Elder financial predators are more prevalent than ever. Illness and cognitive impairments make seniors more susceptible to abuse than other members of the population. Seniors are also more likely to have accumulated significant savings and assets over their lifetimes. Whether it is a fraudulent scheme...Read More
Over the next 30-40 years, it is estimated that baby boomers will transfer an unprecedented 30 trillion dollars to the next generation, resulting in the greatest wealth transfer of our time. In contrast, studies estimate the previous inter generational wealth transfer (still in process) at just $11 trillion. ...Read More
March was proclaimed “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month” by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. President Reagan asked Americans to work toward providing both “encouragement” and “opportunities” to allow those with developmental disabilities to achieve their potential. In doing so, Reagan has given us all a chance...Read More
Who will have access to your social media accounts when you die? Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a law this month that allows for the legal access of digital assets. Oregon is the first state to draft a law that specifically provides for the transfer...Read More
Simpson’s co-creator Sam Simon died on March 8th, 2015 of colon cancer. When the 59 year old Hollywood legacy passed away, his net worth was estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Despite the fact that Mr. Simon diligently set up a...Read More
Who inherits your Investment Accounts if you die? Who gets your IRA? If you can’t recall, it’s worth double checking to make sure your designated beneficiary is someone you actually want to receive your money. If you have either separated from a spouse, or they...Read More
Many celebrities have failed to properly execute their estate plans, or do any estate planning at all for that matter. James Brown’s estate is still under litigation due to his vague and poorly written will, James Gandolfini and Philip Seymour Hoffman paid millions in estate...Read More
Republican candidate Jeb Bush went all out for a recent tv ad, reminding viewers of his passionate involvement in the Terri Schiavo case during his term as governor of Florida. Schiavo’s husband Michael called Jeb “disgusting” for using his personal family matter for a campaign...Read More
The state of Illinois recently resolved the estate of Mary Petroff, a nonagenarian (new word! – “90’s”) who died in 2011. It took nearly 4 years for the state to find and confirm the 48 relatives who laid claim to her and her late sister...Read More
First off, a quick congratulations to the Denver Broncos for winning the 2016 Superbowl. I’m certain Denverites are grateful for the local victory, and are hopefully reveling in their teams’ success as I write this. The people of New Orleans were blessed with no such...Read More
You may have heard the term “Probate,” but no be clear on what exactly it means. Many people feel frightened by the possibility of probate, which has often been cited as a selling point for why one needs an estate plan. While there are many...Read More
Reports are circling that the Playboy Mansion is about to go up for sale. According to celebrity gossip site TMZ, Playboy Enterprises, who owns the mansion – will attach an asking price of nearly $200 million to the historic house. Real estate pros in the...Read More
Last year my family and I went on vacation to the east coast. Despite the fact that I was out of my beloved home state for practicing law (California), a friend of a friend pulled me aside for legal advice. Here’s what I was asked:...Read More
In December, Hillary Clinton became the first presidential candidate to make fighting Alzheimer’s Disease a campaign issue. On December 22nd, she announced a plan to invest $2 billion per year until 2025 toward a cure to Alzheimer’s. Clinton stated that 10 years was the minimum...Read More
Just prior to Homeland’s suspenseful finale this season, Carrie and Saul attempted to wake CIA assassin Quinn up from his medically induced coma to get critical information about an impending attack on Berlin. To their disappointment, Quinn was not only unable to speak, but his life...Read More
Elder abuse, both physical and financial, is indeed a major issue that is often under reported in this country. It has been estimated by the California Attorney General that upwards of 200,000 elderly Californians are abused each year. Particularly vulnerable are those with some form...Read More
Casey Kasem was the voice of Shaggy on TV’s cartoon Scooby-Doo Just after Thanksgiving, Casey Kasem’s brother and his three children filed a lawsuit against Casey’s widow, Jean Kasem. The lawsuit accuses Jean of elder abuse and attributes Kasem’s death specifically to “Jean’s neglect and...Read More
For those of you who followed the Donald Sterling saga last year, you may be satisfied to hear that Mr. Sterling recently lost his appeal to the 2nd District Court of Appeals in November of this year. The court’s ruling confirmed that Mr. Sterling will...Read More
Has media mogul Sumner Redstone become mentally incapacitated? This was the question put before the Los Angeles Probate courts this past week, when former girlfriend Manuela Herzer filed a lawsuit claiming he did not have the mental capacity to remove her as agent on his...Read More
Tragedies in life, and in death, are all too common among celebrities. But there are some celebrity tragedies that continued even past the celebrities’ deaths. Naturally, their families and friends mourned their loss, but I’m not talking about personal tragedies. I’m speaking about Estate Planning tragedies....Read More
