Did you know that Jimi Hendrix’s estate took twenty years to finalize because he didn’t have a will? Have you heard about Heath Ledger’s two year old daughter who got nothing when he died because Ledger neglected to update his will after she was born? Can you imagine how difficult it would be to sit… Read More »
Posts Tagged: Probate
The Shortest Will: It May Hold the Record, But It Won’t Hold Water
Have you ever wondered just how little you could get away with in your last will and testament? Aletta Stager of Brooklyn, NY holds the distinction of having executed one of the shortest wills on record—a mere 2 lines long! “Nov. 29, 1895. I give to my cousin, Nettie M. Cowan, all money that I… Read More »
Test Your Knowledge: An Estate Planning Quiz
How much do you know about estate plans? And how do you know when you need one? Many people have a vague feeling that they should execute some kind of estate plan eventually, but think (hope) that they really don’t need one right now. On our blog we spend a lot of time telling people… Read More »
Do Life Insurance or Retirement Benefits Have to Go Through Probate?
We may acquire many assets over the course of our lives now—bank accounts, stocks, real property, life insurance, retirement, and more—it’s almost impossible to know what has to go through probate and what doesn’t. The answer to the question in the title, above, is “no”; life insurance and retirement benefits do not have to go through… Read More »
A Guide to Taking Care of the Details After the Death of a Loved One
“The death of a loved one imposes cruel demands on the closest survivors.” The truth of that statement from this article in moneywatch.com is known to anybody who has lost a close friend or family member. We’ve written a lot on our blog about going through the probate process when a loved one dies, but… Read More »
How to Leave Meaningful Mementos to the Next Generation
When clients come into our office to design their estate plans one of their biggest concerns is how to dispose of their tangible personal property. Sometimes clients spend more time determining how to dispose of these personal mementos than they do the big ticket items such as bank accounts, real property, and investments. This is… Read More »
What is REALLY Behind a Contested Will?
Tolstoy said that “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” but sometimes even the most stable and happy of families can turn angry and litigious when death and property are involved. It never ceases to be surprising how many seemingly strong family relationships devolve into backbiting and grudge-holding when… Read More »
Dad Died and I’m His Executor… Now What?
Dealing with the death of a family member—especially when that family member is a parent—can be fraught with confusion and emotion even under the best of circumstances. Being named as the executor of a family member’s estate (although often considered an honor) means that you have to have a clearer head and more patience than everyone else… Read More »