As an estate planning attorney I help clients plan the legacy they will leave. Often it’s simple such as “I leave everything to my children….”  Other times it’s a gift to an old friend, a church, or other charitable organization.  I just read an interesting article, on ESPN.com, about the former University of North Carolina […]

Donald Sterling has a pretty large net worth.  I don’t know if it’s $2 billion or $3 billion or what exactly it is.  I think most of us estate planning attorneys would call him “high net worth.”  I certainly don’t have any billionaire clients at this time.  Anyway, he is probably busily working with a […]

I read about the Michael Jackson tax dispute with the IRS on a legit website but figured I would get better dirt on TMV so here’s the link to that article.  Most of my readers understand that when a wealthy person dies their estate may have to pay an “estate tax” which is basically a […]

It appears another celeb has died without a proper estate plan in place. He made a ton of money on the Fast and Furious movies and apparently led his life fast and furious! Here’s a link to a good article about this sad situation.

It’s amazing how poorly planned many celebs are. Thomas Kinkade’s estate debacle was yet another in a long line of messed up celebrity estates. The Sacramento Bee has reported that it has been settled privately. Here is a link to the article.

Sherman Hemsley is deceased… and just like the Jefferson re-runs will go on forever… his probate case may also.  This is an interesting one and it clearly underscores the importance of a really good estate plan. Mr. Jefferson was a very successful businessman on the Jeffersons. My recollection is he made his money in the […]

It seems that Katherine Jackson has a team of attorneys working on her behalf as Executor of the estate of her late son, Michael.  The latest has to do with possibly wrongful use of the pop star’s copyrights after death by Howard Mann. I will paste the link to the article on Sacbee.com below. As […]

I find celebrity estates interesting because they often mess things up much worse than us mere mortals. However, it also is a good reminder that they are humans too! I wrote recently about Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys and his handwritten changes to his will.  Other celebrities have left similar, or worse, handwritten wills. […]

I came across an interesting article in Forbes the other day about Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys and a change he made to his will before death.  Of course back in ’86 the Beastie Boys hit it BIG with the album Licensed to Ill which remains one of my top 5 favorite albums of […]

I just read yet another article regarding Michael Jackson’s estate. His siblings are still suggesting the will is fake… two years after he died. However, how does that benefit them? If the will is invalid then the estate goes 100% to the kids.  Michael’s money-grubbing siblings never get anything. Makes no sense and just seems […]