There’s much to plan for in life — college, your wedding, your first child, life insurance — and with more than enough to keep you busy, it’s easy to forget about your will. After all, no one wants to sit around and dwell on their death, but it is perhaps one of the most important decisions you will make in your life.
Cornelius Vanderbilt was among the richest Americans ever to have lived. Born in 1794, he built his fortune on railroads and shipping. To put his wealth into context, in today’s dollars when adding inflation, his fortune would be worth $215.7 billion.
Estate planning is the process of transferring the management of your assets, if and when you are unable to manage them yourself due to disability or death. Whether you have $100 or $100 million you should have an estate plan.
The saying goes that anyone who does not learn from mistakes in the past, is doomed to repeat them. In estate planning, if you do not learn from other’s mistakes, you are likely to repeat them.
James Brown died on Christmas Day 2006. However, almost 15 years later, litigation over his estate rages on. The Godfather of Soul had bequeathed the majority of his assets to underprivileged students in South Carolina and Georgia, but not a single scholarship has been given, pointed out Donald W. Beatty, Chief Justice of South Carolina’s Supreme Court.