Lost or Undiscovered Assets Pose Problems for the Administration of an Estate
When Jonathan Morgan was named the executor of his father’s estate, he thought he had an easy task ahead of him. After all, his father, Harold, had assured him that he had carefully listed every asset he owned on a sheet of notebook paper attached to his will.
Should You Hire A Professional Fiduciary?
Marilyn Simons was irate.
“I’m telling you, Bob, that estate planning attorney thinks we have raised a bunch of dummies. We have three children, all perfectly competent adults. Why shouldn’t we nominate one of them to oversee our affairs? I am quite sure none of them would object.”
Anna Mercer’s family was quite excited when she met and married Klaus Jergen. After their joyous nuptials, the couple moved to Vienna, Austria, where Klaus was employed at a local school as a history teacher. Anna, a pastry chef, soon found employment at a local bäckerei or bakery, where she perfected the art of the Sachertorte and the Linzer torte.…
Preplanning avoids disputes over gifts and loans
After Marilyn Walker’s untimely death, her family solemnly gathered for the reading of her will. According to her attorney, Marilyn divided her estate equally among her four children. Everything seemed cut and dried, until Marilyn’s eldest daughter, Kate, spoke up.
Is Your Safe Deposit Box Accessible Upon Your Death?
Harry Williamson planned well for his death. After consulting with his attorney, he prepared and executed a comprehensive estate plan, including a Last Will and Testament, a Living Trust, an Advance Healthcare Directive, a HIPAA release, and powers of attorney for healthcare and finances.
When Minnie Wilson’s father died at the age of 96, she immediately listed his home for sale. Although her father’s estate had not yet been probated, Minnie knew she and her sister, Linda had inherited the house. He stated that in his Last Will and Testament. Since neither sister wanted the home, Minnie thought she would help the process to…
Joint checking accounts are not always the answer.
At age 65, Louisa Willis was anxious to get all of her estate planning ducks in a row. Louisa decided to forgo the traditional methods of estate planning—a Will and Living Trust– and created a joint checking account, naming her son, Ben, as the co-owner. Louisa’s reasoning was simple. By creating a joint account, Ben would have immediate access to her funds “in emergencies,” such as long-term care or upon her death, funeral expenses.
No Will? No Way!
Dying without a Will is a bit like playing Russian roulette. It leaves the distribution of your assets to chance.
A Last Will and Testament not only declares your final wishes as to the distribution of your property, it ensures that those wishes are carried out properly. Upon death, a Will is filed with the local probate court, and it is that court’s job to oversee the distribution of your assets as set forth in that document. When you die without a Will, however, the state determines how your assets will be distributed and that distribution is made by a preset formula. Your desires no longer matter.
What happens if you die without an estate plan?
If you’re the late rock star Prince, you lose half of your estate to state and federal estate taxes. It appears the government will be dancing to Prince’s “1999” all the way to the bank.According to news reports, when Prince died in April of 2016, he had no will and no other estate plan in place. As a result, almost $100 million of his estimated $200 million estate could wind up in the hands of the tax man.
A carefully crafted estate plan may have avoided the multi-million dollar battle over Michael Jackson’s estate currently taking place in the U.S. Tax Court. By disposing of his assets primarily by Will, his estate has been subjected to a myriad of red tape as well as the scrutiny of the Internal Revenue Service. Maybe, as his attorneys have argued, his…