DECEMBER 11, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 24 “Estate planning” means more than just preparing and signing a will. The families of Donald and Mary Perkins learned that even when a will is in place, there still may be problems. Mr. and Mrs. Perkins had both been married before. Each of them had three children from…
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DECEMBER 4, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 23 Frank Magrini died in 1965, and his estate was subjected to the probate process in his home state of Washington. The probate took almost ten years to complete, but everything passed to his wife before it was closed in 1974. Nearly a quarter century later three people claimed…
NOVEMBER 27, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 22 Dora Steinberg was 76 years old when her husband died. She decided that she should put her children’s names on her account. Right after her husband’s death in 1983 she opened a stock brokerage account with Dean Witter Reynolds with about $120,000. The account was titled in three…
NOVEMBER 20, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 21 Three short years ago Congress was pushing for increased use of “managed care” plans as one way to stave off a looming financial crisis for the federal Medicare program. Today the promise of managed care continues to be unmet—largely because of Congress’ own actions. The federal government picks…
NOVEMBER 13, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 20 Suzanne C. Pruitt died in 1994 from complications related to her Alzheimer’s disease. At the time of her death her estate was worth over $1.4 million. The IRS argued that it should have been $120,000 more than that, and that the estate should pay just under $50,000 more…
NOVEMBER 6, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 19 “Estate sales” are a popular American pastime. After the owner’s death or disability, personal effects may be offered for sale to the public, and bargain hunters love to poke through the merchandise. Some shoppers are hoping to find a perfect match for their own dishes, some are looking…
OCTOBER 30, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 18 Gay and lesbian couples need to take special steps to make sure that their wishes are carried out at death. The law makes some assumptions about the intentions of married couples—that they usually intend to leave their property to one another, for example. There are also tax rules…
OCTOBER 23, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 17 J. Michael Cantore, Jr., was appointed as conservator of the person and estate for Diana Kosminer. Shortly after he took responsibility for Ms. Kosminer he arranged for her admission to the Jewish Home for the Elderly of Fairfield County, Inc., a Connecticut nursing home. Within a year of…
OCTOBER 16, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 16 If you have questions about elder law subjects, you may be interested in a new offering from Panel Publishers. The just-released Elder Law Answer Book provides answers to many common elder law questions. The new book is written by Robert Fleming, partner in the Tucson law firm of…
OCTOBER 9, 2000 VOLUME 8, NUMBER 15 Arizona is one of nine “community property” states in the country, and that can be the source of some confusion about estate planning, taxes and property ownership rights for married couples. Recent changes in Arizona’s law make the “community property” designation a little more friendly and understandable, and…