Articles on Estate and Lifetime Planning
These articles illustrate important concepts of planning in a narrative way which surpasses any general statement or set of rules. Motivation and method determine the unfolding of events in the human sphere better than any formula, and a good story naturally conveys these elements to become more than just a plot summary.
The family-owned company that grew up around Johnson wax products has had five generations of Johnsons as its leaders. There is no family feud over succession at S.C. Johnson & Company, no pack of obstructionist cousins demanding larger dividend checks... (read more)
Leonardo da Vinci's Horse & Charitable Foundations
Five hundred years ago, Leonardo da Vinci’s long-held plan to cast a 24-foot-tall bronze horse for his patron. Today, Leonardo’s dream, that he first articulated in a postage-stamp-size sketch, was revealed in three jaw-dropping dimensions, in the form of a proudly prancing 15-ton bronze stallion, exactly to his proportions... (read more)
And the Meek Shall Inherit Nothing
A year after his father died in Florida, Richard Nelson, 51, can finally talk about what he calls “the war of the glockenspiel,” when Mr. Nelson, an organizational consultant, and his younger brother, Larry, battled for months over the instrument their father played in the Shriner drum corps... (read more)
Farmers' Fears Reflect Myths and Confusion on Estate Tax
Harlyn Riekena worried that his success would cost him when he died. Thirty-seven years ago he quit teaching to farm to farm and over the years bought more and more of the rich black soil here in central Iowa. Now he and his wife, Karen, own 950 gently rolling acres planted in soybeans and corn... (read more)
After Donor Dies, Battle Erupts Over Fund's Vision
Dan Maddox, an industrious Tennessean who carefully built a fortune in auto financing, oil wells and property investments, wanted an estate plan that would keep his millions out of the hands of his son and two daughters, whom he regarded as spoiled ingrates... (read more)