You know it’s truly Fall when the Major League Baseball playoffs begin. And this year the playoffs cap what has been an epically historic season for the League and particularly for one man: Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who became the first player in the League’s 120+ years of history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases. When you consider the number of unbelievably talented athletes that have played the game at the highest of levels, the feat is astounding. This being America, the record is not just for admiring, of course. It’s also for monetizing the heck out of a once in a lifetime souvenir and generating litigation. I guess we’ll find out whether possession really is 9/10ths of the law, at least in Florida.
Switching to legal topics a little more in our lane, this story concerning a surviving spouse spurned by her apparently indifferent, or perhaps medicinally-motivated, and now deceased husband caught our attention this week. As the article notes, beneficiary designations are an estate planning tool rife with opportunities for abuse. While wills require witnesses and trusts notaries, the owner of an account can often add or change a beneficiary designation simply by logging in to the account online. And given the amount of money that will be transferring from one generation to another over the next 20 years, we sadly expect to hear many more stories similar to the one detailed at the link.
If you want to learn more about to how protect your loved ones from these types of problems, we always welcome an opportunity to have those conversations. Often the best defense is simply knowing what to watch out for.
This content is provided from The Senex, our bi-monthly e-newsletter for senior providers, written by Jeremy L. Pryor, Esq.
