As the court process over the estate of Prince begins to unwind, Heir Hunters of Court TV enter the fray. Entertainer Prince appears to have died without a will and under Minnesota intestacy law, his six siblings and half-siblings are his closest relatives and will receive the estate. However, a Court TV program claims to […]

The absence of an estate plan could make court case messy and expensive. As time passes following the death of entertainer Prince it appears more and more likely that a will doesn’t exist which will most likely prove to be costly to the estate and costly in the millions of dollars. The estate is believed […]

While it is common knowledge that Social Security is in trouble, not everyone knows why. Social Security has many sides that include the good and the bad. On the good side is the fact that Social Security will not run out of reserves until 2034 and on the bad side it will run out unless […]

Proceed carefully when planning to leave unequal shares to your children or your decisions may be challenged. You may have reasons to leave unequal shares to your children when planning your estate but it might be wise to move forward with caution, according to the Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog in “Some Considerations To […]

The IRA requires that a final tax return be filed after a person dies and there can be complications. When a person dies the IRS will collect any tax due from the first of the year to the date of death and that requires an income tax return be filed. US News & World Report […]

The conversation between a doctor and his patient on end of life care should be a discussion. The Washington Post recently published an article that described a conversation between a doctor and his patient on end of life care that revealed the importance of listening. The article, “When a doctor and patient disagree about care […]

The estate of Michael Jackson and the IRS remain far from agreement on how much is owed. The IRS is going to court against the estate of Michael Jackson that could put the case in the $1 billion range according to the Hollywood Reporter in the article “Michael Jackson Estate Faces Billion-Dollar Tax Court Battle.” […]

Writing down the name of beneficiary is easy but there are important decisions to be made. Beneficiary designations are an important part of the inheritances for your heirs and should be carefully considered as Morningstar points out in “How to Handle Beneficiary Designations.” Naming the beneficiary on your IRA might seem like a simple process […]

The Attorney General of Minnesota warns public about living trust mills. Consumers have been warned by the Minnesota Attorney General that living trust mills are a scam designed to target residents for sales efforts on unnecessary insurance policies and annuities that can be costly. A living trust mill is a company that provides a form, […]

Scammers often target the elderly at tax time. As a greater percentage of Americans enter retirement financial abuse of the elderly is on the increase but it can be reduced with some careful oversight. In the weeks surrounding tax day, scammers make calls pretending to be IRS agents looking for money that is owned and […]