In the complex world of estate law, even a seemingly small oversight can cost your beneficiaries big money. As the successor trustee of his parents’ estate, Elwood Ty Olsen learned this the hard way. Before her death, Elwood’s mother Grace…

Divorce is difficult, and even successful lawyers sometimes jeopardize their children’s inheritance by failing to make adequate agreements about it as a part of the divorce settlement. Attorney Debra Karlstein is a recent example. She divorced Hank Goldsmith, a big-name…

Princess Diana The estate of Princess Diana was not handled with the same grace, dignity and class that she exuded in life. Diana left a “letter of wishes” asking her executors to “divide, at discretion,” her personal property and…

Frank Sinatra Planned Well Frank Sinatra died in 1993. A corporation he controlled owned his most valuable asset — the right to his name and likeness. He was well aware of the bitterness between his second wife, Barbara, and his kids from a prior marriage to…

Whitney Houston: The Burden of Inheritance Whitney Houston’s mother and sister-in-law recently filed a petition to change the terms of Houston’s will, which was last updated nearly 20 years ago. They want to delay the distribution of millions to Houston’s only child, Bobbi Kristina, 19, in…

Napoleon’s Will Tells the Story of His Final Days Napoleon Bonaparte was the first Emperor of France and an aggressive general before his defeat at Waterloo. In the Spring of 1821, shorn of power and imprisoned by the British on…

The Power of the Prenuptial Agreement Actor Dennis Hopper’s 9-year-old daughter inherited $2.85 million from her dad’s estate despite the fact her parents were entangled in a nasty divorce battle at the time of his death. Hopper died in 2010,…

Wills & Trusts: Are You Experienced? Jimi Hendrix was close to his brother Leon when they were growing up. They sometimes went on tour together. Jimi may have named Leon as a beneficiary of his will if he had prepared one.…

Swami’s Will a Testament to His Spiritual Values As a monk and the founder of the Ananda Church of Self-Realization, Swami Kriyananda had renounced most of his material goods long before his death in April 2013. His will focused on…