A legal dispute between reggae legend Bob Marley's estate and a chicken finger chain called Raising Cane has been settled and resolved. According to the now-settled lawsuit, the chicken finger purveyor was been using Marley's famous words, "One Love," as a slogan to...
Month: May 2014
Using incentive trusts to motivate your heirs: A good idea?
Did you know that it is possible to increase the amount of control you have over your estate plan through the use of a special type of trust? That is right; the incentive trust is a specific program that allows posthumous gifts to be closely monitored according to a...
Estate planning in New York with married couples in mind
When considering your estate and planning for the future, there are different scenarios that come into play. One is considering how you and your spouse will plan after the American Taxpayer Relief Act went into effect. It was written to make things easier for...
Disagreement among executors & fiduciaries of Rooney’s will
Earlier this month, the children of the late actor Mickey Rooney filed suit in a Los Angeles Superior Court seeking to have their father's will invalidated because of undue influence he might have encountered during the last weeks of his life when he supposedly signed...
Missing Casey Kasem shows need for long-term care planning
While many are focusing on estate planning, others are dealing with the issues that can arise when caring for elderly family members. The famous radio host Casey Kasem is one recent example of how long-term care planning, or the lack thereof, comes into play, and New...
Mickey Rooney’s widow, children file probate litigation suit
Mickey Rooney died on April, 7, 2014, just weeks before he changed his will to leave his entire estate to one of his stepsons. His widow and biological children are contesting the will's validity. The couple had been married 34 years when they separated in June of...
Estate planning challenges for older clients without children
The old saying tells us that we should put "family first." What about older New York residents without any children, grandchildren or stepchildren? For those individuals, estate planning can go from simple to complex in a jiffy. Instead of handing down all of their...
End-of-life issues in New York need to be thought about
Having enough income to deal with any long-term care can be a stress factor that many baby boomers are ignoring. It can eat into your plans for the future and, if not thought of and planned for in advance, can bring about a dismal retirement. While long-term care can...
Trustee of million dollar estate sued by sister-in-law
A fight is brewing in the Manhattan Surrogate's Court between the widow of a deceased multi-million dollar sporting goods chain founder, and the deceased man's brother. The founder of the sporting goods empire died of cancer in 2001, but gave $70 million to his wife...
Dispute ensues after woman’s will leaves money for cats
Making provisions for any surviving pets can be an important, though often overlooked, part of estate planning. Even in cases where plans are made, however, things do not always go smoothly. According to reports, a New York woman left a total of $50,000 to her five...