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Jennifer Short

What Happens to Your Social Media Accounts at Your Death?

If you have spent time creating, uploading, and sharing content, it is important to take a look now at what will happen after you pass away so you can determine your content’s future. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, Twitter and YouTube all have their own policies. By properly laying out your wishes in your estate plan, you can provide guidance to your loved ones and reassurance that your legacy will live on.

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Gregory S. DuPont

Debbie Reynolds: Unsinkable

Debbie Reynold's death occurred just one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, had died. Carrie was named as a beneficiary in Reynolds will. So what would happen now to Fisher's share in Reynolds $85 Million estate?

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Gregory S. DuPont

What if I Can Find Only Photocopies or Digital Copies of My Estate Planning Documents?

Although some attorneys make it their standard practice to retain and store a client’s original will for safekeeping as a service, that trend is becoming increasingly rare. As more law offices make efforts to “go green” by storing only digital copies of legal documents, they are giving their clients the responsibility of keeping their original documents safe. So what happens when the bank, title company, or court requests your original legal documents, and no one can find them? Well, that depends on the type of document (will, financial power of attorney, trust, or medical power of attorney) and your state's laws.

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Gregory S. DuPont

Mickey Rooney: Nine Lives

Not every estate dispute is about money. When Mickey Rooney died, he disinherited all but one of his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and his wife. There were no great sums of money to feud over, so why did his family fight at all?

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Gregory S. DuPont

Estate Planning Checklist to Facilitate Multigenerational Wealth Transfers

Studies estimate that 70 percent of family wealth is lost by the end of the second generation and 90 percent by the end of the third generation. To help your loved ones avoid becoming part of this statistic, you need to educate and update your extended family about your wealth transfer goals and the plan you have put in place to achieve these goals.

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Gregory S. DuPont

John Lennon: The Eggman

Julian Lennon sued The John Lennon Estate for his share in his Father's $800 Million fortune. A lengthy and expensive 16-year legal battle ensued. Yoko Ono got full control over Lennon’s estate, his original song rights, and his image with no provision made for Julian in Lennon's will.

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Gregory S. DuPont

Questions to Ask When Hiring a Fiduciary

For some people, choosing trusted decision makers is easy; for others, it may be more difficult due to tense family circumstances, geography, or the lack of living family members. While most advisors and attorneys counsel clients to choose family members or close friends, this may not always be an option. But have no fear. You can consider hiring someone if you do not have a family member or close friend to appoint to one of these important positions. Some positions that might need filling include an executor, successor trustee, financial power of attorney, healthcare power of attorney, and a caretaker or guardian.

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Gregory S. DuPont

Philip Seymour Hoffman: A Most Wanted Man

When Philip Seymour Hoffman died, he left behind a will that was over a decade old. The will had been drafted by his real estate attorney/CPA rather than someone who specialized in estate planning. In spite of having three children, a trust had only been set up for the eldest son and the hefty fortune that was left to his girlfriend was subject to an enormous estate tax bill.

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Gregory S. DuPont

Decanting: Redoing Your Loved One’s Estate Plan

What happens when, after a trust has become irrevocable, a situation arises that appears to undermine or conflict with your intent as the trustmaker? Are you stuck? Thankfully, no. A variety of tools exists to help handle unforeseen circumstances that might have negative consequences. Decanting is one of them. This tool is increasingly being used to remedy situations where a now-irrevocable trust needs to be fixed because of changing circumstances that appear to work contrary to the trustmaker’s intent.

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Gregory S. DuPont

Stephen Hawking: The Grand Design

In June, Professor Stephen Hawking’s estate struck a deal with the University Library in Cambridge and the Science Museum to receive some of his possessions in lieu of inheritance tax. Acquired items included his wheelchair, a pair of his glasses, scientific bets signed with a thumbprint, papers on theoretical physics and even his scripts from The Simpsons. How did this donation benefit the estate?

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