 hours trying to read it before I was on the net ordering a different Estate Planning textbook. I was preparing for the CFP on my own and found the rather dense layout of the book to be a brick wall to my understanding the subject. Since I had virually no prior knowledge of estate planning, I found Fontaine's Fundamentals of Estate Planning more readable. I almost turned around and sold this book but kept it around for additional background information. I am glad that I did because I now find Bost's discussions of various estate topics to be more indepth and more encompassing than those presented in Fontaine. Bost is a good presenter and includes a large number of examples. The book and the examples are up to date reflecting the estate tax code phaseout although Bost gives me the impression that he thinks there will be no estate tax after 2009 (If that is so then perhaps I can grow 8 inches and play in the NBA). There are questions at the end of each chapter as well as answers to the odd numbered questions. The book includes a CD that claims to have an excel spreadsheet program as well pdfs of IRS forms and documentation of related IRS code but I can't comment on that because my dvd-rom claims that the disc is blank. If one wants to be an expert on a subject, one has to read more than one book on that subject and I found this book to be a good follow-up book as someone who is studying estate planning independently. In summary, let me say that the dense layout is more accomodating when one has a basic grasp of the subject and that I found the author's presentation very useful in giving me a better understanding of the subject and methods of estate planning.