There is a common misconception that estate plans are only for the ultra-rich – the top 1 percent, 10%, 20%, or some other arbitrary determination of “enough” money. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. People at all income and wealth levels can benefit from a comprehensive estate plan. Sadly, many have not sat down to put their legal house in order.
In a society dominated by paperwork, the question of how long to hold on to important documents is baffling for most people. We especially worry about documents of a financial or personally identifying nature. People who worry about losing something important sometimes keep everything; others who worry about things like identity theft are too quick […]
If you’re a frequent airline traveler, one of your estate planning concerns may be what will happen to your accumulated miles once you’re gone. They could be worth thousands of dollars, so you probably don’t want them to just disappear, but some airline policies say that’s exactly what will happen.
Maya Angelou’s heirs are in a bitter fight over her legacy, according to this November 7, 2017, article from www.courthousenews.com. Maya Angelou’s grandson allegedly is trying to gain control of the late poet’s intellectual property from his father and has bankrupted a company set up to manage her legacy. Maya Angelou’s son has accused her grandson, his son, of trying to cut him out of the proceeds from Caged Bird Legacy, the company that manages the intellectual property of the author and poet, including her copyrights. Angelou, the beloved author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was awarded the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom. After her death in 2014, 25% of her company’s proceeds were gifted to her grandson – but now, his father claims, Angelou’s grandson is raiding the coffers to fund an “extravagant” lifestyle and has allegedly borrowed hundreds of thousands from the company. Angelou’s grandson has not responded publicly to the lawsuit.
