BlogRead the Latest News

 

Hard Work Pays Off

 
Juice WRLD was a 21 year old rapper who died late last year from an opioid overdose. He allegedly swallowed several Percocet pills to hide them from police who were waiting to search his private plane for drugs and guns upon landing in Chicago.
 
His mother has asked to be appointed as his estate representative. The estate was recently revealed to be worth $3.2 million. His assets consist of a Miami condo worth $1.5 million, a bank account valued at $1 million, and personal property (mostly watches and jewelry) worth $450K. TMZ reported that he might have additional assets in a trust
 
Several quick points:
 
1. Mr. WRLD’s estate will likely exceed what is initially reported because the listed assets do not include his music royalties.
 
2. His estate will increase in size because the single he recorded with Eminem and which was released posthumously (for him) hit Number 3 on the US music charts and went Number One in the UK (apologies for channeling Casey Kasem).
 
3. It is nice that TMZ finally acknowledged that celebrities might have assets in a trust which are not included in probate filings, but in this case that is misplaced. If a man did not have a will (his mom is asking to be appointed as administrator, she is not designated as executrix in his will), he did not have a trust.
 
4. Unsurprisingly, like most Millenials and Gen Z-ers, Mr. WRLD apparently did not own any stocks or bonds. Consider his heirs fortuitous in these turbulent markets.
 
Photo Credit:  @JustinMyView/R1 Digital
License:  Fair Use/Education
 
 

Mellon’s Folly and the Infinite Sadness

Matthew Mellon was descended from the famous banking family. He died last month at the age of 54 after ingesting the hallucinogenic ayahuasca before starting rehab. At one time he had a $100K/month oxycontin habit.

When Mellon turned 21, he received a $25 million allowance from a family trust, one of 14 trusts established for him. He recently became a billionaire by investing in cryptocurrency. TMZ is reporting that his estate is now petitioning the probate court to authorize the sale of the cryptocurrency.

So many intersecting points in current events:

1. Someone should never give their child $25 million at the age of 21. Trusts can be created to defer an inheritance for as long as necessary.

2. In probate, assets can usually not be sold or transferred until the entire list of assets has been compiled which can take many months. With the decline in value of crytopcurrency, the estate wants to sell it before people realize its true value is likely zero.

3. Mellon might be the wealthiest victim of our tragic opioid crisis.

4. Following the lynching last month of a Canadian who moved to a Peruvian jungle to seek clarity through ayahuasca but somehow killed a shaman, Mellon is the second person whose newsworthy death can be attributed to it.

5. Ayahuasca is described as a sludgelike hallucinogenic potion used by indigenous shamans in spiritual exercises. I will take my drink inspired spiritual experiences through a nice fruit forward cabernet.

Photo Credit:  Forbes/Ethan Pines

License:  Fair Use/Education (linked article)

Khloe and Lamar (Update)

khloe-kardashian-lamar-odom-divorce-relationship-news-update-2014At the risk of turning this blog into TMZ-lite or another gossip site, Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom have called off their pending divorce. Lamar has recovered enough from his cocaine and Viagra induced coma that he is now in physical therapy.

Read more ...

Greg Plitt’s Final Run

Greg Plitt, the “star” of Bravo’s “Work Out” show, was struck and killed by a train last month while allegedly filming a commercial for an energy drink which involved him trying to outrun a train.  Sources indicate that his will was not witnessed so TMZ has reported that his father has applied to be the administrator of his $800K estate.

Three quick points:

1.  TMZ is not the bastion of legal accuracy so they are incorrect in stating that Plitt’s father will determine which creditors get paid and “how the remaining money gets divvied up.”  The intestacy statute of California requires that his parents will share his estate.

2.  Any 37 year old should have a will.  It is part of being a grown up even if adolescence is prolonged while being a fitness model.

3. While we know that Plitt fatefully disregarded his parents’ advice about not playing on train tracks, it remains uncertain if he disregarded his parents’ admonitions about not running with sharp objects in his hand, playing with matches, and looking both ways before crossing the street. Sonya Dakar Spa Day 3

Contact Info

image

Address

Law Office Of Jay Brinker
1 E. Fourth Street - Suite 900
Cincinnati, OH 45202

Email

[email protected]

Phone

(513) 665-4888

Contact Me

All Posts By Jay Brinker

I am an attorney located in Cincinnati, Ohio who practices in the areas of estate planning, probate, asset protection, and small business advice. I make a difficult and bewildering process as simple as possible. Most importantly, I provide "more for less" for my clients.