- Did you know that Jimi Hendrix’s estate took twenty years to finalize because he didn’t have a will?
- Have you heard about Heath Ledger’s two year old daughter who got nothing when he died because Ledger neglected to update his will after she was born?
- Can you imagine how difficult it would be to sit down and try to talk about your estate plan with twelve of your children from nine different mothers? That’s what Ray Charles (brave man) did.
We make no secret on our blog of how important we think it is to talk about estate planning to friends and family; we also admit that we know how difficult a subject it is to broach, and we’ve tried in the past to offer advice on how to make the discussion a little easier. Now we can recommend a book that can help you not only come to a better understanding of the ins and outs of estate planning, but also provide fun and interesting topics to serve as conversation starters with your family over the holidays.
The book, Trial and Heirs, by Andrew and Danielle Mayoras, “uses real celebrity stories to help you avoid estate ‘errors’ as you plan for your ‘heirs’… and gives you a front row seat in the courtroom while the authors replay the scenarios and point out what went wrong, the winners and losers, and what you can learn from it.”
Probate, estate planning, and trusts may seem like something for the rich and famous—something removed from the lives of the average Joe; but the truth is that there is nothing more universal than death and the process of dealing with the aftermath. Rich or poor, famous or unknown… we all have to plan for the inevitable.