The Boomer Burden: Dealing with Your Parents’ Lifetime Accumulation of Stuff
by Julie Hall—The Estate Lady
Published by Thomas Nelson
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Jan Warren
The Boomer Burden deals with the sensitive issue of death, and the unfortunate consequences of not preparing for it wisely. What do you do when you have elderly parents who are still in relatively good health, and who could consider questions about their finances and last wishes an invasion of their privacy? Dying or losing a loved one isn’t something most people want to think about, however, the horror stories the author tells, of what unprepared people had to deal with, had me wincing–knowing I might be facing similar situations with my aging parents. The book motivated me enough to call my sister and make plans to get together to talk with my parents. I will be taking The Boomer Burden with me for reference, and to help me voice my concerns that their final wishes are noted and carried out when the time comes—which, hopefully, will be a long time off.
How about you? Do you have a will, or better yet, a living trust? What’s the difference? What if more than one child wants the heirloom china or Granddad’s gold pocket watch? How do you choose who gets what and still divide things fairly among the heirs to reduce arguments after your death? If you are faced with dealing with your parent’s estate where do you start? What happens if a will isn’t found? What does being an executor of the estate entail? When do you need one?
Do you know what is valuable and what is junk when dealing with your parent’s stuff? Do you know what to do to keep their treasures from disappearing even before they are gone? The author addressed all of these important questions and more in The Boomer Burden. I give it 5 stars.
This would be an excellent gift to your parents so they can read about it–without you being the “bad guy.” It gives more questions than answers, but it is a super jumping-off place for family discussion. Also consider getting another copy and donating to your church library.
As hard as it is, being prepared, talking things out, is better than handling things in a crisis without any ideas of how, who, or what.
Armchair Interviews says: An important book for Boomers and their parents.
Author’s Web site: http://www.TheEstateLady.com