What happened to Chadwick Boseman’s estate?

Chadwick Boseman passed away in August 2020 at the age of 43.  It came as a surprise to many that the late actor had been diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016.  He battled for four years after it progressed to stage IV.  The Instagram post that discussed his passing stated that he endured countless surgeries and chemotherapy while filming several films.

Boseman died without a will, so his estate went through California’s slow process of court-governed disposition, aka PROBATE — one that involves appraisals, referees, creditor claims, and status reports.  Probate in California can take years. Someone has to be appointed by the court to be an executor or administrator. In this case, Boseman’s wife was appointed.

According to court documents, Boseman’s probate estate was initially valued at $939,000, which likely did not encompass the entirety of his wealth. His non-probate assets, which include assets such as life insurance, 401ks, and other retirement accounts, would not be included in that estimate.  Several uncashed checks, including two from Disney Worldwide Services, Inc., were included in the inventory and appraisal, which means that his estate is worth way more than originally listed on official documents. Over $5,000 is listed as “separate property,” and over $3.3 million is listed for his corporation, Chadwick Boseman, Inc.

The estate was worth exactly $3,577,861.11, according to a final appraisal.

Probate is public process.  All the information regarding his assets became public knowledge.  Every step of the Probate process has court oversite and requires court approval. That can take months or years. If you do not want your assets and liabilities to become public information, a trust is a good way to avoid that.  Otherwise, all your information is public and can be accessed by almost anyone.

The “Get on Up” star’s wife submitted her own creditor’s claim to her husband’s estate, asking the court for reimbursement costs for Chadwick’s funeral. Her claim has been approved for $71,613.74. Some of the costs include $1,275 for flowers and over $21,000 for funeral reception costs.

Chadwick’s wife listed one interesting claim for her late husband’s funeral costs. She spent $33,420 on mausoleum crypts at Forest Lawn Cemetery for Chadwick, but also Chadwick’s parents. His parents were listed as living relatives in the original probate filing, and now they can be laid to rest next to their late son when the time comes.

Lesson to Learn:  MAKE AN ESTATE PLAN.  Dying without an estate plan means the probate court will divide up your estate pursuant to state law and probate is a public process, not private.  This may result in your assets being inherited by estranged family members or, even worse, by family members who you strongly dislike.  Make it a priority to find the time to execute your estate plan.  In the case of Boseman, an estate plan would have provided authority for someone to pay for funeral costs without having to submit creditor’s claims to Probate Court. A breakdown of every cost for the funeral would not have been so readily available to the public.

We lost many celebrities in the last two years. Over the next couple blog we plan to identify the celebrity, the issue with their estate plan and the possible solutions or outcomes.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant died tragically in January 2020, shortly before the world shut down due to the Corona Virus pandemic. He was a world-famous basketball player, a savvy businessman, brand-builder, investor and Oscar winner. He was a father to 4 girls, all under 18. He left a carefully crafted estate plan in place prior to his untimely death at the age of 41.
Kobe’s estate plan protected his assets, reduced estate-tax liability, and passed his wealth to his family members. Despite all that planning, Kobe made a tragic oversight. He failed to update his estate plan after the birth of his youngest daughter, Capri Bryant. She was just six months old at the time of his death. While it is quite unfortunate, it is not uncommon for parents to delay or even forget adding a new baby to their trust. We get so caught up with enjoying our newest addition, prioritizing a trust update takes a backseat.

In the case of Kobe Bryant they sought to fix this oversight. The co-trustees of the Kobe Bryant Trust petitioned the court to modify Kobe’s trust to add Capri as a beneficiary, so that she will be eligible to inherit her share of the family estate. This mistake not only requires the trust to expend unnecessary legal fees, it also eliminates the privacy aspect of Kobe’s estate plan because the trust and its terms have become public record. Once court involvement occurs these issues become public record and public fodder. A tabloid website or magazine may take the opportunity to report on the issue.

Lesson to Learn: UPDATE YOUR ESTATE PLAN. After a divorce or the birth or adoption of a new child, you should always revisit your estate plan. In the event none of those things happen, we recommend you revisit your estate plan every five to seven years.

In the past we have discussed Servicing your Estate Plan. This topic is so important we are reviewing it again.  After our discussion on Funding Your Trust (June 2021), we thought it would be important to re-iterate that keeping your Trust up-to-date is incredibly important.  We compared it to servicing your car.  We advised that you not wait years to re-evaluate your estate plan.  Preventative measures will ensure that your wishes are carried out correctly and all assets are included.

Like a car, your estate plan needs maintenance.  Maybe you do not need to service it every 3,500 miles like your car, but when situations change or assets increase, reviewing your Trust becomes important.

Questions you need to ask yourself:

• When was the last time you looked at your Trust?
• Have you opened bank accounts?
• Have you moved?
• Did you have another child? Grandchild?
• Has your martial situation changed (divorce, marriage)?
• Did you receive an inheritance, or acquire more assets (homes, rental properties, a boat)?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to service your Estate Plan/Trust.

Our office is here to help, please let us know if you need to update your estate planning documents. Give us a call at 818.887.9401

It is no fun discussing death with our loved ones.  But before you take the “ignorance is bliss” route, think about how your debts after death will impact your loved ones.  Ideally, none of your debts pass to your family, but let’s talk about some good ways to ensure that doesn’t happen.  At the very least, we can explain what happens after you pass so you can better prepare for it.

After you have passed your estate typically pays all of your debts.  Should you have enough assets to pay for those debts, your estate Executor is responsible for selling those assets and settling up with your creditors.  Remember your creditors will come before your heirs. 

If your estate does not have the funds to pay off debts, then your debts will typically die with you.

Debts that do not die with you are ones where a loved one acted as a guarantor or co-signer.  Doing this means your loved one will assume the loan if you cannot.  Once you are dead, what can you do about that?

This also applies to married couples that share credit cards or accounts.  If your spouse bought a new boat on your shared credit card, then they passed away, you are still responsible for paying it off.  Even if you had nothing to do with it.   Make sure you are aware of spending habits before you tie your “financial knot.”  Also, be aware that an “authorized user” on a credit card is different than a co-signer.  An authorized user is not required to pay the debts of the deceased cardholder.

A surviving spouse will be able to take over monthly mortgage payments, rather then pay back the full balance to the mortgage company.  If a spouse really wants to remain in their home, he/she can continue to make monthly payments, rather then pay off the entire debt upon her loved ones death.

It is important to talk to your loved ones about your wishes. It may become necessary for the spouse to downsize to a smaller house so they have a more manageable monthly payment or a more manageable size home.

In most cases your 401(k), life insurance policies, IRAs and other brokerage accounts are protected from creditors.  This allows you to list individuals as beneficiaries, and then the money doesn’t go to your estate.  If it did, your estate would use it to pay creditors. Which would mean your beneficiaries get less.

Don’t forget Community Property Laws!  California is a community property state.  These laws require that any debts or assets you’ve incurred after you got married are also the responsibility of your spouse.

Discussing death and your debts after death is not easy, but do yourself and your loved ones a favor by addressing it.  Don’t hesitate to speak with an attorney. Our estate planning attorneys are here to help, call Hornstein Law Offices at 818.887.9401.

In order for a Revocable Trust to work correctly it must be funded.  That means your assets must be put into the name of your trust.   The Trust can only govern what it owns.   By funding your Trust, the Trust governs those assets.  We talk to our clients about the importance of funding their Trust all the time.   Since there are different types of assets, there are different ways to fund them into your trust.  Bank accounts, for example, are funded differently than life insurance.  The rights to royalties or money owed to you are funded in a different manner.  Here are three ways to fund assets into your trust.

Change of Title/Ownership

Changing title or ownership applies to assets such as bank accounts and real property.  These assets are funded into your Trust by changing the owner of the asset from your individual name to the name of the Trust.

Here is an example:

Current name on ABC Bank Checking Account:  John A. Smith

New Title on ABC Bank Checking Account:  John A. Smith as Trustee of the John A. Smith Revocable Trust dated April 1, 2010.

Important Fact:  The date of your Trust is part of the name. 

Assignment of Ownership Rights

These are things such as monies owed to you.   If you loan money to someone and have not been paid back yet, you can assign the debt to your Trust. The same goes for royalties, copyrights and patents.  Even oil and mineral rights are assigned to Trusts.

These are done through an “Assignment of Interest” and require specific language.  Contact your Estate Planning attorney if you need one.  They can draft one with appropriate language depending on your asset.  Different assets will require different language as part of the Assignment. 

Change of Beneficiary

Many people have assets that are beneficiary driven.  Meaning that you can’t change the title, but you can change the beneficiary.  These are assets such as IRAs, 401Ks and Life insurance policies, and many others. 

If you would like to fund these assets into your trust so the money is divided equally, or is used in the manner in which you chose, it is best to name your Trust as the beneficiary. 

It may be best to contact your attorney or Financial advisor to help you change the beneficiary on these accounts/assets.  For many of these you can contact the financial institution that has these assets and ask them for a Change of Beneficiary form and update your beneficiary that way. 

At Hornstein Law we know the value and importance of funding your Trust and we are always available to discuss funding.  Give our office a call, at 818.887.9401, with any questions.  We cannot stress the importance of this enough.

Tax season is in full swing and people are looking at their return and wondering about deductions they should include.  This month we are going to talk about tax deductions that are bit unusual but have been successfully deducted.   Some are a bit ridiculous and others are down right hilarious.  During such a stressful time, we wanted to provide some funny anecdotes.  

Free Beer, Anyone?

A service-station owner decided a good promotion for his business would be to offer his customers a free beer with a fill-up.   It is no surprise that gas sales increased considerably.  The Tax Court allowed the owner to deduct the cost of the beer as a business expense.  Looks like alcohol and gasoline do mix! 

Film Making

A lawyer had invested six years making a documentary film on a musical group.   The IRS tried to claim that the long series of annual losses indicated that this film was more of a hobby then a documentary film.  The judge reviewing the case attempted to suggest that documentary filmmaking is not-for-profit by nature.   This suggestion was so disturbing that several well-known filmmakers filed friend-of-court rulings saying that you can make money with documentaries. 

The court eventually ruled in her favor and allowed the deduction of the six-figure losses.  Furthermore it was noted that she acted in a businesslike manner – hiring staff including a bookkeeper, she bought insurance, consulted experts and even changed the story line in order to make the film more marketable, she also blogged about the film and submitted it to film festivals.

Babysitting Charges

According to the Tax Court, fees paid to a babysitter to enable a parent to get out of the house to do volunteer work for a charity are deductible as charitable contributions.

Landscaping Your Home

A sole proprietor who regularly met with clients in his home office was allowed to deduct part of the cost of landscaping the property.  Based on the fact that it was part of the home being used for business.  The Tax Court also allowed a deduction for part of the costs of lawn care and driveway repairs.

 New Pool

After a doctor told a man with emphysema to develop an exercise regimen, the man put a pool in his home.  He swam twice a day and improved his breathing capacity.  He swam in the pool more than anyone in his family.  The Tax Court allowed him to deduct the cost of the pool as a medical expense, because the main purpose of the pool was for medical care.  The cost of heating the pool, pool chemicals and a portion of insurance for the pool were are also treated as medical expenses. 

Tax season is in full swing and people are looking at their return and wondering about deductions they should include.  This month we are going to talk about tax deductions that are bit unusual but have been successfully deducted.   Some are a bit ridiculous and others are down right hilarious.  During such a stressful time, we wanted to provide some funny anecdotes.  

Charitable Donation

A woman used her own money to care for feral cats.  She fostered them in her home for a charity that specialized in neutering wild cats.  She spent more than $12,000 paying vet bills, food and other items.  A Tax Court allowed her to claim the charitable deduction, but limited her write-off because she failed to meet the substantiation rules.  This means she failed to get a contemporaneous acknowledgement from the charity each time she spent over $250 on the charity’s behest.  If she had received acknowledgement from the charity she could have deducted all her costs.

Body Builders and The Oil They Use

            A professional body builder used body oil on his muscles to make them glisten during his competitions. Tax Court ruled he could deduct the cost of the oil because it was a business expense.  They would not allow him to deduct foods and vitamins that he used to enhance strength and muscle development.

Paying for Wrongdoing?

An insurance company sued two doctors for insurance fraud.  The doctors admitted liability and agreed to reimburse the insurer for the losses.  The IRS ruled that the repayments are deductible as long as the doctors originally included the money in their incomes the prior year.  They didn’t get off too easy though.  The IRS said the repaid funds are a miscellaneous itemized deduction that’s allowed only to the extent it exceeds 2% of the doctors adjusted gross incomes.

Wreck a Car While You Are Drunk?

A man who drank too much at a party arranged a ride home.  A few hours later, that same man, after giving the drinking a rest thought he would be okay to drive home.  Unfortunately, his vehicle slid off the road and rolled over.  He was arrested for drunk driving; his blood alcohol was just above the legal limit.  His insurer refused to pay for the damage to the car because of the arrest.  But the Tax Court let him deduct the cost of the damage as a casualty loss. Because he said that he had tried to act reasonably.  Had he driven straight home with a higher blood alcohol content and had the accident, they would have rejected his write-off.

Barking Dogs

A self-employed consultant working in her condo sued her neighbors and the Condo HOA, alleging that her work was disrupted by noise from faulty construction and barking dogs.   She attempted to deduct $26,000 in legal fees as business expenses.  The IRS said the legal fees were a personal cost. But the Tax Court approved half the write-off because she used 50% of the condo for business.  The IRS also failed to prove that the noise didn’t adversely affect her business use.

Tax season is in full swing and people are looking at their return and wondering about deductions they should include.  This month we are going to talk about tax deductions that are bit unusual but have been successfully deducted.   Some are a bit ridiculous and others are down right hilarious.  During such a stressful time, we wanted to provide some funny anecdotes.  

Drug Lab Burns Down

            A man bought a building that was previously used by a religious sect.  He decided to use the building as a drug lab.  Unfortunately a hot plate ignited his chemicals and a fire burned down the building.  Although the building (which was probably used for cooking meth,) had been used for an illegal activity, he claimed he was entitled to a $9,000 casualty loss.  Even though he acted negligently and was using the building for an illegal drug lab, the Tax Court allowed him to take the write off.

Supporting Your Child’s Career

            A father owned a successful real estate development company and his son was a motocross racer and a local celebrity.  The father decided to sponsor his son’s racing activity and over the course of 2 years his business spent $160,000 in equipment and other costs.  Tax Court allowed the father to deduct almost the entire amount as a business expense.  Since the firm acquired new business, new connections and favorable deals the sponsorship was tax deductible.

Music Professor Plays the Bass

            An accomplished musician and music professor attempted to deduct his travel expenses for jazz rehearsals and performances.  His reasoning was that he needed to keep his skills sharp for performances with other well-known musicians.  The IRS said he could not deduct these costs since performing wasn’t part of his teaching duties.  But a Tax Court allowed the deductions because he used what he learned in the music scene to teach his students.

Lets Buy a Plane

            A couple owned a rental condo about 6 hours away from their home, but instead of driving or taking the only commercial flight available to visit the condo, they bought their own plane.  The Tax Court allowed them to deduct their condo-related trips – including cost of fuel and depreciation for the time the plane was used for business related purposes.

Cat Food

            A couple who owned a junkyard were allowed to write off the cost of cat food.  They would set the food out to attract wild cats.  They needed the cats to get rid of snakes and rats in the junkyard, which made it safer for customers.  Tax Court conceded that the cost of food was deductible.

If you are looking for a professional to help you prepare your taxes, let us give you some suggestions on what to look for. There are hundreds of tax preparers out there, some make grandiose promises of large tax returns and others do not follow the rules set by the IRS. These mistakes could potentially make filing your taxes incredibly difficult and expensive. Let us help you avoid problems.

Hornstein Financial focuses on tax preparation, but we wanted to give you some tips on finding and hiring a tax professional.

It is important to check out tax preparers carefully before hiring one. Do not fall for promises of huge refunds. It really becomes a ‘consumer, beware’ world.

In dealing with tax preparers, here are three tips you should consider:

1. Get a copy of your return. If the preparer then alters the return after you’ve signed off on it, that’s proof that it was a false return that was filed.

2. Make sure the preparer’s name, registration number and address are on the return.

3. Check with the Better Business Bureau or state consumer affairs agency to see if there are any complaints against the preparation firm or preparer.

It may seem like a lot of work at first. But if you get sucked into one of these preparer issues it can take over a year to get it resolved. Also, once you find someone you trust you can use their services every year without worry.

Let Hornstein Financial help. Give our office a call with any questions or concerns 818.887.9401

We are still reviewing the Taxpayers Bill of Rights.  Our last newsletter covered your first 5 rights under the IRS Bill of Rights. Now we are finishing with the last 5.

• The Right to Finality

Taxpayers have the right to know the maximum amount of time they have to challenge the IRS’s position as well as the maximum amount of time the IRS has to audit a particular tax year or collect a tax debt. Taxpayers have the right to know when the IRS has finished an audit.

• The Right to Privacy

Taxpayers have the right to expect that any IRS inquiry, examination, or enforcement action will comply with the law and be no more intrusive than necessary, and will respect all due process rights, including search and seizure protections and will prove its case in a due process hearing.

• The Right to Confidentiality

Taxpayers have the right to expect that any information they provide to the IRS will not be disclosed unless authorized by the taxpayer or by law. Taxpayers have the right to expect appropriate action will be taken against employees, return preparers and others who wrongfully use or disclose taxpayer return information.

• The Right to Retain Representation

Taxpayers have the right to retain an authorized representative of their choice to represent them in their dealings with the IRS. Taxpayers have the right to seek assistance from a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic if they cannot afford representation.

• The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System

Taxpayers have the right to expect the tax system to consider facts and circumstances that might affect their underlying liabilities, ability to pay or ability to provide information in a timely manner. Taxpayers have the right to receive assistance from the Taxpayers Advocate Service if they are experiencing financial difficulty or if the IRS has not resolved their tax issues properly and in a timely manner through its normal channels.

The IRS provides the following sources for forms, publications and additional information.  You can also contact Hornstein Financial and speak to Steve Hornstein or Samara Lewinson about your tax questions.