Tag: inheritance

McManus Interview Inspires New Jersey Newsroom Column: “Who Inherits Dad’s Subscription to Giants’ Football Games?”

New Jersey Newsroom Columnist Warren Boroson (“Boroson on Money”) has a new, interesting piece on how to avoid fighting over family heirlooms and personal property after the death of a loved one. The column hinges on McManus & Associates’ recent conference call on the topic, which you can listen to here. Following the call, Boroson spoke with the firm’s Founding Principal and top AV-rated Attorney John O. McManus to gather more details. The result, “Who Inherits Dad’s Subscription to Giants’ Football Games?” is worth checking out.

Here’s a peek:

Who gets dad’s subscription to New York Giants football games – worth a ton of money? Who gets the little silhouettes someone made of all the family members? Who gets grandma’s expensive jewelry? Who gets Fido and the Chairman Meow and other family pets? What about liquor collections, gun collections, rare books, and other “non-titled property”?

A will may not specify who gets such property, with the result that the heirs may wind up fighting over trivial stuff – and expensive stuff. And the resentment may last the rest of their lives. A little planning, says lawyer John O. McManus of McManus & Associates in New Providence, can prevent a lot of hard feelings and family feuds. “Things, personal effects, closely-held assets and land can cause significant fighting among loved ones and oftentimes attorneys give hardly any attention to such items in the creation of legal documents,” McManus warns.

To read the whole thing, head over to New Jersey Newsroom: http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/economy/who-inherits-dads-subscription-to-giants-football-games

Conference Call: ‘These are a few of my favorite things’ – Top 10 Considerations when Planning for Tangible Personal Property

From jewelry to art, cigar collections to fine china, dividing tangible personal property equitably among loved ones after death can be a major challenge for an executor. In order to keep the court from stepping in to divide the pots and pans –a task no judge desires– direction on how to allocate specific items should be given (rarely explicitly mentioned in wills).

In a new conference call led by McManus & Associates Founding Principal and top AV-rated Attorney John O. McManus, learn about unique ways to plan for division of specific personal tangible property and special planning considerations for unique items such as music, art, wine, scotch and even gun collections.

LISTEN HERE: “‘These are a few of my favorite things’ – Top 10 Considerations when Planning for Tangible Personal Property”

After listening to the discussion, you’ll have answers to the questions below. Don’t hesitate to give McManus & Associates a call at (908) 898-0100 if we can be of further assistance.

1. Is it appropriate to use a personal property memo to capture personal items? Can enforcement of such a memo be guaranteed?
2. How do we catalog our personal property in a memo? Should items be specifically insured?
3. How to plan for art, jewelry and the use of a life estate for personal property, especially in a second marriage.
4. Are you a history buff with collection of Revolutionary and Civil War rifles? Who can you leave them to? Details on fiduciaries who need special licenses or permits.
5. How will pets, especially rare or exotic species be provided for?
6. How do you transfer and value intellectual property, Copyrights, projected sales, music and art?
7. Illegal transportation across state lines? Expensive transportation? Wine or gun collections, a grand piano? How to plan for covering expenses and proper transportation.
8. If you are named a fiduciary, what tasks should you consider taking now to ensure you are protected during probate?
9. Do you have bank accounts worldwide? Considerations to simply the probate process? Are you filing annual disclosures for FBAR?
10. What strategies can you use to ensure an equitable distribution of personal property when considering certain highly valuable assets?

McManus & Associates in New York Times article, “Growing Up With A Trust”

The New York Times today published an article with the headline “Growing Up With A Trust,” written by well-known “Wealth Matters” columnist Paul Sullivan. The story appeared online and in print, as well, on page F9 of the publication’s New York edition.

McManus & Associates worked hand-in-hand with Sullivan on this story, both in facilitating a conversation with one of our clients who shared insight on an anonymous basis and in providing expertise on preparing heirs for inheritance. From the article:

Steve, whose wealth was earned in financial services rather than inherited, is still working out a plan with his wife for telling their three sons about their inheritances. He asked that his name be withheld because he did not want his neighbors in the New York area to know about his money.

In his 40s and retired for more than a decade, he appears to be a model client for any trust and estate planner: he has already put more than $10 million in various trusts. “He’s a thoughtful, meaningful guy, and he has more time than our normal client,” said John O. McManus, his lawyer at McManus & Associates.

He is proud of the provisions written into the trusts for his children, which will keep them from having full access to the money until they are 35. Yet, though he has not done so, talking to his sons about his wealth is also important, even though all three are not yet 10.

To read on, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/your-money/trust-fund-children-need-an-education-about-money.html?pagewanted=all.

Top AV-rated Attorney John O. McManus was happy to weigh in on this important topic, because the firm is committed to helping its clients transfer not only assets, but also family values. As discussed in the piece, conversations with beneficiaries about wealth are part of an ongoing process, not just a one-time event. Through the creation of a Family Mission Statement, McManus & Associates can help you initiate these critical discussions and best prepare your heirs for a productive life filled with success that positively impacts society.

McManus & Associates is ready to talk you through this challenging, yet important process. Give our office a call at (908) 898-0100 to get started.