Category: Will
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 […]
With every state seeking additional revenue and every candidate seeking additional votes, estate taxes have become part of many politicians’ platforms. Most of us pay more attention to estate taxes on the federal level, but estate taxes on the state and federal level have changed a lot in recent years. Not everyone is clear on […]
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 […]
One can only hope that this decision by an appellate court in Michigan does not reflect a slippery slope of decisions. At its essence, this ruling says that it is possible for an attorney to be unethical and profit from the will that he created. Attorneys are held to certain ethical standards, one of which […]
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 […]
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 […]
Reports of the failure of Americans to have their wills properly prepared are frequent. But one survey revealed that we don’t like to do wills because the entire process is daunting. We’re not sure what we need to know, we don’t understand how the process really works, and we are afraid that an attorney will […]
