Jerry Orbach, who starred as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the popular “Law and Order” television series, died a decade ago, but a battle is brewing over his Chase bank account, according to a recent story in the New York Post. The Chase bank account in dispute belongs to Orbach’s Mingoya Productions company, and is currently […]
A recent article in the New York Post about brothers battling over a painting from their uncle’s estate serves as a reminder of the importance of designating a specific beneficiary for your personal property, either through a will or by gifting while you are still alive. The brotherly brawl came about after noted Manhattan interior […]
Estate planning is not a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. Your family dynamics change, your assets change, the laws change — and if your plan doesn’t change, too, your family gets caught holding the bag. The people you love most end up bearing the brunt of your failure to act. Conducting a […]
If you read my blog post last month, titled 5 Fast & Furious Estate Planning Lessons from Paul Walker’s Estate you know I don’t like it when estate planning attorneys fail to take care of their clients. Now, Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s recently filed will provides another cautionary tale for all of us when […]
With just over 50,000 residents, La Crosse, WI is similar to most other small towns in America – but one thing makes La Crosse stand out: 96% of La Crosse residents who have died had a living will (called an advance health care directive in California) in place. Nationally, the percentage of American adults with […]
During the process of becoming new parents, most couples also become experts at planning – scheduling birthing classes, designing the new nursery, coordinating childcare. And that’s just the proverbial tip of the iceberg. But unfortunately, one of the most important things you can do to protect your child is often overlooked: an estate plan. Here […]
Baby boomers are set to inherit up to $8.4 trillion over the next 15 years, according to The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. And while receiving an inheritance can be exciting, there are complicated issues to be worked through, including transferring the emotional attachment you had with your parents to the assets they […]
Paul Walker, who starred in the Fast & Furious movie franchise, died tragically in a high speed car accident in Los Angeles last November at the age of 40. His estate was opened at the end of January in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Barbara probate court, revealing that he left assets […]
If you have been responsible enough to purchase a life insurance policy as added protection for your loved ones, then you will want to carry that responsible action a little further by protecting that important asset from taxation. If you are married and have named your spouse as the beneficiary of your life insurance policy, […]
Everyone agreed on one thing: Marlise Munoz was dead. The 33-year-old Texas wife, mother and paramedic got up in the middle of the night on Nov. 26, 2013, to tend to her toddler son and suffered a pulmonary embolism. After her husband Erick, also a paramedic, was able to briefly get her breathing again she […]
