Estate planning attorneys are often asked where original estate planning documents – wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives – should be stored for safekeeping. While there is no right or wrong answer to this question, consider the following:
Read More »When Are Charitable Gifts Delivered?
With the holiday season upon us, the charitable giving season is also upon us. Charitable giving is important not only for income tax purposes, but can also be important for estate tax purposes.
Read More »What the Recently Released 2016 IRS Inflation Adjustments Mean for You
The Internal Revenue Service has released the official inflation adjustments that will affect 2016 federal reporting for estate taxes, gift taxes, generation-skipping transfer taxes, and estate and trust income taxes. These changes will affect the way your accountant and your attorney help you plan as 2015 comes to an end.
Read More »An Odd and Bitter UK Estate Battle
An estate battle in the United Kingdom pits four large charities against the son of a 95-year-old Alzheimer’s patient whom the charities accuse of fraudulently creating a new will for another woman.
Read More »Leaving an Intellectual Inheritance
Most people who amass wealth do not do it so that their heirs can squander it. However, that is what happens in most cases. One way to help prevent this from happening to your wealth is to leave your family with an intellectual inheritance.
Read More »How Probate Can Get Expensive
There are many reasons to want to avoid probate for your estate. One of them is that probate can get very expensive. One doctor’s bill in a case in New Hampshire illustrates just how expensive. The story of Geraldine Webber’s estate has been followed closely on estate planning blogs.
Read More »Leaving Your Tattoos Behind
If you want to make many people say “Ewww” and leave your tattoos behind permanently after you pass away, a new service will let you do that. Many people spend a lot of time and money on their tattoos. To them, it is a form of expression and art.
Read More »Can a Lawyer Profit From an Unethical Will He Drafted?
A recent appellate court decision in Michigan means that it is possible for attorneys to be unethical and still profit from the wills they create. Every state has a basic ethical rule for attorneys: an attorney cannot draft a will for a non-relative that includes a substantial gift for the attorney. The theory behind this […]
Read More »Children of Spanish Duchess Sue for Inheritance
It is well-known that the Duchess of Medina Sidonia did not get along with her children. That family feud led to her attempting to see that the children did not receive the family archives and legacy. The children are now suing to get it. Luisa Isabel Álvarez de Toledo could trace her heritage back […]
Read More »Jimi Hendrix’s Missing Guitar
The estate of Jimi Hendrix has seen more than its fair share of legal controversies. In yet another legal battle, the estate is suing for the return of a guitar it claims was stolen. Jimi Hendrix owned a lot of guitars, but relatively few of them made it back to his estate after he […]
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