Celebrity Estate Lessons – Tupac Shakur

When Tupac Shakur died in 1996, he didn’t have a Will. Since he was a California resident at the time, both of his parents had a claim to his estate, even though his father had never been a part of his life, having famously paid only $820, a bag of peanuts, and a movie ticket […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons – Biggie

Considering how regularly Tupac and Biggie are mentioned in the same breath, it might not be too shocking that their estates followed very similar paths after their deaths.  One big difference was that Biggie had a wife and two very young children at the time of his death. His estate was set up to make […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Last week we did Notorious BIG. To finish up our trilogy, this week we’re looking at the estate plan of the notorious RBG.  As a Supreme Court Justice, you might assume that Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s estate plan was set up correctly with no loopholes. And from what we know of her estate so far, it […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons – Philip Seymour Hoffman

So, you already have Will? Great! But when was it last updated? It might seem like a small oversight but could make a big difference.  When Philip Seymour Hoffman died in 2014, he had a Will ready to go. Unfortunately, that Will was written before his last two children were born. Under New York law, […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons – Gary Coleman

Celebrity Estate Lessons Gary Coleman Gary Coleman’s life was never short of financial problems. In 1989 he famously sued his parents for mismanagement of his income while working as a child actor on the TV show “Diff’rent Strokes.” The Trust fund that was created for his earnings was supposed to be valued at up to […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons Nelson Mandela

Celebrity Estate Lessons Nelson Mandela An important component of one’s estate plan that is often overlooked is stating what you would like done with your remains when you’ve passed.    In 1996, Nelson Mandela hand wrote a Will stating he wished to be buried with his three predeceased children in his remote ancestral village of […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant’s unexpected death was unquestionably tragic. But adding to this was the fact that Bryant didn’t update his estate plan in a timely fashion. At the time of his death, his estate was worth $600 million dollars. He had done some planning; he had a trust in place naming his wife, Vanessa Bryant, and […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons – Farrah Fawcett

Celebrity Estate Lessons Farrah Fawcett Farrah Fawcett, well-known Charlie’s Angel, seemed to have done everything right with her estate plan. She made sure her only child, son Redmond who has struggled with mental health issues and drug dependencies his whole life, was cared for. She left money to her father, her boyfriend at the time […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons – Queen Elizabeth

Celebrity Estate Lessons Queen Elizabeth You may think your estate is complicated, but do you have to be concerned with items that are actually owned by an entire country like Queen Elizabeth?    Queen Elizabeth’s estate was split into two parts: her personal items and the Crown estate. Her personal items were valued at over […]

Celebrity Estate Lessons – John Lennon

Celebrity Estate Lessons John Lennon John Lennon married Cynthia Powell in 1962 after she became pregnant with his first child, Julian. While they were married, John established a Trust fund with £250,000 in it for Julian to inherit when he turned 25. Then, he met Yoko, and Cynthia divorced him in 1968 when, after arriving […]