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Last summer, Mark Gavagan mailed me a copy of his It’s All Right Here life and affairs organizer. This three-ring binder is big and unwieldy, but is amazingly comprehensive. It not only offers pages for credit card and saving account information, but also includes space to record family medical history, business information, and more. There are even several pages of vinyl or plastic sleeves where you can store things like keys!
The It’s All Right Here life and affairs organizer provides 300 pages for recording your information (too many, if you ask me) and, like Suze Orman’s Ultimate Protection Portfolio, it’s a bit spendy. It’s certainly worth ordering if you’re looking for peace of mind, but there is another option.
After our discussion in February about how to organize your account information, GRS-reader Erik Dewey e-mailed me to say that he has created his own life-affairs organizer, and he’s willing to share it with others.
Dewey calls his 565kb PDF The Big Book of Everything, and he’s made it available for free download at his site. Dewey writes:
[The Big Book of Everything] is a notebook filled with all of the information anyone could possibly need to know about you. The idea is that in our lives we have countless things that we are involved in. On rare occasions, other people need this information and no one knows how to get it. That’s where the Big Book comes in. By filling this out and keeping it current, you can simplify the effort others have to take on your behalf.
This is basically a less-polished version of Gavagan’s life and affairs organizer. The Big Book of Everything includes sections for:
- Passwords and logins
- Bank accounts
- Insurance policies
- Tax records
- Debt obligations
- and more…
At just 37 pages, The Big Book of Everything is much more compact than the It’s All Right Here affairs organizer. And did I mention it’s free?
This is a great example of a Get Rich Slowly reader taking the time to create a tool to fill a need his in own life — and then being willing to share that solution with others. Thanks, Erik!
Update: By popular request, Erik has created editable versions of the Big Book in both Excel and PDF format. Awesome!
This article is about Planning, Tools Tuesday, 21st July 2009 (by J.D. Roth)
July 21st, 2009 at 5:10 am
Thanks for posting this!! I have been looking for something simple like this that would help me organize this information. I handle pretty much all of the expenses and my husband and I have mentioned lately that while I regularly update him on where we stand, he wouldn’t know where things are or how to get to them if something were to happen to me. Thanks for posting this.
July 21st, 2009 at 5:32 am
Such a comprehensive “reference manual” should be stored in a safe place (you don’t want burglars to steal it) - in a secure safe or safe-deposit box. Is it realistic to expect up-to-date information in such conditions?
July 21st, 2009 at 5:33 am
Wow - that’s fantastic. Thanks to you and Erik Dewey!
July 21st, 2009 at 5:41 am
This kind of document would be great to grab if you have to evacuate due to hurricane, tornado, fire, etc. As Kristen said, it’s a wonderful referral for the non-administrative spouse in a couple. It would also be extremely helpful for anyone trying to settle your estate. My mom recently showed me a file she set up with my name on it that has all this kind of information so I have access to my parents’ accounts, passwords, etc. when the need arises.
The scaredy cat side of me also thinks, however, that this is an identity thief’s dream. He breaks into your house and in a few minutes finds this book/file/document and has everything needed to assume your identity and wreck your life. I would want to store it in a safe deposit box, locked safe, or somewhere safe.
July 21st, 2009 at 6:13 am
Let me guess, it just has the numbers “42″ printed really big.
July 21st, 2009 at 6:29 am
Excellent! Thanks for posting this. I keep meaning to put together something like this, along with an emergency kit. Now I have even greater incentive.
As far as those worried about ID theft. I think there’s some legitimate concern, but honestly, how often are homes broken into AND how often will a common thief steal a binder that you’ve HOPEFULLY put in a somewhat hidden place? They’re going to go for jewelry, cash, and anything else they can move quickly. I would think ID theft is more common online or someone going thru garbage, not breaking into your house. Just my opinion.
Again, thanks for sharing, Erik (and JD)!
July 21st, 2009 at 6:31 am
wow - what a great initiative, thanks for sharing!
July 21st, 2009 at 6:31 am
Big thanks to Erik for putting this together. Currently, I keep most of my info in a clunky excel file that is locked with a password and stored in a hidden folder in an unusual place. I’m downloading this to see if I can better organize my info.
Can you lock a PDF file with a password? Surely it must be possible?
July 21st, 2009 at 6:49 am
Cool! Thanks, Erik. I have some info gathered, but not even close to everything I should have. We keep this kind of info in hidden a fireproof safe.
July 21st, 2009 at 7:11 am
You can lock a PDF with a password but you need the full version of Adobe Acrobat to do it.
Alternately, you can just create a password protected ZIP file on your own if you’re using Windows. Just put the PDF in that archive. Here’s how: http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Password-Protected-File-%28for-Microsoft-Users%29
I’ve been working on a document like this for a while, but it’s quite a bit larger.
July 21st, 2009 at 7:13 am
Right now, I have info in a file folder in my filing cabinet (under E for Emergency). I don’t think it’s altogether up-to-date, though. I like the idea of keeping a copy in a safe-deposit box (we have one that all members of my family are joint tenants with right of survivorship on), although I can see that it would make it more inconvenient to update (but mine’s real convenient and I still don’t update it).
In addition to financial info and suchlike, I maintain a list of people to be notified if anything were to happen to me–my family don’t know people in all of my social circles.
July 21st, 2009 at 7:30 am
This is a wonderful resource. I hope Erik reads the comments to get all the thank-yous.
July 21st, 2009 at 7:31 am
Thank you for putting this out there! What a great tool. I am a single, working mom still trying to clean up the mess my ex left behind. Taking this one page at a time will help me take on the overwhelming task of getting my life back in order.
Thanks again and God Bless!
July 21st, 2009 at 7:36 am
I recently started working on something like that and will have to take a look to see if maybe it will get me organized. The hard thing about the current one is trying to get all the other papers like insurance documents, bank info, etc since we have gone digital for almost everything.
July 21st, 2009 at 7:37 am
I’m just adding to the praise train here. Thanks, Erik! I can’t wait to send this to my parents…
July 21st, 2009 at 7:50 am
Thanks Erik for sharing! I’ve been wondering when I should start throwing out the old tax papers and stuff in my organizer. It’s ballooned to where things no longer fit.
Rgds,
RB
July 21st, 2009 at 8:27 am
This is wonderful–but since I have arthritis, I type easier than I can write. I wish you had enabled the typewriter tool to make it easier for us old folks!
July 21st, 2009 at 8:56 am
Thank you!!! I’ve been wanting to do this!
July 21st, 2009 at 9:00 am
How timely…I was just discussing this very subject with my 72 year old mother yesterday. She mentioned that she’d looked at her file, and in the 8 years since she’d created it, lots of things had changed - she’s now widowed, her previous executor has moved across the country, and mnay of her accounts have moved or been consolidated…
I’ll be sending this along to her. Thanks, Erik and J.D.!
July 21st, 2009 at 9:12 am
I suppose you could keep it in a safe-deposit box, and just make a habit of, every quarter, bringing a new version in. I wouldn’t keep such a thing at home, as many have stated, due to identify theives and burglars. Great resource, Erik. Thank you for putting it together.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:12 am
This is a fantastic resource! Thank you for posting this and making it available to the general public.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:34 am
Thank you so much for sharing your work, Erik!
I would encourage anyone compiling such a document to type it up or compile it on a computer (even if you print it out and don’t save the original file). That way, account numbers are much less likely to be mis-read than if they were handwritten.
I can think of one instance in our business when I gave my DH a copy of one of our FEINs written on a Post-It note, and he interpreted one of my “7″s as a “2″. That took some extra correspondence to sort out with the agency that received the inaccurate info.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:35 am
I really wanted to like this, but it’s not an editable form, which really limits it’s usefulness. If it were a form, and could be password protected (zip file passwords are crackable in seconds using readily available tools), it would be great. Personally, I wouldn’t print it, I would keep the encrypted version on my hard drive and periodically back it up (after edits) to a USB drive. Preferably something resilient like an Iron Key. Theoretically, you may be able to store it, encrypted, online somewhere.
July 21st, 2009 at 9:39 am
I agree that this would be more useful if it were machine-editable. Let me check with Erik. It may be easy for him to convert it to an electronic format.
July 21st, 2009 at 10:01 am
A lot of this information can be stored in a password manager (I prefer KeePass)
I use a 20-character password to restrict access to the KeePass database and it contains all my passwords, bank accounts, credit cards, insurance policies, etc.
The nice thing about it is I already keep it up-to-date to manage my passwords. Using it for estate management is an added bonus that requires no additional work.
July 21st, 2009 at 10:57 am
I’ve suggested to my siblings that we fill out copies and trade them. I’d be willing to have a digital copy on a laptop/backup drive OR a sealed printed copy, whichever they prefer. We’re all single so it would be nice to know they don’t have to dig through my horrific lack of filing if I get hit by a pickle truck.
Of course I have a very high level of trust with my siblings; if I had concerns, I’d give a copy to my best friend and just tell them to contact her in case of pickle truck.
July 21st, 2009 at 10:59 am
First time poster, but I was pleasantly shocked to see that others have this “bible.” Mine started as a way for me to access accounts under my new husband’s name (and vice versa), and has evolved into a place where we keep clothing sizes (for holidays and birthdays), home valuables lists, and health information for us AND our pets.
Another useful thing I kept is the listing information from our house, so that we could easily reuse it if needed.
If anyone would like my version, I am more than happy to share!
Incidentally, mine was created when I created the “brand” for our family - crest, monogram, stationery, return addresses, even holiday cards. Also feel free to contact me about how I did that too.
July 21st, 2009 at 11:05 am
Thanks Erik (and J.D.) for sharing this resource!
We’ve just begun organizing our “life book” so this will be incredibly handy to us. I’ll definitely be downloading it soon.
July 21st, 2009 at 11:06 am
Thanks so much. I can’t wait to start using this.
July 21st, 2009 at 11:20 am
I hadn’t really thought about making it editable on the computer itself. I should be able to do it, let me see.
I originally created it in Excel, so I have that file. I just need to look into adding the form fields in Acrobat.
My concern with having it on the PC is having it accessable when it is needed, that is why I like having it printed out. Still, no reason why I can’t modify it.
To the Bat-PC!
July 21st, 2009 at 11:42 am
very interested in getting an editable copy! Please let us know! thanks for this! Will save me a lot of time trying to think through what to include.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Don’t do it! Don’t save your passwords in a PDF, Excel file, Word document, ZIP file, or any thing like this EVEN if it’s password protected. I work in information technology and can assure you that this is very dangerous.
Password protection on these types of files is a nearly worthless false sense of security that can be bypassed in seconds, and your passwords aren’t encrypted. Instead use one of the many free password keeper software packages, like KeyPass (http://keepass.info/) which works on Windows, MAC, even your blackberry.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:52 pm
@ Jimmy: What about using disk encryption software to store the files, e.g. an open source one like TrueCrypt (www.truecrypt.org)? You can use this in combination with keepass.
July 21st, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Interesting info about the emergency gas shut-off valve and so forth. I just bought a house and remember the inspector showed me where stuff like that was. But I don’t remember now! What to do??
July 21st, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Let me know if there are things you think should be in the Big Book but aren’t.
Thanks for all the kind words.
July 21st, 2009 at 2:58 pm
In case Erik has trouble making it editable, it is possible to type directly on non-formed PDFs using freeware.
I use PDF-XChange Viewer. No affiliation.
http://www.docu-track.com/home/prod_user/PDF-XChange_Tools/pdfx_viewer/?act69=download
July 21st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Hi Erik -
Thanks for this - I plan to give it to both of my parents as well! Where did you say the new fill in version is?
Thanks again!
July 21st, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Thanks, this is great, and timely. But, I can’t seem to find it in the Excel format, am I missing something? This is great information, and has been on our “need to do” list for far to long.
J
July 21st, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Thank you so much, Erik! It looks immensely helpful in accomplishing an otherwise overwhelming task.
July 21st, 2009 at 3:40 pm
This is the most awesomest thing EVAR!
July 21st, 2009 at 3:49 pm
you da man Erik!
thx for sharing Erik & JD!
July 21st, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Did you all know Quicken software has “Home Inventory Manager” and “Emergency Records Organizer” for this kind of information???
July 21st, 2009 at 5:25 pm
This is a great resource! Thanks Erik and J.D.
July 21st, 2009 at 5:56 pm
If there is a place to donate or a cause you’d like donated to for taking the time to put this together, please let me know!
July 21st, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Thanks for this - will be great for me and my family:)
July 21st, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I think that assembling most of this information is a good to do, but I would draw the line at passwords and ATM PIN numbers. Even an executor can get by without accessing these.
As for location, I would suggest that it be placed in a zip-lock bag and placed into a chest freezer in the basement. In case of fire, the document would be protected. Also, few thieves would consider ransacking a chest freezer. Also, if you let your executor know that your will is in the freezer, it is a location that will not easily be forgotten.
July 21st, 2009 at 7:06 pm
@Bob Chest freezers dont protect anything in fire…they would be even worse than a firesafe in a fire. I am in insurance and have seen many a firesafe that are intact postfire but everything inside is ash because they got so hot. A freezer would never even survive something that hot. In addition to the fact that on of the first places that thiefs look for valuables are freezers.
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:06 am
Thank you both!
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:22 am
Again, thanks for the kind words. It looks like there is a problem with the excel file downloading. I’ll fix it this evening and upload the file again.
Thanks.
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:31 am
@ Jessica,
Darn. I’ve been using a chest freezer for important documents because I’m too cheap (er, frugal) to buy a decent-sized firesafe or get a safe deposit box. Guess I’ll have to cave and invest in the safe.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:15 am
I would suggest storing passwords more securely. I use Atek’s Logio Secure Password Organizer, which is a portable credit card size gadget that protects your login information with a master passcode. Other options are desktop password management software and USB password flash drives.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:56 am
Thanks to you and Erik for the free ebook. This looks like it will come in handy.
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I tried to download the Excel version and it is in 2007. How can I convert it to 2003?
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:00 am
The only thing I would say to add, if possible, is an extended section on recording possessions that have serial numbers - I’m guessing cameras, firearms, computers, that kind of thing. I don’t know if these modern TV’s have serial numbers, I buy mine at yard sales , but whatever is stealable.
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:58 pm
@ Laurie - disk encryption works well except for a couple of situations such as when you copy your documents to another hard drive that isn’t encrypted, or to a USB drive, or email them, etc - then you’re unprotected unless you’ve set up encryption on all the locations your files may traverse
This also wouldn’t help if, for instance, you walked away from your computer and someone else sat down and started accessing your files.
But it’s a great technology and a good method of protecting your computer from theft or loss.
July 23rd, 2009 at 5:36 pm
If you really want to keep this on your computer - You could as someone suggest use the free TrueCrypt tool to make an encrypted drive - Which is really just a portable file that can be moved from computer to computer just fine and the encryption does not go away.
You could then store that on an external site for safe keeping - and being a truecrypt file makes it inaccessible to everyone else without the password.
matt
July 23rd, 2009 at 7:38 pm
looks like Erik had to take it done. bummer.
July 24th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Does anyone know where I can download this? I saw the website was taken down…I would love to have this powerful resource.
July 24th, 2009 at 7:38 am
Yeah a couple of days later & it’s gone! Major bummer. Sounded like a great resource. I’m using an organizer with over 100 pages in it & it’s just too much. 37 pages sounds a lot easier. Too bad all the other guys have these great big ones & then want to charge big bucks for them.
Angie
July 24th, 2009 at 7:57 am
Hi, Erik has taken down his book, but I’d really like a copy of it if anyone would be so kind to send me one. As an Attorney, I’m more than annoyed that Erik would receive a copyright infringement threat from the publisher when he’s never even seen the book and he’s distributing his work for free. That kind of behavior chills speech and is what encourages illegal filesharing and actual copyright infringement
July 24th, 2009 at 8:11 am
This is one of the most important things you can do for your family:
FREE advance health care directive forms (e.g. living will) for each state from the “Caring Connections” program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Website: http://www.caringinfo.org/stateaddownload
You may also reach them via their HelpLine at 800/658-8898 or email at caringinfo@nhpco.org
July 24th, 2009 at 10:32 am
OK, I really need a copy of this “big book” that you speak of, but I can’t find it anywhere online now. If you’re reading this comment and you have a copy of the Big Book, could you pretty please email a copy to ‘buymyg5′ at the ever so popular hotmail.com?
July 24th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Bummer! I didn’t download it in time.
July 24th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Darn, I missed it too! This would be such a great resource to have.
July 24th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Nothing dies on the web.
http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:Rn5gEAOG0lcJ:www.erikdewey.com/big%2520book.xlsx+%22big+book+of+everything%22+dewey&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
July 24th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Hi, Erik has taken down his book, but I’d really like a copy of it if anyone would be so kind to send me one. As an Attorney, I’m more than annoyed that Erik would receive a copyright infringement threat from the publisher when he’s never even seen the book and he’s distributing his work for free. That kind of behavior chills speech and is what encourages illegal filesharing and actual copyright infringement.
Well, as an attorney who actually practices IP law, that comment is dripping with irony, because while what he did is legitimate, people sending you copies WOULD represent “actual copyright infringement.”
July 24th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
try this link
http://www.erikdewey.com/bigbook.pdf
July 25th, 2009 at 7:31 am
There are like, “5.3 million” different books published about weight loss, most with the same basic info - eat healthy and exercise… The Big Book of Everything is simply another “organization” tool, of which there are tons as well -so what’s the big deal with him making his version available to us?
July 25th, 2009 at 7:59 am
Erik removed the file
It is unfortunate because it could have helped so many that would not spend $50 ON A 300pg binder…
July 25th, 2009 at 10:46 am
What a shame that Erik felt compelled to take down his very useful creation!
I definitely will NOT be buying It’s All Right Here — or anything else from that author and his publisher.
If anyone has this file in Excel format — or editable PDF format — please let me know via a follow-up comment.
July 25th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Below is a link to a useful article titled “The Living Will: A Guide To Health Care Decision Making” for anyone thinking about Advance Health Care Directives for themselves and/or loved ones.
The article is jointly written by an estate planning & elder law attorney (Elizabeth G. Clark, Esq.) and a physician (Jack P. Freer, M.D.).
It provides a terrific summary of issues and circumstances surrounding Advance Health Care Directives, even though it’s more than a decade old.
http://wings.buffalo.edu/faculty/research/bioethics/lwill.html
July 25th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Is anyone who has downloaded the files wiling to share them?
July 25th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Response to the earlier comment: “Well, as an attorney who actually practices IP law, that comment is dripping with irony, because while what he did is legitimate, people sending you copies WOULD represent ‘actual copyright infringement.’”
How would it be “copyright infringement” to send people files of a document that you had created yourself (or that a stranger on the internet had created on his own and had urged people to download for free) and which was in no way plagarized? If that is the way the law works, it’s nonsensical.
If authors can be so paranoid and threatening about “intellectual property”, even though they have published a book about a commonplace topic which has been written about by hundreds of others before them, no wonder our moderately “free market” system has gone to ***l in a handbasket.
I’m sorry that Erik felt he had to back down and take his own publication off of his own website, but the bullying author has not done his reputation any favors, and if I had to (although plainly it’s not necessary, since there are many books of this ilk out there), I’d spend 2 hours on amazon searching for a different book so that I didn’t have to buy the author’s.
July 26th, 2009 at 12:06 am
I looked up Mark Gavagan’s book on Amazon. It is listed there but they don’t even sell it, NOT THAT I EVER,EVER BUY IT,. They link to other sellers or used copies.
This mention in this blog may have actually helped him, it mentions his book, which is ranked over 109,000 down in the seller rankings, and hopefully only goes lower. As it is he just garnered himself a lot of ill will.
In case you weren’t able to get a copy of the Big Book of everything, your local library has some of these types of books. I had taken a few out but I think Eric’s is best.
Check out comment at 12:34 PM July 24 above.
July 26th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Thanks Slug for the link. I just went to that site, copied the whole content and pasted it into excel and a few minor tweeks resizing the text boxes at the top I have the whole book saved!
I can’t believe this was taken down! It’s just an organizational list like any you can make, copy or buy.
July 26th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
MM,
Amazon has sold more than 7.5 million unique book titles up through March 2009.
A sales ranking of 109,000 - if that’s in fact the correct figure - out of 7.5 million is not exactly “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” but it’s not terrible either.
Here http://www.fonerbooks.com/images/sales.gif is a link to a graph by Morris Rosenthal that illustrates the meaning of the “Amazon Sales Rank” figure.
Lastly, more than 200 libraries across the country have made direct purchases of “The It’s All Right Here Life & Affairs Organizer” with a license for any patron to photocopy up to a dozen pages for their own personal use. If interested, search your library for ISBN:978-0-9800056-0-8
July 26th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Herr Gavagan-
Do not want.
Marketing fail.
Go away.
July 27th, 2009 at 8:26 am
I understand and agree with Erik’s interest in not screwing someone over by offering a similar product for free.
On the other hand, $50 for a checklist? Are you crazy?
For real, A nice notebook for $10 or a PDF for $5 and I’d consider it.
July 27th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Like Dan and Jim above, I keep my information in KeePass. I update this regularly with my information. Everything is encrypted. I occasionally will email this to my gmail account. I will admit that I mainly just have bank and utility information in this, and should definitely look at providing more life information in it.
Another thing to remember about KeePass is that it allows file attachments, so if you end up using a spreadsheet or PDF to organize your information, you can save it as an attachment in KeePass.
I am getting married soon, so I have been putting thought into the best way to maintain any combined records. It does have a feature I want to investigate where you keep the file on a shared drive/remote server for multiple users. This may become the way to go.
We also have a safety deposit box at the bank, so a quarterly printout of information or even an updated thumb drive with the encrypted information on it would also be useful.
While somewhat off topic, People may interested in something like the IronKey (www.ironkey.com) which I use constantly. This tumb drive could reside in a desktop computer and be shared out to the network. If the computer reboots or the thumb drive is removed, the drive is then locked. Put a password screen saver on the computer, and a thief would have to bust in while you’re using the computer and copy your files. I suppose you could do the same thing with TrueCrypt (but I personally had issues with TrueCrypt corrupting files on a USB drive).
July 28th, 2009 at 4:43 am
Another, less-pretty version is also available (in addition to Slug’s mention of a cached copy) here:
http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:RgvfuieE6A0J:www.erikdewey.com/bigbook.pdf+%22erik+dewey%22+filetype:pdf&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
(Google “‘erik dewey’ ‘big book of everything’ filetype:pdf” and click on the html link). You’re on your own for the formatting issues, though….
July 28th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I think FlyLady should sue Mark Gavaghan for copyright infringement, his big book sounds a lot like her control journal (only not as useful). Except she wouldn’t, because the idea isn’t exactly new. FFS Mr Gavaghan, have some sense. No one is going to buy your product now.
July 28th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I’d considered buying “It’s All Right Here” and had bookmarked it for later after seeing it on GRS, but after seeing the author’s request that Dewey remove The Big Book, I’ve deleted that bookmark.
Not only will I not be purchasing IARH, but I’m actively praying that the gods responsible for internet karma are swift, decisive and extremely punitive when dealing with Gavagan.
If anyone has a copy they downloaded and are willing to share, please email to andy (at) gin-n-tonic.com
July 28th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Folks, I understand your frustration, but I want to make it clear that I don’t think Gavagan is being a jerk or an asshole here. I don’t think he chose the best path of resolving the conflict, but he’s genuinely concerned that Dewey copied his work. I don’t think that’s the case (I’ve seen both works), but Gavagan is worried about it not from a “I will squash you sense!” but more in a “Yikes! My hard work is being undermined” sense.
Anyhow, I don’t think Gavagan is worthy of ire, though I do think this whole situation could have been resolved better. I wrote about the entire thing today at my personal blog: WIN-WIN vs. LOSE-LOSE: Two Approaches to Conflict Resolution.
I still have hopes that Dewey and Gavagan will reach some sort of agreement that benefits everyone.
July 29th, 2009 at 2:59 am
I can appreciate that many people are frustrated about this, but here’s my point of view (which I’ve shared with many writers of very nasty emails I’ve received):
Every book, blog, song, film, speech, article and website stands to some degree on the shoulders of others - bits and pieces of others’ work are consciously or unconsciously incorporated into every “original” work. This is an important element of how ideas evolve - as John Donne says, “No man is an island.”
So the question we should be considering isn’t whether some elements of one person’s work are drawn directly from the work of others. The question is “At what point is the line crossed and too much taken?”
Two points to consider are: (1) Was the “heart” of the work taken?; and (2) Does the new work fulfill the demand for the original?
(see http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/9-b.html by Richard Stim, J.D. for a short-but-excellent read about principles of fair use)
While I agree Erik’s entire work is certainly not a duplicate copy of mine, there was enough to cause genuine concern.
Please take a moment to compare the table of contents for the free online document to the table of contents for my book. If you didn’t know, someone has found a cached copy and listed how to access it in the comments of the “Get Rich Slowly” blog entry.
Here’s a link to the PDF for my book’s table of contents:
http://www.affairsorganizer.com/Majr_Sections.pdf
Once you compare them, I think you’ll see very quickly it’s close to identical, copying the entire organization and thinking behind my book, which I devoted myself to for almost 15 months because of my terrible personal experience in trying to get through all these issues when my Dad died in 2003.
Please contact Erik yourself. He’s a very nice and intelligent guy and he’ll tell you there was no talk whatsoever about threats or lawsuits or copyright infringement.
I very politely and respectfully described my concerns about how similar elements of his are to the book I put all my effort into and that his free book might have a serious impact on demand for my books (including my new much shorter and cheaper one: http://12criticalthings.com/ ).
I asked Erik to please consider taking his book down and replacing with a link to my new shorter book and a code that would donate 20% to the charity of his choice.
Instead, he generously decided to take down his links because he didn’t intend to harm my little one-person business.
I’m not some terrible person - I’m just a guy who has put everything he has into these books and I’m trying to make a go of it, even though it’s a difficult struggle.
Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
-Mark Gavagan
July 29th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Figures I hold off on checking feeds for a few days and this happens. Anyone have the pdf or xls that they could send me? vrillusions AT gmail DOT com Thanks
August 30th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Hi,
I d-loaded the “Big Book” on my computer in New York. My uncle passed away this week and I wanted to give the “Big Book” to my aunt to help her organize the household affairs. There were many financial things that he was responsible for that she now needs to handle. Can someone e-mail me the pdf at shadra AT shadrastrickland DOT com? I’d like to leave a copy for her before I head back to NYC. Many thanks.
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:12 am
Well, I stumbled upon this too late, unfortunately. I don’t think that Gavagan handled this well at all. Wonder what resources he used to create his book? Guess he’s lucky that others who’ve written similar books didn’t go after him. Like others here, I probably won’t do business with him because of this issue.
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:36 am
Unfortunately, I found this link too late to get the free PDF and am disappointed that Gavagan took the steps he did. I guess he should be happy that the creators of other similar books, like Orman, didn’t go after him.
I’d rather have something I can fill in on my computer anyway and then make digital copies than have to hand write all the stuff in a book. Does anyone else know of a similar, computer-based offering?
TIA!
October 12th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Happen to find an excellent book just as good at http://WWW.aier.org, named ” If Something Should Happen to Me”
Price $8. if you mention coupon”09- 0043″
January 27th, 2010 at 5:14 am
There are now cheaper digital download versions of both of my books*, so your information and decisions can be typed-in on your computer, saved, printed and changed at any time.
*”12 Critical Things Your Family Needs to Know” (quick/easy version) and “The It’s All Right Here Life & Affairs Organizer” (comprehensive version)