There's a popular "game" known as "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon." Part of what people call "Bacon's Law," the goal of this game is to try and find how an actor or individual is linked to famous actor, Kevin Bacon. The game merely seeks to identify how closely related an individual is to the Footloose [...]
Earlier this year, we talked about Tom Petty's estate and how family drama has reached a boiling point. Daughter Adria and widow Dana York Petty have been entangled in the estate of the late rock icon for at least a year and a half now. At first, we talked about how Adria and her sister [...]
Someone you know and care about is reaching the end of his or her days. That someone informs you that they have so many assets in their estate to give away - yet they don't have their estate planned at all. Some people may look for an estate planning attorney right away. Others however, may [...]
Written by Brandon Thomson A Question, Often Asked Here at The Probate ProSM, we are often asked this question: “If a loved one receives Medicaid benefits, will the State of Michigan take their home?” The answer … it depends. The State of Michigan may recover property from estates of certain deceased Medicaid beneficiaries who have [...]
The Lady Bird Deed is a specific type of deed that has become popular in recent years. The reason for its popularity is simple – it has many benefits. Some of the benefits include the ability to transfer property outside of probate without using a trust and the avoidance of Michigan Medicaid Estate Recovery. What [...]
The administration of a deceased’s estate can bring drama with it, and celebrity status in no way prevents the drama from happening. In fact, you could argue it creates more drama. Take for example the late Tom Petty. After his passing, Petty’s widow, Dana York Petty, became the trustee of the artist’s trust. As you’ll [...]
Michael Franklin is one of the many fantastic attorneys who are part of our team at The Probate ProSM. As an attorney, Michael deals with many cases and is in constant contact with many individuals involved in these cases. We sat down with Michael and heard from him about the work he does every day. [...]
Written by Andrew Lorelli Supplemental Needs Trusts (“SNTs”, also called Special Needs Trusts) are a common estate planning tool. SNTs are for people who receive means-tested government benefits, as well as those who also may be the beneficiaries of an estate or the recipient of settlement funds after a lawsuit. SNTs are designed to allow [...]
A few weeks ago, we discussed how Luke Perry took steps to protect his family in the event that he passed away. Today, we’ll take a look at another celebrity who passed away last month, that being soap opera television star Kristoff St. John. Originally, it was reported that the Young and the Restless star [...]
Most presidents of our country have been well-prepared for office. One of our country’s greatest presidents, however, wasn’t prepared when it came to estate planning. Abraham Lincoln was shot at Theater on April 14, 1865 and died the next day. Upon his death, the president’s son, Robert, sent a telegraph to David Davis, Justice of [...]
