by Leslie Marenco | Sep 4, 2014 | Articles, Celebrity Estates, Estate Planning
After nearly 20 years of litigation and fighting in the press, the conflict between the estates of Anna Nicole Smith and her billionaire husband J. Howard Marshall has been “resolved.” MAYBE. POSSIBLY. PROBABLY NOT. It’s like a bad soap opera that refuses to end. An...
by Leslie Marenco | Sep 3, 2014 | Articles, Case Law, Estate Planning
I, like most estate-planning attorneys come across clients who want to attach all sorts of conditions on gifts they make to descendants and other beneficiaries. And most estate-planning lawyers know that conditions creating restraints against marriage, religion and...
by Leslie Marenco | Sep 3, 2014 | Articles, Asset Protection, Estate Planning, Inheritance, Special Needs Planning, Trusts
When families come in to do planning with me, we discuss at length how they want their children (or other beneficiaries) to inherit their wealth. In fact, whether they want their wealth inherited 1) outright, or in 2) Lifetime Asset Protection Trusts, is one of the...
by Leslie Marenco | Aug 29, 2014 | Articles, Estate Planning
As hard as it is for all of us to “plan” for our deaths, doing so is one of the best things you can do for your family. Adding to their grief and pain by giving them no clue as to where to find your personal and business paperwork should not be a memory you leave...
by Leslie Marenco | Aug 22, 2014 | Articles, Estate Planning, Estate Tax, Gift Tax, Income Tax, Inheritance, IRAs / 401(k), IRS, Liens/Debt
Okay, clearly we are past midyear. But now that kids are back to school things can begin to normalize again. All too often, taxpayers wait until after the close of the tax year to worry about their taxes and miss opportunities that could reduce their tax liability or...
by Leslie Marenco | Aug 22, 2014 | Articles, Celebrity Estates, Estate Planning, Trusts
One of the most eloquent responses to Robin Williams’ death came from his best friend Billy Crystal, who posted on Twitter simply: “No words.” When someone close to us dies — especially in a sudden and tragic way — the grief is so deep that we truly don’t...
