The Wise Inheritor

The complete guide for managing the financial, legal, and emotional issues of inheritances large and small.

A death in the family is never easy, but receiving an inheritance, whether expected or not, can leave heirs feeling overwhelmed and even guilty at this change in their fortunes. Ann Perry’s insightful examination of the challenges make managing a bequest a little easier.

Combining her practical know-how as a personal finance writer, the expertise of financial advisors, attorneys, and psychologists, and the wisdom gained from her personal inheritance experience, Perry deftly deals with such touchy subjects as selling the family homestead, divvying up property in “blended families,” parceling out heirlooms, dividing a family business, and sharing—or not sharing—an inheritance with a spouse.

With refreshing candor, Perry addresses the guilt, grief, and unrealistic fantasies that can keep heirs from making the most of their windfalls, and also explores the unique, even life-changing, opportunities that a bequest can present. An excellent tool for estate planning, as well, this is essential reading for those who are writing their wills as well as those who are remembered in one.

Ann Perry writes a weekly personal financial column for the San Diego Union-Tribune that is syndicated by Copley News Service. She has also written an Internet shopping column for Knight-Ridder newspapers and contributed to many other financial publications.
She lives in Encinitas, California, where she can be reached at www.moneyperry@aol.com. Her grandmother popularized the first widely marketed Go Fish card game, helping lay the foundation for Perry’s own inheritance.