Ms. Smith’s inheritance is unique in the value of the works she didn’t know about in her mother’s attic. But her initial feeling of being overwhelmed and uncertain about what to do with a family member’s collection, whether valuable or sentimental, is not. Inheriting cash is pretty straightforward. But collectibles? What do you do with […]

I recently completed my estate plan. I signed a power or attorney but I have no idea why I have it or what I’m supposed to do with it. Do you know what’s really in your estate plan? Do you understand each document that you’ve signed? Maybe it’s time to ask some questions. Unfortunately, when […]

Once people hit retirement, they do not know how long they will live or how long their money will last. Still, the vast majority of retirees with children cling to an intention to leave something behind, even though many of those offspring have no expectation of receiving an inheritance. Will you leave an inheritance to […]

Smartphones sure make lives a lot easier (and, arguably, busier). With a few taps of a screen, individuals can do everything from checking the weather to buying stock to engaging in FaceTime across the world. One individual in Australia recently came up with another innovative use for his smartphone. He used it to prepare his […]

Visitors, mostly aged 50-plus, enter the center’s cool, dimly lit quarters, where they’re invited to help themselves to tea, pastel-colored pastries, gluten-free brownies and a seat within a large circle of chairs. They are not necessarily seeking radiance, wellness or inspiration. They are here to participate in a frank, open-ended discussion about life’s grand finale […]

Representing the only complex thing about it, “Blurred Lines” has long been the subject of a confusing legal tangle between its principal songwriters, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, and the estate of Marvin Gaye. After Gaye’s family threatened legal action, claiming that “Blurred Lines” borrowed heavily from the late singer’s “Got To Give It Up,” […]

As Rivers’ goddaughter Tracie Hotchner told the Daily Mail, “She loved her dogs dearly, and they meant so much to her … dogs have become accepted as such essential family members that providing for them well in life, and after death, is considered quite normal.” Have you made proper plans for the pets in your life in […]

Of course, there’s no shortage of ways in which people can stumble when it comes to making their after-death arrangements. That’s why we rounded up some classic estate planning mistakes that people tend to make, so you’ll know what not to do when it comes to prepping your own estate plan. Probate attorneys continue to see the […]

Bernard Madoff is serving a 150-year term in federal prison in North Carolina. Though sued for millions of dollars, his sons were never charged with complicity in the fraud, or with any other wrongdoing, although they never shed public suspicions that they were involved in their father’s scheme. Will the late Andrew Madoff’s large estate […]

For married couples, the planning rules are fairly straightforward. For unmarried couples, however, whether same-sex or opposite-sex, the issues concerning financial and estate planning are often quite complex, and the rules cumbersome. This article will highlight some key planning strategies that unmarried couples should consider in order to protect both partners. When a married person […]