Dealing With Parents' Lifetime Accumulation of Stuff

Julie Hall. The Boomer Burden: Dealing with Your Parents' Lifetime Accumulation of Stuff. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN. 2007. 228 pages. $10.19 from Amazon. 

When someone dies, they leave behind memories of them, but also lots of stuff. The Boomer Burden addresses how to deal with the latter -- how to clear out an estate and avoid family squabbles over heirlooms.

The author, Julie Hall, is an estate contents expert and certified property appraiser who has helped thousands of adult children manage their deceased parents' affairs. She claims that if you follow her tips, you can clean out an estate in a week to 10 days. Hall recommends beginning the process of dividing belongings while your parents are still alive by talking to them and to your siblings about everyone's expectations and wishes. Hall provides practical tips for protecting parents from scammers, moving parents to a new home, clearing out clutter, talking to siblings and other family about valuables, distributing property, cleaning out the estate, and dealing with ethical dilemmas.

Hall also provides advice on how to take care of yourself and on how to keep memories of parents alive. This is a very readable book with lots of practical information to help families deal with a difficult situation.