July 16, 1887 – December 5, 1951 Today is the 60th anniversary of “Shoeless Joe” Jackson’s death. Joe Jackson was a Major League Baseball player in the early 1900s. Mr. Jackson received his nickname “Shoeless Joe” because he played part of a minor league game without shoes since the ones he had been wearing had […]
If a testator executes a Will before getting married and never updates the Will to include the spouse before he or she passes away, the surviving spouse is known as a pretermitted spouse. In such case, state statutes provide that the pretermitted spouse is entitled to inherit an amount equal to what the spouse would […]
September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001 Ken Kesey was an American author who wrote the great works of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion. In 1964, Kesey traveled across country by bus with a group of friends to appear in New York for the publication of his book Sometimes […]
November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971 Born Howard Duane Allman, Duane was a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He died 40 years ago today, just shy of his 25th birthday. For the 35th anniversary of his death, Michael Ventre wrote a nice tribute to Allman (which can be read here), who is […]
Maggie Green recently wrote about instilling charitable values in children in her post Raising Young Philanthropists. While this post is a little off topic from most of our estate planning articles, in honor of the 2011 National Pro Bono Celebration, I thought it was appropriate to extend the conversation not only to charitable giving but […]
With the recent deaths of Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder, and Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, we are reminded how important it is to properly plan for the transfer of assets upon death. While the average American does not have the wealth that Mr. Jobs had (estimated at $7 billion1) or Mr. Davis (estimated […]
January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849 Today is the 162nd anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s death at age 40. Poe led a difficult life, which started when both of his parents died within three years after he was born. Poe spent many years of his short life impoverished while he wrote numerous poems, short stories, […]
March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991 Better known to most as Dr. Seuss, Mr. Geisel died 20 years ago today at the age of 87. He left one of the greatest legacies to children – a mass of literature that captures the imagination. While most of the works are elementary in nature, throughout the […]
When clients execute their Wills, attorneys typically ask the following questions, in some manner, to determine the client’s mental capacity to execute the Will and whether or not they are doing so freely: Does this Will accurately reflect your wishes for the distribution of your property? Did you have the opportunity to review and discuss […]
September 14, 1879 – September 6, 1966 Margaret Sanger was an extremely controversial figure during her lifetime (and some would say still to this day). However, she left a lasting legacy with her fight for reproductive freedom for women. She sought to provide women information to be able to make their own decisions about reproduction. […]
When grief and emotions run high after the loss of a loved one, the sentimental significance of personal property can increase tremendously. No one really cared about the casserole dish grandma used every Thanksgiving, but once grandma passes everyone stakes claim to that dish. A tangible personal property list can help alleviate potential disputes between […]