Category: Probate

Estate case in New England continues to highlight example of mounting expenses in probate litigation. Rising bills and controversy continue to support the Geraldine Webber estate case in New Hampshire as the winning side begins submitting their bills as well. The news on the case began when a doctor who testified as an expert witness […]

Let’s cut right to the chase: one of the most common estate planning mistakes is simple to avoid and usually the result of sheer forgetfulness. It has nothing to do with the will or estate taxes. It’s the beneficiary designation. People forget to make changes as their life circumstances change. It’s quite common for ex-spouses […]

Should you suddenly become uber-wealthy, you’ll want to purchase a pricey art collection, which is 2.6 percent of the biggest estates. For those with only $10 million to $20 million in assets, a small collection, valued at about 0.6 percent of your estate, is almost de rigueur. There are extreme differences in the super rich […]

Here’s a Halloween riddle: What really scares Americans 50 and older? Answer: The stock market and their retirement. According to several recent financial security studies, including the Country Financial Security Index, as a result of the 2008 market meltdown, baby boomers are terrified of investment risk and another market crash. In the latest Country survey, […]

Depending on your perspective, this case is either proof of what proper estate planning can do or an exercise in frustration in a case of elder financial abuse. A court decision has ruled that a bank may use funds from an estate to defend a court battle where the daughter of a wealthy woman is […]

With a $350,000 grant, The Stanley and Elaine Ball Charitable Foundation has made it possible for the Taneyhills Library to renovate the children’s area and create a technology conference room that would have otherwise been impossible for the all-volunteer library to build. The hope is that the new features will draw new users to the […]

If you are a member of a couple, whether you are married, living together or have some creative arrangement, if your lives and finances are intertwined, there are money and estate planning matters that should be dealt with sensibly and fairly. The biggest mistake most couples make is not planning and not discussing their financial […]

It is impossible to know how events will play out, both on a grand scale and in small and unexpected ways. Last minute decisions, like those of the rock musicians who won seats in bets and then were killed in the Buddy Holly plane crash in 1959, are often said to be a function of […]

Collectors of fine art are advised not to think of their collections as investments, but collectors cannot ignore the value of their art portfolio, nor should they fail to consider what will happen to the artwork when they are not around to appreciate it. And as the art portfolio grows in value, whether through acquisitions […]

The expressions change from country to country, but the sentiment remains the same: passing family wealth from the first generation to the second generation is difficult, and extending it to the third generation is nearly impossible. Described as “clogs to clogs in three generations” by the British, “from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves” from the Americans, and […]