The other day I was looking through all the stats on the blog, to see the most popular posts. In first place is What happens when someone dies without a will? with 1550 views. If you liked that one, check the 2013 related post: What happens when someone dies without a will? Does joint tenancy save the day? The rest of the top five posts of all time on the blog are:2. Recent California Decision On Breach Of Trust & Trustee Fiduciary Duties with 1010 views.
3. Recent California Decision Highlights Trustee's Breach Of Duties And Misconduct When Trustee Is Also A Beneficiary with 961 views
4. What Is Undue Influence In California Probate Courts? with 740 views, and
5. Potential Estate Tax Implications Of J.D. Salinger's Death with 490 views.
We feel that there is an overall theme developing here, since the most viewed posts are probably connected with what people are searching for on the Internet and what brings them to the blog.
As a technical matter, the permanent change to a $5,000,000 exemption per person means that for many people, estate taxes are no longer an issue which would drive estate planning. It is a huge difference to not so long ago when the exemption was only $600,000.
However, family relationships cannot be legislated, and the conflicts which develop after death are very much unaffected by tax laws. If one child thinks that their sibling unduly influenced Mom, well, that is simply an issue which will always be around.
We see our practice in disputed matters steadily expanding, so these stats are not surprising to us.
Posted by Henry (Hank) J. Moravec, III, a partner at Moravec, Varga and Mooney, A Partnership.
For a free 30 minute consultation (telephonic or in person), you can e-mail Hank Moravec at hm@moravecslaw.com or call him at (626) 793-3210. The firm website is www.moravecslaw.com
The San Gabriel Valley office is located at 2233 Huntington Drive, Suite 17, San Marino, California 91108.
