estate planning Archives - Page 2 of 9 - Lonich Patton Ehrlich Policastri

Going to California, The Quasi-Community Property State

June 27, 2016/in Estate Planning, Family Law /by Michael Lonich

A move to the Golden State has the potential to change the character of your property. Upon arrival in California, meeting with an experienced California estate planning attorney is a must!

Generally, there are two kinds of property systems: community property and separate property. California is one of nine community property regimes in the United States.* Presumptively, community property is all property acquired by a couple during marriage. The community property system gives each spouse a fifty percent (50%) interest in the property, among other characteristics. In California, separate property is all property owned by a person before marriage and all property acquired by gift, bequest, or devise during marriage.

California’s community property system is unique because it also recognizes “quasi-community property.” Quasi-community property includes all property, wherever situated, that would have been treated as community property had the acquiring spouse been domiciled in California at the time of acquisition. For example, if husband bought a car with funds earned during marriage, while living in Minnesota, a separate property state, the property would be the husband’s separate property. However, if husband and wife moved to California and then filed for divorce, the car would be considered quasi-community property. The reason being is that if the husband was domiciled in California at the time he had purchased the car, it would have been characterized as community property. Pursuant to California law, all property acquired during marriage, including a spouse’s earnings, is community property. Therefore, in accordance with the quasi-community property statute, each spouse would have a fifty percent (50%) interest in the car.

The example above is just one of many that may give rise to quasi-community property. Nonetheless, it illustrates the potential effect a move to California can have upon one’s property. Moreover, each state has the authority to make its own property laws. Therefore, it is imperative that when you move to a new state, especially from a separate property state to a community property state, you visit an experienced estate planning attorney.

For more information about quasi-community property or estate planning in general, please contact the experienced estate planning attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri for further information. The attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri have decades of experience handling complex estate planning matters, including quasi-community property issues, and we are happy to offer you a free consultation. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may detail general legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.

*https://www.irs.gov/irm/part25/irm_25-018-001.html

HOW AN ESTATE PLAN COULD HAVE CARRIED ON PRINCE’S CHARITABLE LEGACY

May 27, 2016/in Estate Planning /by Riley Pennington

In the wake of rock & roll legend Prince’s untimely death, a number of issues have arisen regarding his estate plan – or lack thereof. One of the biggest issues is that none of the charities that Prince donated to throughout his life will inherit from his approximately 150 million dollar estate.

CNN Political Commentator, friend, and philanthropic partner of Prince, Van Jones, described Prince as “The Silent Angel.”* During Prince’s lifetime, he anonymously donated millions of dollars to dozens of charities. Unfortunately, since Prince died without a will, the charities that used to receive substantial donations from Prince will inherit nothing. Instead, his estate will be distributed pursuant to Minnesota’s intestacy laws. For those who die without a will, intestacy laws are a state’s default estate plan. The estate is usually distributed among the decedent’s heirs. Prince dying intestate is strange because of the the size of his estate, and his propensity to give to charity.

It is uncommon for someone with an estate as big as Prince’s to not do any kind of estate planning. In fact, those with big estates often do what is referred to as “advanced estate planning.” One advanced estate planning practice is to create a charitable trust. A charitable trust is an estate planning vehicle that can fulfill your philanthropic endeavors, all the while, having your estate receive beneficial tax treatment. There are generally two kinds of people that set up charitable trusts: those who are charitably inclined and those who take advantage of the tax benefits.

For those who are charitably inclined, a charitable trust can and should be tailored to accomplishing your philanthropic undertakings. A charitable trust allows an individual to make charitable donations during life and after death. Setting up a charitable trust is a way to ensure that a charity will continue to receive donations after the settlor has passed away. Other benefits of creating a charitable trust, and an estate plan, include, but are not limited to, avoiding probate, minimizing conflict during trust administration, and fulfilling the settlor’s intent.

For those who are primarily tax-driven, there are various tax benefits of which one can take advantage. In short, there are different kinds of charitable trusts. Each receives different kinds of tax treatment, has different formation requirements, and other distinguishing characteristics. If creating a charitable trust is something that you want to do, or are at least considering, meeting with an experienced estate planning attorney is imperative, because estate planning requires expertise and precision when determining which avenues should be taken. Had Prince set up a charitable trust during his life, not only would the charities that relied upon his generous donations be taken care of, but his estate would be taking advantage of the tax benefits.

Unless a will is found, we will never know how Prince would have wanted his estate to be distributed. It is likely that he would have had wanted a portion of it to go to charity. If you possess a philanthropic disposition, creating a charitable trust is something that should definitely be considered. A few of the benefits of creating a charitable trust are accomplishing your charitable goals, helping those who need it, and receiving tax benefits.

If you are interested in creating a charitable trust or have any questions regarding your current estate plan, please contact the experienced estate planning attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri for further information. The attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri have decades of experience handling complex estate planning matters, including charitable trusts, and we are happy to offer you a free consultation. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may detail general legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.

* http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/22/opinions/prince-eight-things-to-know-jones/

“This is the real deal”- Yelp reviewer

March 16, 2016/in Firm News /by Lonich Patton Ehrlich Policastri

Michael E. Lonich is the managing partner of Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri and has over 30 years of experience representing businesses and individuals. He leads the firm’s estate planning group and serves as a mediator and arbitrator upon request. Mike enjoys working with clients to create an estate plan that suits their needs.

One yelp reviewer stated the following: “A named partner, Michael Lonich, contacted me directly, made an appointment to meet in a very reasonable day soon. The office was all you’d want to find, reception was kind and welcoming, and Mr. Lonich shared his time (more than 30 min w/o complaint), his experience, and expertise openly with me. He listened attentively to all I had to say (no matter how inane it may have appeared to him), and treated me as if my thoughts and concerns and I were the most important things he had to do that morning. All in all, my experience and the advice/results were high-end, kind, and expert; everything one imagines the perfect law firm to be. I don’t mean to sound superfluous or silly, but this is simply how it was. This is the real deal, with heart. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.”

If you have any questions about estate planning or any other issue, the Certified Family Law Specialists at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri have decades of experience handling complex family law matters. Please contact the Certified Family Law Specialists at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri for further information. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may include legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/lonich-and-patton-llp-san-jose

The Strangest Wills of All Time

March 9, 2016/in Estate Planning /by Michael Lonich

The Huffington Post recently compiled a list of 7 of the weirdest, but very real, wills of all time. Although some are foreign wills, the article serves to remind us that wills are a powerful tool. Creating a will allows us to control the disposition of our property, and fulfill some last wishes.

1. The Original “P.S. I love you”

Comedian Jack Benny left a provision in his will instructing a local florist to deliver a red rose to his wife every day for the rest of her life.

2. A Dog’s Life

Businesswoman, Leona Helmsley, left her dog “Trouble” 12 million to inherit. (Although a judge later reportedly reduced the inheritance to 2 million)

3. The Talking dead

Magician, Harry Houdini’s, last wishes included a request for his wife to hold a mini séance every year on the anniversary of his death. Houdini had promised to contact his wife after death and they even agreed upon a phrase that he would say as confirmation that it was him really speaking. His wife, however, quit the séances a decade after his death.

4. The unhappy husband

German poet, Heinrich Heine’s wife was set to inherit all his assets upon the fulfillment of one condition, she had to remarry. His will reportedly read, “because, then there will be at least one man to regret my death.”

5. The Stork Derby

Toronto businessman, Charles Miller’s, left his fortune to the married woman in Toronto who could birth the most children in the decade following his death. The stork derby, as the race for the fortune later became labeled, eventually led to a 4 woman tie, each producing 9 children.

6. The unfitting funeral

Writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, initially wrote in his will that his funeral should be “suitable” and “in keeping with my station in life.” However, by the time he died, Fitzgerald had changed his will to say it should be the “cheapest” funeral because Fitzgerald had gone into debt.

7. Controlling from the grave

Real estate millionaire, Maurice Laboz, who died in 2015 left his nearly $40 million estate to his 2 daughters. His daughters are set to receive the inheritance at 35, but can receive bonuses before, if they adhere to certain rules. For example:

1) Daughter, Marlena, will receive 500,000 upon marrying, but only if her husband signs a sworn statement promising to not touch the money

2) Marlena will receive another 750,000 if she graduates from an accredit university and writes an essay “100 words or less describing what she intends to with the funds”

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/7-of-the-most-unusual-wills-of-all-time_us_55fb0059e4b0fde8b0cd5bc5?utm_hp_

If you would like to learn more about wills or avoiding probate in general, call Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri to schedule a free half-hour consultation. Our attorneys are passionate about estate planning and have decades of experience handling complex estate planning matters, including wills and living trusts. If you are interested in developing an estate plan or reviewing your current estate plan, contact the experienced estate planning attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri for further information.

Have You Heard of Digital Estate Planning?

November 3, 2015/in Estate Planning /by Michael Lonich

In today’s increasingly technological world, leaving your digital accounts out of your estate plan can prove to be a big mistake. As of 2014, 84 percent of American adults own a personal computer and 64 percent own a smartphone.[1] As of June 2015, there were approximately 1.49 billion Facebook users, 300 million Instagram users, hundreds of thousands of videos uploaded on YouTube each day, and over 6 billion photos on Flickr.[2] Given the user increase, more and more people are challenged with administering a loved one’s digital assets.

Digital assets can include files stored on digital devices, email accounts, digital music, digital photographs, digital videos, social network accounts, file sharing accounts, online stores, and software licenses.[3] The entirety of these digital assets forms an individual’s digital estate. Due to the role technology has in today’s world, the deposition of digital assets has become a major issue in estate planning.

One of the biggest concerns necessitating digital estate planning is the emotional value of social network accounts. For example, in 2005 a dispute arose in which a mother, Karen Williams, turned to her twenty-two year old son’s Facebook account after his sudden death in hopes of learning more about him.[4] Ms. Williams found her son’s password and emailed the Facebook administrators, asking them to maintain her son’s account so she could look through his posts. However, within two hours, her son’s password was changed, essentially locking her out of the account. It was not until she filed a lawsuit that Facebook granted her ten months of access to her son’s account and after this period, his profile was removed.

With careful digital estate planning, situations like Ms. Williams’ are less likely to occur. Digital estate planning can also serve a variety of purposes aside from the emotional value. It can make things easier on executors and family members, it can prevent identity theft, it can prevent financial losses to the estate, and it can prevent unwanted secrets from being discovered.[5] However, the current state of the law is uncertain and changing in regards to digital estate planning. Currently, federal law addresses privacy concerns and regulates the unauthorized access of digital assets under the Stored Communications Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which can create limitations for those attempting to plan for their digital assets. But recently, the Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (UFADAA) was created and nearly half of U.S. states have introduced legislation this year to enact the Act.[6] The UFADAA is an inclusive law that would remove obstacles that prevent fiduciary access to digital assets and would also give access to a wide range of digital assets. In California, a bill has been introduced known as Assembly Bill 691 or the Privacy Expectation Afterlife and Choices Act (PEAC). PEAC would deny relatives access to electronic information of their loved one, unless the court finds that the person had previously agreed to pass them onto a fiduciary. This bill was unanimously passed by the House of Representatives and as of September 10, 2015, it was sent to the Senate floor with the instruction that it not be voted on until January 2016 in order for further negotiation among parties and amendment.[7]

Our daily lives have changed from sending letters and keeping photo albums to emailing and using social networking accounts. While the state of the law is uncertain, technological use increases each day, emphasizing the importance of digital estate planning to carry out an individual’s wishes.

Estate planning is a highly complex area of law. If you are interested in digital estate planning or have any questions regarding your current estate plan, please contact the experienced estate planning attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri for further information. The attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri have decades of experience handling complex estate planning matters, including nonprobate transfers, and we are happy to offer you a free consultation. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may detail general legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.

[1] Michael Rosen-Prinz, The Uncertain Future of Estate Planning for Digital Assets in California, 21 Cal. Trusts and Estates Quarterly 37 (2015).

[2] Number of Monthly Active Facebook Users Worldwide as of 2^nd Quarter 2015, STATISTA, http://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/.

[3] Evan Carroll, Sample Will and Power of Attorney Language for Digital Assets, THE DIGITAL BEYOND, http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/sample-language/.

[4] Karen Williams’ Facebook Saga Raises Question of Whether Users’ Profiles Are Part of ‘Digital Estates’, HUFF POST TECH (Mar. 15, 2012, 5:57 PM), http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/15/karen-williams-facebook_n_1349128.html.

[5] Gerry W. Beyer, Web Meets The Will: Estate Planning for Digital Assets, 42 Est. Pln. 28 (2015).

[6] States Struggle to Adopt Uniform Access to Digital Assets Act, ARMA INTERNATIONAL, http://www.arma.org/r1/news/washington-policy-brief/2015/04/08/states-struggle-to-adopt-uniform-access-to-digital-assets-act.

[7] Michael Rosen-Prinz, The Uncertain Future of Estate Planning for Digital Assets in California, 21 Cal. Trusts and Estates Quarterly 43 (2015).

Transferring The Family Business, But To Which Child?

July 27, 2015/in Business Law, Estate Planning /by Michael Lonich

After years spend building up a successful family business, many want to pass on their success to their next generation of family members. Unfortunately, conflicts in family businesses are likely to occur when the owner and other family members begin to consider and examine the transfer of the ownership and control of the business. One of the largest conflicts to result often rises in situations where there are two or more children in line to take charge and sibling rivalry erupts. However, in planning the succession of a business, the transition may go smoother with the creation of a trust outlining the steps to be taken in the succession.

The advantage of a business trust is that a plan would have been put in place in the case of an unexpected death. However, there is still a problem with choosing which child to take charge of the family business. One of the greatest challenges in choosing which child to take over is their lack of experience, though this issue can be addressed with the following tips.

First Option: Trial Run
- You can give each child about six months or so to be in charge.
- Objectively list the qualities that you are looking for before the trial begins.
- Also, make sure to let the other employees know that the child is in charge.

Second Option: Test and Interview the Candidates
- Put the siblings through a series of written tests.
- Also, interview each candidate in order to determine who would be the best choice for taking over the business

Third Option: Leave It Up to the Children
- If there are several children, a good option may be to allow them to set up a board and let them choose who they believe would be the best successor.
- This can even include outside advisors.

Fourth Option: Have a Trustee in Place
- Put a Trust in place with a trustee running the business until he or she believes the children are ready to take over

The options above are just a few possibilities that a family business owner can try. Nevertheless, they may be able to help family business owners who are troubled by the fear that a child cannot develop the leadership qualities necessary to run the family business. But after getting through this first hurdle and putting these details in a trust, the owner will no longer have to worry about succession of the family business as they will be in capable hands.

Estate planning is a highly complex area of law. If you are interested in creating a trust for your family business or have any questions regarding your current estate plan, please contact the experienced estate planning attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri for further information. The attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri have decades of experience handling complex estate planning matters, including family business trusts, and we are happy to offer you a free consultation. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may detail general legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Source: Charles D. Fox, Keeping It In The Family: Business Succession Planning, SS039 ALI-ABA (2011)

Special Needs Trusts: What Are They?

July 20, 2015/in Estate Planning /by Michael Lonich

Special Needs Trusts are imperative for beneficiaries who are disabled and receive some form of government benefits. The beneficiaries of Special Needs Trusts may be either a developmentally or physically disabled minor or adult.

A standard Family Trust may not be appropriate for a Special Needs person because they do not address the specific necessities of the disabled beneficiary, such as governmental programs and benefits. In California, a Special Needs Trust is generally an irrevocable trust that “gives the trustee discretion to supplement… whatever is provided by government programs to the trust’s beneficiary.” Most commonly, Special Needs Trusts allow for an individual with disabilities to benefit from funds in the trust without the funds counting as a financial asset and interfering with the government benefits that the beneficiary may be receiving. Even in rare cases where a beneficiary never needs Federal or State public benefits and services, Special Needs Trusts may still be a valuable tool and can be used as part of a comprehensive plan to meet the special life management needs of the beneficiary.

While the trustee of the Special Needs Trust cannot give money directly to the beneficiary (as it will interfere with eligibility for Medicaid, subsidized housing, Social Security Income and other government services), the trustee may spend the trust assets on a wide variety of goods and services for the benefit of the beneficiary. Typically, trust assets are used to pay for personal care attendants, vacations, physical rehabilitation, and recreation.

Concerned families and people with disabilities no longer need to worry about limited options regarding estate planning. In the past few years, there has been increasing public awareness of the estate planning options available for families with loved ones with disabilities. There has also been an increase in professional advisors who are able to render competent advice and provide their clients with numerous estate planning options, including Special Needs Trusts.

Estate planning is a highly complex area of law. If you are interested in creating a Special Needs Trust or have any questions regarding your current estate plan, please contact the experienced estate planning attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri for further information. The attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri have decades of experience handling complex estate planning matters, including Special Needs Trusts, and we are happy to offer you a free consultation. Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may detail general legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Source: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/special-needs-trusts-30315.html

Source:.http://www2.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Find_Support/Legal_Support/Special_Needs_Estate_Planning/Special_Needs_Trust_Primer.htm

Source: Purpose of Special Needs Trust, 3 Cal. Transactions Forms- Est. Planning § 17:1 (2015)

Source:.http://www.americanbar.org/newsletter/publications/law_trends_news_practice_area_e_newsletter_home/0501_estate_financialplanning.html

Question: What happens to your Facebook account when you die?

February 20, 2015/in Estate Planning, Probate /by Michael Lonich

Answer: Now, you can designate someone to control your Facebook account with the legacy contact option.

As estate planners, we see people each day who think about what happens to their personal effects when they pass away. We write wills in order to designate who should receive a client’s material possession upon their death and answer questions like; where do my assets go? Who will maintain control of my estate when I pass away? But more and more of us are starting to consider what happens to our digital possessions such as our Facebook accounts when we die. Facebook has responded by creating what they call a “Legacy Contact.”

Up till now, when Facebook learned that someone died, they would offer only a basic memorialized account that other people could view but couldn’t manage. It would be frozen, angering heirs who wanted to edit the deceased’s online presence. When Alison Atkins died in 2012 after a battle with a colon disease, her sister and parents wanted access to her digital assets. Slowly, these accounts began shutting down in order to protect Alison’s privacy, per the websites’’ terms of service. Later that year when her Facebook account disappeared, her family felt like they were losing another part of Alison.

However, starting this Thursday, you can assign a legacy contact who can have more room to manage an account when the user dies.

Your legacy contact will have limited control

There are limits, however, to what a legacy contact can do. A legacy contact can:

Write a pinned post for your profile (ex: to share a final message on your behalf or provide information about a memorial service)
Respond to new friend requests (ex: old friends or family members who weren’t yet on Facebook )
Update your profile picture and cover photo
Download a copy of what you’ve shared on Facebook (this is an additional option that you can add/decline)

There are several things your legacy contact cannot do, and you should be aware of them. A legacy contact cannot:

Remove or change past posts, photos and other things you’ve shared on your Timeline (regardless of how embarrassing they might be)
Read messages you’ve sent to other friends
Remove any of your friends

Choosing your legacy contact

Once you have decided who your legacy contact will be, selecting them is easy. A concern that is coming is what if you select your spouse but you both travel frequently together? What if you both die? At this point in time, you can only select one person with no back up.

Estate planning has always been a complex field and the digital era is adding new complexity to this process. Facebook and other tech companies are starting to realize this, prompting changes to their terms of service. In 2013, Google began allowing people to assign beneficiaries of their Google accounts as well.

Whether you are concerned with devising a plan for either a family estate or that of a business, it is important to get good advice. The attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri have decades of experience handling complex estate planning matters including business succession plans, wills, and living trusts. If you are interested in developing an estate plan or reviewing your current estate plan, contact the experienced estate planning attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri for further information as we are happy to offer you a free consultation.

Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may detail general legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.

How will proposed tax reform affect your estate plan?

January 30, 2015/in Business Law, Estate Planning, Probate /by Michael Lonich

On January 20^th, 2015, President Obama stood before a joint session of Congress and delivered the annual State of the Union address. Some of the topics discussed were the current State of the Union, College Savings Plan reform, his legislative agenda as well as several White House proposed tax reforms for the upcoming fiscal year.

While many of his new policies will affect all Americans in some way, several of his proposed tax increases will particularly affect upper-income persons and financial corporations. One in particular is a proposed change to the tax on appreciated estate property, otherwise referred to as the “trust-fund loophole.”

Taxation on Appreciated Estate Property

The term Capital Gain stands for the profit realized on the sale of a non-inventory asset that was purchased at a cost amount that was lower than the amount realized on the sale. In the United States, individuals and corporations pay U.S. federal income tax on the net total of all their capital gains just as they do on other sorts of income. “Long term” capital gains are generally taxed at a preferential rate in comparison to ordinary income.

Currently, the law states that property which has appreciated in value that is owned by an estate is generally not subject to tax at death. Under this tax scheme, children and other heirs typically receive and sell property with little or no capital gains tax since most property receives an increase in basis to fair market value. For example, a parent who dies can pass along a valuable asset to their child or heir with no capital gains tax being due. When the child or heir eventually sells the asset, the current law limits the eventual tax bill by figuring the taxable gain only since the parent’s death. While this is a feature commonly known as a stepped-up basis the administration refers to this as the “trust fund loophole” and is looking to change it.

The White House proposal is to tax this appreciated estate property. The proposal states that the tax will be at 28% if the difference between the cost of the property and the fair market value at death exceeds $100,000 per person. There would be a separate exclusion for a personal residence of $250,000 per person. The proposal would not include clothes, furniture and most other personal items.

In arguing its case for revising this aspect of the tax code, the White House claims that all of the gain on valuable property or assets that occur prior to the death of a parent unfairly escapes tax. The White House claims it is in good company. Critics of the current tax code say that it is outdated. They claim that while the current policy reduces disputes over prices paid for assets long ago, they acknowledge that revision to the tax code would unlock capital by removing an incentive for holding valuable assets for generations.

Many experts, such as USC tax expert Edward Kleinbard, agree. Mr. Kleinbard notes that the capital gains tax is our only truly voluntary tax. Taxpayers can defer it for a considerable amount of time simply by withholding on the sale of their taxable assets. He argues that if you’re rich enough to hang onto your stocks and bonds, or can utilize financial strategies to enable you to exploit their value without selling them, you can defer paying capital gains tax your entire life.

Whether the White House prevails in passing this legislation remains to be seen. It seems clear, however, that negotiations on tax policy will continue in attempts by the current administration to eliminate tax loop-holes. Eliminating the lock-in effect, where holders of appreciated assets avoid selling because of the taxes imposed on the sale, could have a major impact on estate planning strategies and should prompt concerned individuals to look more closely at their estate plans, which should be revised periodically to ensure the best treatment of ones assets.

These are issues that make estate planning a complex field. Whether you are concerned with devising a plan for either a family estate or that of a business, it is important to get good advice. The attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri have decades of experience handling complex estate planning matters including business succession plans, wills, and living trusts. If you are interested in developing an estate plan or reviewing your current estate plan, contact the experienced estate planning attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri for further information as we are happy to offer you a free consultation.

Please remember that each individual situation is unique and results discussed in this post are not a guarantee of future results. While this post may detail general legal issues, it is not legal advice. Use of this site does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Estate Planning Lessons from Robin Williams

August 22, 2014/in Estate Planning, In the Community, Probate /by Michael Lonich

As many of us mourn the loss of this great comedic genius, new information is still coming forward about Robin Williams. According to ABC News, with more than half of his movies portraying Williams as the leading man, his movies grossed over $6 billion throughout his career. While he was paid $165,000 per episode for his one season of The Crazy Ones, it is unclear whether he returned to television because of alleged “bills he had to pay” following his two divorces.

Robin Williams is survived by his third wife, Susan Schneider, who was married to him for 3 years, and his three adult children from his prior two marriages whose ages range from 22 to 31. The question for them now is what was the state of his financial affairs when he passed away?

While it appears from public record that Williams left real estate with equity of around $25 million behind, it is unclear what else he left for his heirs. What is clear, however, is that Williams appeared to have several estate planning documents which will be invaluable to his family. These include two different trusts. The first is the “Domus Dulcis Domus Holding Trust” (Latin for “home sweet home”). TMZ also reported that someone had leaked a copy of a different trust, which Williams created in 2009. This would have been while Williams was in the middle of his divorce from his second wife, Marsha Garces.

This trust reportedly named his three children as beneficiaries, splitting their trust funds into three equal distributions for each of them, set to pay out when they reach ages 21, 25, and 30. While the Domus Dulcis Domus Holding Trust appears to have been done to minimize estate taxes, this second trust accomplishes the goals of safeguarding privacy for Williams and his family since trusts avoid probate, keeping his affairs private (as long as they are not leaked to the media).

If you would like to learn more about trusts or avoiding probate in general, call Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri to schedule a free half-hour consultation. Our attorneys are passionate about estate planning and have decades of experience handling complex estate planning matters, including wills and living trusts. If you are interested in developing an estate plan or reviewing your current estate plan, contact the experienced estate planning attorneys at Lonich Patton Erlich Policastri for further information.

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