650-463-1550 www.FalkBarrot.com 865 Laurel Street, Ste. 4 San Carlos, CA 94070 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Why You Should Spring-Clean Your Estate Plan
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How to Flourish in Your Retirement Years
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How to Be a Successful Executor
Grilled Steak With Chimichurri Sauce
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Soccer Goalie Saves a Fan’s Life
What We Can Learn From Chaotic Celebrity Probate Battles
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Chaotic Celebrity Probate Battles Hold Lessons for All BIGGER STARS, BIGGER MESSES
her an allowance so she could remain in the couple’s home. However, his three children eventually inherited the home, and the widow agreed to a settlement in 2015. Even murkier is the case of Gary Coleman, star of the TV series “Diff’rent Strokes.” Coleman died at age 42 after a fall in his home left him in a coma with a brain hemorrhage. Coleman and his ex-wife, Shannon Price, divorced in 2008, and the actor left his estate to Anna Gray, his personal assistant and former girlfriend, in a 2005 will. Price claimed Coleman created a 2007 codicil that left his assets to her, so the battle dragged on for years. The lesson here? The bigger they are, the harder they fall? Perhaps. But there is also real wisdom to be gained: Don’t do as these celebrities did. Seek professional help with estate planning — long after you’re gone, your loved ones will thank you for it.
In November 2020, after 20 years of leading the high-flying retailer Zappos, Hsieh died alone without a will at age 46 from injuries caused by a fire he set himself, leaving a $500 million estate. He had jotted many of his final wishes only on sticky notes, so his family and friends are still battling in court. After the artist formerly known as Prince died in 2016, no fewer than 700 people claimed to be his descendants. Without a will or named executor, the artist’s estate remained unsettled for years as lawyers, bankers, advisers, and heirs haggled over it. It took DNA testing to clear the fog, qualifying his sister and five half-siblings as his rightful heirs. Relatives of the beloved comedian Robin Williams mounted a long and bitter legal fight over his estate, estimated at more than $100 million. His widow, Susan Schneider Williams, claimed Williams intended to leave
While living celebrities claim an outsized share of our attention, many keep grabbing headlines long after they die. Among crazy celebrity probate cases, few have made a bigger mess than celebrated entrepreneur Tony Hsieh.
Photo: Eva Rinaldi
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