Tower of Giraffes

As I walked the path of our hotel complex, I came face to face with a giraffe.  It was surreal..  We both stared at each other with initial surprise then wonderment, for me.

When we encounter something strange or out of context, we pause to take it in, at least after the danger dissipates.  But what if that encounter results in danger.  We really never know when incapacity or death might happen.  In a nanosecond, we could be faced with that possibility. 

Are you prepared for the unexpected??

Contact us at http://www.ythlaw.com/ for your Powers of Attorney, Trusts, Wills, Living Wills and other advise and guidance on your estate planning needs.

How does property pass upon death?

There are always questions about the best way to distribute property to your heirs or charitable interest. I remind my clients that property passes four (4) ways upon a person's death. It is passed on by Will (or intestate if there is no Will), Joint Ownership, Beneficiary Designation and Trust (assets have to have been placed into - or retitled into - the name of the Trust).

It is important to determine which way might best serve your needs. An estate planning professional can help with that decision. Contact us at www.ythlaw.com to help with all your estate planning, probate and elder law decisions.

A Little Help

I just watched this clip and thought it would be an interesting movie to see. You never know when something may happen to you or the one you love (or not). Planning now can save a lot of anguish later. Let me have your thoughts once you see the movie. I will comment further as well when I see it.

Publicity Rights Are a Valuable Asset

I was up early this morning and thinking about what I would blog on today. I really did not have a particular subject for today. AND THEN it came to me, I had a question regarding publicity rights upon a person's death. Yes, assets include publicity rights. Whoever inherits your estate will inherit the publicity rights. You could even leave such rights to anyone.

Let's just say at your death, your assets were slim to none. Let's further say that your death resulted from you saving the lives of millions by diverting the actions of a would be terroist. You are proclaimed a hero and, in an instance, your picture is all over the news, internet, billboards, in essence everywhere. You are NOW famous, a celebrity. If someone wanted to use your image to promote anything, then they would have to obtain permission from the heirs of your estate. Your heirs could even hire an agent to manage those publicity rights and make even more money from what was a "slim to none" estate.

I read an article about this recently that pointed out that celebrities can make serious money after they die. It was reported that John Lennon earned $44 million in 2007; Tupac Shakur $9 million. Anytime a company uses the image of a dead celebrity—say, in an ad—whoever owns the publicity rights can get paid. Dead celebrities’ images are used to sell board games, fragrances, T-shirts. Serving as the agent of dead celebrities, whether for movie, music, or just publicity rights is big business.

So, understand your worth and make sure those you love benefit from that worth. Leave your comments here or contact us at http://www.ythlaw.com/

Facebook - What happens when you die?

Many of us are on Facebook and even more are joining everyday, creating a community with individually unique personas. Many people have developed significant followings which, in some cases, translate into profitability in other areas. So, what happens with all that you have created in Facebook when you die?

There was a specific case involving the death of a Facebook user. Obviously, there are many Facebook users who have died but this particular one resulted in litigation and therefore provides some guidance to us all on what happens on Facebook.

This case will be discussed tomorrow in detail. Follow the saga of social media and the death of the users.

10 Reasons Why you should have a Will.

You should get your estate planning done now for many reasons. Over the next 10 ten days, I want to discuss with you the top 10 reasons you should have a will and get your feedback and thoughts on these reasons.

First, it is too late to make a will when you die or even if you become incapacitated. Yes, it is true that the only things guaranteed are Death and Taxes!!! That is why planning ahead of time is so important. I have seen families torn apart because of the death of a family member who did not make their wishes known. A family home lost, children displaced, money wasted, feelings hurt are just the beginning. A generation of opportunity is lost if your will is not done.