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The Redd Foxx Estate mess

March 17, 2010

There was an interesting article recently in AOL News about the Redd Foxx Estate.  The successful comedian and star of Sanford and Son (whose real name was John Elroy Sanford) died October 11, 1991.  Apparently, the Estate has no assets.  Even if it did, there’s an outstanding tax bill owed that’s a bit hefty — a whopping [...]

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LA Times article about estate planning

March 17, 2010

The business section of Sunday’s Los Angeles Times featured an article called “Time to prepare your will”.  Discussing the importance of estate planning, the article included quotes from both of us.  Here’s a few selections from the article:
If you’re rich, the best estate planning advice would be to die quickly. If you’re not, the best [...]

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Brittany Murphy did update her estate plan, after all

March 17, 2010

Actress Brittany Murphy died tragically at age 32 a few months ago.  Within a day of her passing, celebrity website TMZ reported that Murphy failed to update her will after her marriage to Simon Monjack, her husband of 2 1/2 years.  Instead, her will left everything to her mother.  The Probate Lawyer Blog’s article about it reminded people that [...]

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The Elvis Presley Conspiracy (Part II): The Background

March 2, 2010

After Eliza Presley shared her DNA evidence with me, as well as the story about how she got it, I spent some time digging around to see what else was out there to corroborate or contradict her story.  Eliza’s claim is that she’s the daughter of Vernon Presley, the father of Elvis.  But she bases her claim, in part, on [...]

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Motion Magazine book review of Trial & Heirs

March 2, 2010

Review of “Trial & Heirs:  Famous Fortune Fights!” by Motion Magazine, part of LegalNews.com:

Anna Nicole Smith, Ray Charles, Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger …  what do they all have in common?
They were all celebrities, they’re no longer among the living, and they all can teach us a lesson.
At least according [...]

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The Elvis Presley Conspiracy (Part I): Is Elvis Alive?

February 23, 2010

One of my favorite lines from the movie Men in Black was:

Agent Jay (Will Smith):  You do know that Elvis is dead, right? 
Agent Kay (Tommie Lee Jones):  No, Elvis is not dead.  He just went home.

That line has been running through my mind an awful lot lately.
It all began in the early days of the Probate [...]

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Dennis Hopper battling his wife; says she’s after his will

February 15, 2010

Dennis Hopper was already fighting against advanced prostrate cancer.  Now the 73-year-old actor is turning up the heat in his battle against his wife, 41-year-old Victoria.  He filed for divorce in January, and according to published reports, the key factor is his will.
Victoria is a 25% beneficiary under Hopper’s will.  But, in the case [...]

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Kiplinger’s article: Cut the Lawyer out of your Will?

February 12, 2010

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine has an interesting article that’s coming out in the March 2010 issue, about do-it-yourself estate planning.  It was written by Jane Bennett Clark, Senior Associate Editor:
You’ve been dragging your feet for ages on writing a will and drawing up other estate-planning documents. Now, to avoid the hassle and expense of hiring a lawyer, [...]

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Heritage book review of Trial & Heirs

February 12, 2010

There was a great book review of Trial & Heirs:  Famous Fortune Fights! that came out Friday.  Here’s a portion of it:

“If you do nothing else of consequence for your life in 2010, make a will.”
According to University of Michigan graduates Andrew and Danielle Mayoras, both attorneys, two-thirds of Americans don’t have one.
I [...]

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Forbes: Get Them Jamming On Estate Planning

February 12, 2010

Danielle Mayoras, who co-authored Trial & Heirs:  Famous Fortune Fights! with me, recently wrote an article for Forbes.com to help financial advisers, attorneys, and other professionals get their clients talking about estate planning, using celebrity stories.  Most people don’t like to even discuss the legal planning for what happens after they die, much less actually [...]

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