After months of work, I have published my third book on Amazon. It is titled “If You Need to Step-In“. At a high level, you can think of it as an estate planning organizer.
While it briefly touches on estate planning, its intended purpose is to help organize the collection of information that a Power of Attorney (POA), executor or trustee would need in the event of incapacity or death.
Background
The inspiration for this book came from a conversation my partner and I had about what would happen if one of us had to take over the other’s finances and daily affairs. That discussion made us realize how difficult it can be to find information when it’s scattered across accounts and files.
So, I started researching the subject and found some forms online that people can use to record information a loved one might need in the event of an accident, illness, or death. The more I worked on recording the information, the more value I saw in doing it — and that led to the realization that the whole concept would make a great subject for a book.
A couple of years ago, I started working on it but quickly discovered the challenge: most materials were either too simplistic or too complicated, depending on the reader. Fixed-format forms were also problematic because everyone’s situation is different. With those hurdles, I set the project aside.
Then, this year, after publishing “The Pheasant Hunter’s Journal” and “Build a Better Wood Duck House” books I decided to take another run at this book. With a little planning, I could get past the hurdles that stymied me before.
Planning My Third Book
I decided that this was not going to be just a book full of forms. I wanted it to truly help readers figure out what information they need to collect and how to do it. To overcome many of the limitations I’d faced before, I built an Online Resource page that includes downloadable forms and instructional videos.
Readers can choose from three ways to collect and maintain their information:
- Hand written, either in the book or using forms that they can download and print from the Online Resource page.
- Computer entered and printed using forms downloaded from the Online Resource page.
- Full digital version using forms and encrypted vaults that they can download from the Online Resource page.
Chapters describe each method in detail, explaining how to organize and secure information. Other chapters focus on specific topics — such as bank accounts, investments, property, and funeral planning — with brief guidance and highlighted fields on each form to show what’s most important.
With a solid outline in place, I then started to build the book, the forms and the Online Resource page.
Execution
Around the same time I began working on this book, I also started using ChatGPT. I was amazed at how much more productive I could be with AI — though I quickly learned that it needs guidance and supervision or it can wander off into the weeds.
There’s a surprising amount of busywork involved in creating forms in multiple formats. AI helped a lot, but I still had to decide what mattered most. In the end, it took a lot of time, attention, and persistence — much more than my previous two books.
Now, after months of work, the book is finally published. All the forms are included both in the book and on the Online Resource page. Some instructional videos are already available, and more are on the way.
Summary
So, my third book has been published. Of the three, this one has a much broader audience. So, I guess I need to do some marketing of this one.
To purchase a copy click on the cover picture below or reach out to me directly.
