Generations - Planning Your Legacy - Robert A. Esperiti, Renno L. Petersen et al.

[John Hjorth]

 

I ordered this book on thriftbooks on 21^st September 2025, based on @schins metioning the book on CofB&F here :

 

 

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I've been involved in such activity in my own familily since before I joined CofB&F in March 2013, it actually started in March and April  2012 with talks with my eldest brother about that the time was due to a serious talk with our longest living parent - our Dad - about downsizing, after he had moved to a nursing home in the autumn for 2011, because of his health condition, and it made no sense any longer to keep his house - the childhood home of my brothers and me, bacause he would never be able to return to it.

 

Actually the same happened about the same time for the longest living parent of the Lady of the House, her Mom.

 

So, after the disposal of both houses in the end of 2013 the reprentatives still alive of the oldest generations in both families were flush with cash. After tasks in both families and some basic assistance from the lawyer of my Dad to make sure the quality of documents, and plans were set up in both families, and executed on, to transfer net assets to next generation, gradually, over time, because of existing constraints here in Denmark for how to do so, to minimize taxes of the estates.

 

It has worked out quite well, without any unpleasant surprises surfacing afterwards, because something skipped our attention initially.

 

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By now, both our longest living parents have passed away, and their estates have been settled and fully passed on.

 

So 'suddenly', we [the Lady of the House and I] are 'the new old buggers' and 'next in line', and the process starts all over again. Our parents never timely gave such issues any considerations and acted upon their wishes, if anything other than inheritance after the law was a consideration worthy, while we have the opportunity and the intact ability to do so.

 

Especially the last 4 - 5 years it has been on my mind to do so, so on-off.

 

I have always missed a basic framework to apply on such thinking, to create and give it structure. [Howewer, I'm not totally unequipped and 'naked' in that regard as a Danish CPA by education, but it's certainly not 'my turf' proessionally, I must say.]

 

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Based on @schins mentioning as posted above, I assessed perhaps this book woud fit my needs, and ordered it.

 

The book is according to front inside flap of the dust jacket written by Estate Planning lawyers, but not for lawyers only, and the information - according to the information at that place - is presented in an easy-to-understand, question-and-answer format so that you can quickly pinpoint topics that are relevant to your needs.

 

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The book is from 1999 and it's based on US tax system and legal regime ruling at that time, but just judged from the table of the contents, the book seems to provide such basic framework for more structured thinking about what's on my mind. [I may elaborate on that, if asked.]

 

Applying the framework to our actual situation, will and wishes and Danish conditions and regime is the on ourselves.

 

Which is what I applied for by the ordering of the book.

 

So, I look forward to the read.