This program is an electronic form of Sandy F. Kraemer's Guide to Estate Planning. This is a reference program that contains forms, graphs, charts and worksheets to help reduce, defer or eliminate gift, estate, inheritance and other taxes. It contains information on how to avoid probate and maximize inheritances.

This program is in book format on a split screen. The chapter and topic headings are on the left side of the screen. The chapter contents are on the right side. Either side can be expanded or reduced by dragging the horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the windows or grabbing and dragging the frame between the windows. You can click on a chapter title to reveal the topic headings within that chapter. If the chapter heading or subheading is wider than the window, the entire heading can be viewed by holding the mouse over it (Windows 95 only).

Your own notes may be inserted into any topic. These notes can then be located by the paper clip that is placed below the topic heading where the notes were inserted. You may also set bookmarks to a favorite or frequently accessed topic. The program uses the topic name as the bookmark name or you can rename it by typing over the text. Topics may also be copied to the Windows clipboard and pasted into another application.

You can search for a particular topic. The search window contains a full alphabetical list of topics. A key word may be entered or you can simply scroll through the list. There is a browse feature (Windows 95 only) that allows the user to click either the forward (>>) or back (<<) browse buttons above the text window, which is similar to flipping through the pages of a book. Hypertext links are used throughout this program to instantly display definitions, charts, graphs and other pertinent information. To make this program more interesting and meaningful, there are real-life case histories to illustrate estate planning successes and easy-to-avoid mistakes.

An interesting (or annoying - - depending on your point of view) feature found in this program is the advertisements that flash across the top of the screen for their other E-Z Legal products. Their web address is also displayed.

This program is not intended as a substitute for a professional estate planner or attorney; rather, it is intended as a planning tool to be used before you consult with a professional. The information in this program forms the basis for the meeting with the tax planner. It is a guide for choosing a competent professional. It contains questions for the user to ask, along with forms and charts that will help you determine the value of your estate and how you want it administered. The program gives real life examples, including both successes and failures. It also contains a digest of legal and tax terminology that defines the legal and tax terms used throughout this program. It gives pros and cons to setting up trusts and gives model instruction letters such as an inheritance letter that gives instructions on what to do immediately after one's death (listing locations of important papers, who to call, what benefits to expect, etc.). This is a welcome addition to my reference program library.

This program is published by E-Z Legal Software, 384 South Military Trail, Deerfield Beach, Fl 33442 954-480-8933