Glen Campbell was a country music legend. He passed away on August 8, 2017, at the age of 81 when he was in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease. During his lifetime, Glen married four times and had 5 sons and 3 daughters. He made his Alzheimer’s diagnosis public in 2011. Glen Campbell left two…
Continue reading…Artist Robert Indiana’s Estate Will Take a While to Settle
Artist Robert Indiana died at the age of 89 on May 19, 2018, at his home on Vinalhaven Island, which is off the coast of Rockland, Maine. In his will, he left most of his art and property to a nonprofit whose mission is to develop Indiana’s home into a museum featuring his works. He…
Continue reading…David Bowie’s Legacy and Estate Planning for Kids
David Bowie, the rock icon and fashion chameleon, passed away recently after a brief battle with cancer. Bowie, a personal favorite of mine, blessed us with a lengthy catalogue of classic albums while amassing a $100 million estate for his efforts. In addition to his vast wealth, Bowie left a wife, super-model Iman, and two…
Continue reading…2016: The Year of Your Estate Plan
As outlined recently by Business Insider, even people who seem to have it all–famous and highly successful people–make New Year’s Resolutions. Interestingly, most of them focus not on how to make themselves better, but rather on how to help others. In fact, many of them focus on family and paying forward their good fortune. Why…
Continue reading…Pet Trust Problems for Simpsons Creator
When animal-lover and The Simpsons co-creator, Sam Simon, died early in 2015, he left behind a hefty estate, much of which was slated to go directly to non-profit animal philanthropy groups. In creating a trust, it seems Simon did all of the right things to take care of the people and issues he felt most…
Continue reading…What Famous People Left Behind
Have you ever wondered what Paul Revere left his grandchildren in his will? Thanks to Ancestry.com’s US Probate and Wills Collection, there are now millions pages of estate documents online for members to peruse. Here are just a few of the items famous people left their loved (or not-so-loved) ones: Paul Revere left one grandchild…
Continue reading…What Happens Now to Whitney Houston’s Estate?
Following the unfortunate death of Bobbi Kristina Brown, the 22-year-old daughter of the late Whitney Houston, questions regarding the future of Houston’s $20 million dollar estate have surfaced. At the time of her death, Bobbi Kristina had received only the first payment from Houston’s estate, which had a staged distribution plan which paid Bobbi Kristina…
Continue reading…A Touching Memorial from One of March Madness’ Greatest
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of March Madness, the annual college basketball tournament, but rarely does that passion overlap with my estate planning practice. Not so this year as Dean Smith, the legendary North Carolina University basketball coach, used his estate plan to leave a legacy as admirable as his on-court success….
Continue reading…No One Feeling Good About Continuing Battle Over James Brown Estate
James Brown was known for his signature song, “I Feel Good,” but no one is feeling good about the battle that is still being waged over his estate almost a decade after his death in 2006. The majority of Brown’s estate – estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars – was distributed…
Continue reading…Life Lessons From Celebrity Deaths on Updating Your Estate Plan
A new year always brings the sad reviews of notable personalities who have died in the past year. Two notable movie stars – Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Walker – provide a cautionary tale on the importance of keeping your estate plan and will up to date. In Hoffman’s case, his 2004 will had never…
Continue reading…