Most of our United Kingdom readers have dealt with beneficiary designations at one point or another. Beneficiary designations are specifications as to who will receive the proceeds of an account at the death of the account holder. They are used in IRAs, mutual funds, life...
Heirs And Beneficiaries
Who will inherit Paul Walker’s estate?
The sudden death of a loved one can be incredibly stressful for any family. But when that person dies without having written up a will, this trying time can become that much more difficult to handle. Such may be the case for 40-year-old actor Paul Walker who recently...
Cohen family involved in will dispute in NJ
Legal problems regarding a last will and testament are never a source of joy for families, even for the party or parties who initiate them in hopes of getting more of what they deserve—perhaps especially for them. Family members of the late Robert Cohen, founder...
Sparing beneficiaries capital gains tax on bypass trust assets
As we’ve previously noted on this blog, the need for bypass trusts in estate planning has dwindled since Congress made portability a permanent feature of tax law, but there are still some uses for bypass trusts, particularly at the state level, where there is...
Photos of Robert Johnson are continued subject of dispute
Blues fans may have heard about the dispute involving photographs of the legendary blues musician Robert Johnson. The dispute, which has been going on for nearly 25 years, involves the question of who has rights to the photographs. On one side of the dispute are the...
Retirement account mistakes can bring estate plan down
Because retirement accounts are often a significant portion of people’s estates, it is important for folks to understand the importance of correctly managing these accounts in the context of estate planning. Because handling retirement accounts requires an...
Heirs of late artist lose copyright dispute with Marvel Comics
The heirs of the late comic book artist Jack Kirby reportedly lost an appeal of a case involving a dispute with Marvel Entertainment over the rights to certain famous comic book heroes. Kirby has been gone for some time, having died back in 1994, leaving a legacy of...
Inheriting an IRA can raise questions for beneficiaries
When it comes to inheritance, it often happens that there are mixed feelings. On the one hand, there is the excitement of getting stuff, but on the other hand there is also the burden of figuring out how to handle the assets properly and manage them wisely....