A jumbo sized battle in a high profile and seemingly never-ending estate matter highlights what may appear to be a minor detail in estate planning but what is in fact an important consideration: the executor fee. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, "Battle Involving Leona Helmsley Estate Spotlights…
Family members are fighting to lift a shroud of secrecy following the death of a successful bishop who built a real estate empire and a megachurch. As reported in The Detroit News in "Family battles over megachurch founder's estate," the estate of a Pentecostal bishop from Detroit could be valued…
Few things in life are more joyous than the arrival of another new baby in the family. Among the necessary tasks is a review of your estate planning documents. If you had a will prepared for your first child, it is possible that the existing documents simply need to be…
Written by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale), a new law, AB 139, is unlike most of the over-reaching and bombastic legislation that originates in the State Capital. As reported in The San Diego Times-Union, "State ushers in refreshingly modest law," this new law makes one aspect of estate planning easier for…
If you think of your business as a legacy that you wish to pass on to a family member, a partner or a valued employee, start planning now to create a business succession plan. Don't limit your thinking to a family member taking over for you. There are many different…
The same generation that redefined American culture is making changes to the concept of inheritance as well. A recent article in Forbes, "How Boomer Parents Feel About Leaving Inheritances," looked at two studies concerning inheritances to find that Baby Boomers are of two minds when it comes to leaving inheritances…
Failing to plan for the enormous changes that retirement brings leads many Americans to find themselves emotionally lost at sea when retirement finally arrives. In "The Biggest Oversight in Most Americans' Retirement Planning," Kiplinger's takes a look at what happens to people when they have failed to do any planning…
Updating beneficiary designations is usually the simplest part of estate planning, but it's also the most likely part of estate planning to be overlooked. You have beneficiaries on pretty much every account, from 401(k)s to life insurance policies. Do you know who your beneficiaries are? USA Today says that it's…
Make no mistake. Estate planning is, and should be, a serious business, along with financial planning and wealth management, notes The Wilmington Business Journal. These are all on-going activities and part of a well-managed, successful life, at any age or stage. In its article "Do You Really Want To Leave…
Eight specific recommendations are now being reviewed by Tennessee state legislators who are responding to the results of a task force that placed a spotlight on a disgraceful problem. A problem that is not limited to any one state. The Elder Abuse Task Force submitted a final report on its…