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…Category: Famous Estates
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 not…
Continue reading…Charitable Giving: The Greatest Gift
In this season of giving, it is important to recognize those who give back. Kirk Douglas, widely known for his lengthy career in the movies, can add one more star to his personal walk of fame and that is for his philanthropy. It’s a good idea to consider your charitable giving throughout the year, but it’s…
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 deeply about….
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 $1,…
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…