Losing your spouse is one of the most difficult things you might face in life. Although it is important to take time to grieve, there are also some crucial steps you need to take as soon as possible to address your spouse’s accounts and property and secure your own future. If your spouse’s estate plan, or […]
As the name suggests, ABC’s TV show Modern Family depicts the relationships and experiences between a fictional extended family. Throughout the course of the series, the show addresses many issues that families deal with each day. For a close-knit family, such as this fictional one, estate planning is crucial to ensure that everyone is protected when […]
Celebrities can give us a glimpse into lifestyles beyond our wildest dreams. But celebrities face many of the same estate planning issues that the rest of us do, such as which tax planning strategies to use and how to divvy up assets among loved ones when they die. Jerry Lee Lewis passed away in October 2022, […]
Life is full of contingencies. While some outcomes are relatively certain, other events are more difficult to predict. This uncertainty can create estate planning challenges. Because life changes quickly and sometimes unexpectedly, your estate plan needs to be flexible. You can make changes to your estate plan when you are still alive, but when you pass […]
Although we would all like to believe that our family and loved ones will honor our wishes as expressed in our estate plan, contests are more common than you might think. Sometimes, a family member does not receive what they thought they would after a loved one passes away. To try to get what they think […]
Among the superheroes, Batman is unique because he has no superpowers. Although he is trained in martial arts and possesses a range of high-tech gadgetry that allows him to fight crime, Batman is entirely human. He does not have genetic mutations, X-ray vision, overpowering physical strength, flying ability, genius-level intellect, or any other god-like powers. But […]
What Is a Blind Trust? Trusts are typically set up for the benefit of a trustmaker’s loved ones, a charitable organization, or a third party, with the trust money and property being distributed to the beneficiaries upon the trustmaker’s death. But there are situations in which a person may want to set up a trust to […]
The recent accidental death of Anne Heche was a shocking reminder of how the everyday can quickly turn into the tragic. While driving through the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles on August 5, 2022, Heche was involved in a car crash and succumbed to her injuries a week later. The official cause of death was […]
Probate — people often consider it a dirty word. Especially those who have gone through the probate process. But for the rest of us, what even is probate? The Black’s Law legal dictionary defines ‘probate’ as the “legal process to determine the validity of a will.” In layman’s terms, it’s the process of the court appointing […]
One would assume that celebrities with extreme wealth would take steps to protect their estates. But think again: some of the world’s richest and most famous people shuffle off this mortal coil with no estate plan, While others have made estate planning mistakes that has tied up their fortunes and heirs in court for years. Let […]
