Category >> Planning for your Will

Actress Anne Heche passed away without a Last Will and Testament

Actress Anne Heche died on August 5th, 2022, after driving her car head on into a house in Los Angeles. Heche was declared brain dead on site but her other organs were harvested. Much like other celebrities we’ve written about, Anne Heche didn’t have a Last Will and Testament in place, but she did leave around a roughly (hefty) fortune of around $4 million, two sons, and a mess for her loved ones to sift through (legally). Without a Last Will and Testament, the latest update shows that her 20-year old son is slogging it out in court with his mother’s ex-boyfriend. They’re both fighting over Heche’s estate, which you can read about here.

Aside from the ensuing legal mess that Heche left behind for her loved ones, there is also the lingering emotional trauma for the victim of the house that Heche rammed into that fateful night in August. Heche slammed her car into the front end of a house and died on impact. The woman, Lynne Mishele, was working from home when the crash happened: the car slammed into the front of the house, the living room, and the laundry room. According to the lawsuit, the car only stopped “..a few feet away from her.” Both the woman and her three pets survived. Aside from losing all of her physical items, the emotional trauma caused by the crash has caused Lynne to develop (understandably) depression and anxiety. The woman is seeking damages from Heche’s estate for $2 million dollars. You can read more about it here.

Ashley and Wynnona Judd – their mother’s Will was forged

Naomi Judd was a famous American singer who passed away in 2022. She and her daughter, Wynonna, formed a very successful country band. Over time, Naomi battled with mental health issues and physical issues with hepatitis. Her daughter, Wynonna, enjoyed success both as a team with her mother and a solo artist after her mother was diagnosed with hepatitis. Ashley, Wynonna’s sister, has enjoyed success in her own right as a famous actress. She is also involved in humanitarian and global affairs. Both Ashley and Wynnona Judd have a hefty combined net worth, given the success of their careers.

Ashley and Wynnona Judd can more than manage their lives and finances on their own, but having a mother with multiple illnesses can no doubt be difficult.

Naomi’s troubles came to end after the police found her with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in April of 2022. The sisters were both blind sighted by the fact that the pair were both seemingly disinherited from their mother’s Last Will and Testament. Instead, their deceased mother left behind her $25 million dollar fortune to her ex-husband, Larry Strickland. After the shock of this revelation wore off, the two hired a writing expert to analyze the writing in their mother’s Last Will and Testament. A handwriting expert by the name of Peggy Walla, (from Texas-based LPR Investigations) was brought in to analyze the deceased singer’s Last Will. Walla discovered that “The initials and signature are traced — they are not written by her. Usually when you are signing your name – the pen is already in motion when it starts to hit the paper and it gives it a feathered look where these are intentional ‘starts and stops.’” In other words, Walla is suggesting that Naomi’s 5-page Will was forged. If the Will was forged, what does Naomi’s ex-husband have to say about the matter? As of December 2022, there has been no conclusion to this issue as of yet. You can read more here.

Ethical Will? What’s that?

An ethical Will. It sounds something green, right? Something eco-friendly? A Will that you would write up to leave behind for environmental charities or something? A Last Will and Testament is a document that directs how property shall be distributed upon a deceased person’s death. But what are ethical Wills?

An ethical Will, also known as a legacy letter or values statement, is a type of document that allows individuals to share their values, beliefs, and life lessons with their loved ones.

These types of Wills can be written at any time and do not have to be created as part of an estate plan. They can be as long or short as the individual desires and can cover a wide range of topics, including family history, personal values, goals, and achievements, as well as any messages or advice the individual wishes to share.

These documents can be a powerful way for individuals to reflect on their lives and share their insights and experiences with their loved ones. They can also serve as a valuable source of inspiration and guidance for future generations. These are personal documents that you can included alongside your Last Will.

Here are five ways on how to write ethical Wills:

Are you communicating to your loved ones through either video or written format?
What do you want to include in your document? What values, messages do you want to pass down to your loved ones?
Have an outline as to what you want to include in your letter/document before starting.
Try starting this around the same time you do your Last Will and Testament.

Find more about ethical Wills, here.

Millennials and Gen Z are pretty charitable

Millennials and Gen Z are often stereotyped as freeloading, basement-dwelling, lazy, spoiled children. Millennials and GenZ are two generations that have suffered several years of economic setbacks, all of which has caused delays in major life milestones. Both generations have to struggle more than their parents will have to in order to pay back their student loans, get married, have children, etc. Instead, they are the ones often stereotyped as children; two generations of supposed children who live at home and refuse to grow up. At the very least, Millennials Millennials (born roughly around 1982) and GenZ (born roughly around 1996) are more empathetic and charitable than previous generations. The study (conducted by RBC) made some pretty surprising findings, including the following:

– 53% of Canadians between the ages of 18 to 14, and 25% of Canadians between the ages of 35 to 54 are leaving behind something for charity in their Wills (for those in those age ranges who actually have a Last Will, that is). Also, yes, the study included people in the age range of 54 years old, despite the fact that oldest Millennials are approaching the age of 40. This was still in stark contrast to people aged 55 and older, who, as the study pointed out, were less charitable in their Wills than their younger counterparts.

– Canadians are still shrugging off the idea of getting a Will done. The study found that a whopping 52% of Canadians don’t have a Last Will and Testament. This is perhaps likely due to the fact that many younger Canadians feel that they don’t have enough assets to leave behind. The study did not provide a number as to how many Canadians (overall) participated in the study. It’s no secret that Millennials and GenZ are struggling with their financial outlook, but they do what they can to help their fellow human beings.

Millennials and GenZ are pretty charitable.

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