We’ve been taught since childhood to plan for college, plan our careers, plan our families, and plan for retirement. However, end-of-life planning advice is rarely followed. Survey after survey reveals that most Americans do not have estate plans. Recently, the Huffington Post published “5 reasons to Plan Ahead for the…
The ongoing James Brown estate battle continues and the complexities begin with the value of the estate. As you may recall, his estate plan called for his music empire to be put into a charitable trust and used to help needy students. Nevertheless, despite the fact that his will contained…
A recent article in Marketwatch’s Moneyologist column, "What to do when a parent dies and leaves no will," starts with a sad example of how families fall apart when the lack of estate planning pits children against each other. The woman recounts how her father told her and her sister…
Estate plans can outline everything from the disposition of family heirlooms to the distribution of vast land and property holdings. Recently, the $500 million art collection of the estate of shopping center magnate A. Alfred Taubman was in the news. Taubman’s collection is thought to be one of the most…
Recollections of re-writing a will or scribbling changes to a will after the document has been executed are common. There is a process and procedure to revoking a will. Without the guidance of an experienced estate attorney, a prior and properly executed will trumps a do-it-yourself will. A recent article…