The American Estate Planning Guide
Protect Your Family, Preserve Your Legacy, and Avoid Common Estate Planning Mistakes
Estate planning can feel overwhelming when you do not know where to begin.
The American Estate Planning Guide was written to make the process easier to understand in plain English — before you sit down with an estate planning attorney.
This is not a legal treatise, and it is not a do-it-yourself legal forms manual. The goal is to help you become a more informed consumer of estate planning, understand the decisions you will be asked to make, and ask better questions when you are ready to create or update your plan.
Why I Wrote This Book
When I was eight years old, my grandmother passed away.
As part of her estate plan, she left each of her grandchildren a gift of stock. At the time, I was too young to understand what that gift would eventually mean.
Years later, as I was preparing to begin college, my parents transferred that stock to me. It became much more than an investment. It helped make it easier for me to pursue my education and gave me confidence as I entered adulthood.
Looking back, I realize my grandmother gave me much more than stock.
She gave me an opportunity.
Her planning affected my life long after she was gone. That experience helped shape my belief that estate planning is not simply about deciding where property goes after death. It is about protecting people, reducing uncertainty, preserving family relationships, and sometimes creating opportunities that continue for generations.
What This Book Will Help You Understand
You do not need to become an estate planning lawyer.
But you should understand enough to make informed decisions about your family, your property, and the people you trust to act on your behalf.
Inside the guide, you will learn about:
Wills and what they actually accomplish
Probate and when it may occur
Revocable living trusts
Planning for incapacity
Powers of attorney and healthcare decisions
Beneficiary designations
Planning for children and grandchildren
Choosing executors, trustees, and other decision-makers
Family communication and preventing conflict
Organizing your affairs for the people you love
Special planning situations
How estate planning differs from state to state
Creating an estate planning action plan
The Goal Is Not to Give You Every Answer
The goal is to help you ask better questions.
A good estate plan is highly personal.
Your family is different from every other family. Your assets are different. Your relationships are different. Your goals are different.
The purpose of this book is to help you understand the important issues before you meet with an estate planning attorney so that you can have a more productive conversation and make decisions with greater confidence.
The goal is not to turn you into an estate planning lawyer.
The goal is to help you become an informed consumer of estate planning.
Estate Planning Is State-Specific
Many estate planning principles apply nationwide.
But the laws and practical procedures used to implement those principles can vary significantly from state to state.
Wills, trusts, probate, powers of attorney, property laws, court procedures, and other estate planning rules are governed largely by state law.
That means national education is only the starting point.
The American Estate Planning Series was created to help families move from:
National estate planning education
to
State-specific guidance
to
An attorney they have learned from and trust.
The book gives you the national foundation. EPSeries.com helps you continue learning about how estate planning works where you live.
Why I Wrote The American Estate Planning Guide
In this video, Paul Rabalais explains the personal story behind the book, why estate planning education matters, and how the American Estate Planning Series is helping families understand both national estate planning principles and the laws and practical realities of their own state.
Start With the Book. Then Learn About Your State.
Reading The American Estate Planning Guide can help you understand the decisions involved in estate planning.
But reading a book does not create an estate plan.
When you are ready to take the next step, visit your state's page to find:
State-specific estate planning videos
Educational resources
Information about your state's laws and practical realities
An estate planning attorney you can learn from
Education is the first step.
About Paul Rabalais
Paul Rabalais has devoted more than thirty-five years to helping individuals and families protect the people they love through thoughtful estate planning.
After earning a degree in Finance from Louisiana State University, Paul received his law degree from the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center and later earned a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from Boston University. Since beginning his legal career in 1991, he has focused almost exclusively on estate planning.
Paul is also the creator of the American Estate Planning Series, a nationwide educational initiative dedicated to making reliable, easy-to-understand estate planning information available to families across the United States.
Ready to Get Started?
Get The American Estate Planning Guide on Amazon
or
Find estate planning resources for your state