EXTREME ESTATE PLANNING

Estate planning is usually characterized as a calm, reflective process that allows a married couple to organize their personal affairs to leave their assets, first to each other, and then to their children and other descendants, all in a logical progression. However, real world experience shows that estate planning often involves EXTREME experiences and drastic measures, as all kinds of real-life events intrude and cause the carefully orchestrated estate planning experience to run amok. Parents' divorce, children marry -- and quickly divorce and remarry again (and again). Family members develop alcohol and drug problems, mental illness or other serious health conditions. This course begins by examining the usual, conventional patterns of estate planning, but quickly moves to confront some of the more challenging real- life situations, including estate planning after divorce, family wealth planning for children who are marrying a distrusted spouse, and other real- life situations. If it is "out there" in real life, then it will be a part this course. Prerequisite: Estate and Gift Taxation.