Your Estate Matters, is a book which has grown out of my weekly newspaper column. It answers, in a no-nonsense way, questions about the estate planning, taxation, estate settlement and financial issues faced by most ordinary Americans. It is not written for lawyers and accountants. It is written for average people who want to better understand their financial options and better understand what their financial advisors are trying to say. Your Estate Matters sets out to demystify confusing legal terms, describe planning techniques and offer practical down-to-earth explanations about the complicated ins and outs of estate planning and estate administration. It also includes other information that affects every family's life and pocketbook: income tax, living wills, trusts, pre-nuptial agreements, college savings, and retirement planning. The information is useful to retirees, business people, and children of aging parents as well as those planning their own estates.