Some Summer Reading About Mortality

Forthose looking for a last bit of summer reading, here are some titles about lifeand death that may interest you.

Ifyou’re looking for a little inspiration to find greater purpose in life, checkout Tuesdays with Morrie by MitchAlbom and The Last Lecture byCarnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch. Both books are about great men who gracefully faced up to death. 

Ifyou’re newly widowed, you may want to check out On Your Own: A Widow’s Passage to Emotional and Financial Well-Being byAlexandra Armstrong and A Widow’sStory: A Memoir by Joyce Carol Oates. Armstrong provides a basic guide for women accustomed to their husbandshandling the money while Oates will help those still coping with grief. 

Forthose wishing to read about dysfunctional families, there’s Mrs. Astor Regrets: The Hidden Betrayals ofa Family Beyond Reproach by Meryl Gordon, which details the saga of BrookeAstor and her unscrupulous son Anthony Marshall.  For a detailed account of disappointed heirs,check out Hendrik Hartog’s Someday AllThis Will Be Yours.

Forthose worried about spoiling their kids, read Navigating the Dark Side of Wealth: A Life Guide for Inheritors or Beyond Gold: True Wealth for Inheritors,two books by Thayer Willis based on his own experience.  For another take, try Eileen and Jon Gallo’s Silver Spoon Kids: How Successful ParentsRaise Responsible Children, which is a creative approach to teaching yourchildren about money.

Forthose trying to build a charitable legacy, Charles W. Collier’s Wealth in Families looks at themotivations behind and methods for being philanthropic.

Andfor those interested in providing for your four-legged family members, there’s Fat Cats & Lucky Dogs: How to Leave(Some of) Your Estate to Your Pet by Barry Seltzer and myself.

See Deborah L. Jacobs, Summer Reading: Beach Blanket Books AboutLife and Death, Forbes, Aug. 19, 2013.