Pat Bowlen was an American lawyer and partial owner of the Denver Broncos, along with his two brothers and sister. He served as the Broncos CEO until July 2014, when he stepped down due to progressive effects of Alzheimer’s disease, and passed away in 2019. His estate plan was unique due to the family trust in place, with the three trustees taking over in 2014 with the sole purpose of determining the next owner of the team.
In this episode, David Lenok is joined by Dan Griffith, senior vice president and director of wealth strategy at Huntington Private Bank, to review the estate planning of Pat Bowlen and how the trust came into effect. He reveals why business owners are forced out more often than retire and how to choose the best advisors to address your estate planning needs.
Dan discusses:
Why choosing a new owner for the Broncos caused issues among Pat’s descendants
How choosing trustees before you are incapable benefits your estate plan
The importance of choosing trustworthy and good advisors for an estate plan
Why it is difficult to simply retire as a business owner
The Douglas family started their legendary Hollywood career with Kirk Douglas in 1946, who had been a major box office star. Michael Douglas later surpassed his father’s great fame, receiving numerous accolades. However, Cameron Douglas, Michael’s son, struggled to continue the family’s Hollywood legacy.
In this episode, David Lenok speaks with Dr. Jamie Weiner, Co-Founder of Inheriting Wisdom, on the struggles children face when born into prominent families. Dr. Weiner shares examples of wealthy children, how they viewed the world compared to other children and the impact this has on their development within society.
Dr. Weiner discusses:
The challenge of measuring up to previous generations;
Four steps to developing self worth;
How a liquidity event impacts the way families think about money;
The role of mentors in the lives of children born into prominent families;
With a multi-faceted background in speaking, coaching and counseling in environments ranging from Cook County Jail to exclusive global VIP forums, Dr. Jamie Weiner’s expertise and strategic approach to guiding people helped to develop Inheriting Wisdom’s ability to transcend any complication within a family’s dynamic.
As a co-creator of Inheriting Wisdom, Dr. Weiner is focused on helping families garner meaningful communication between generations and provide solutions to sustaining wealth and strengthening family legacies.
Celebrity Estates: Whitney Houston and Adding Age Provisions For Young Beneficiaries (Ep. 71)
Whitney Houston, beloved singer and actress, left her entire estate to her 18-year-old only child Bobby Christina Brown. The wealth transfer was divided into three age-based distributions, with the final transfer scheduled at age 30. However, things got complicated when Brown, too, died at 22 before inheriting her mother’s estate.
In this episode, David Lenok is joined by Jennifer Proper, Managing Director of Wealth Strategies at Pitcairn, to discuss the benefits and pitfalls of age provisions within trusts and the importance of balancing protection with the beneficiaries will.
David and Jen discuss:
Key advantages and disadvantages to having age provisions in trusts
Some of the most common clauses in trusts
Why communication is essential to drafting an effective will
How far is too far when creating trust restrictions
Before joining Pitcairn, Jennifer served as Director, Legacy and Wealth Planning at Abbot Downing, a Wells Fargo division serving ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices. While at Abbot Downing, she provided sophisticated estate, business, and financial planning for the firm’s clients and led the Northeast region planning team. Previously, Jennifer held the positions of Senior Wealth Planner with Wells Fargo Private Bank in Philadelphia PA, and Legal and Tax Strategist with Legacy Advisors, LLC in Plymouth Meeting, PA.
Ep 57 – Prince: Planning for Intellectual Property With Matthew Erskine
From his home and liquid possessions to his image and royalty rights, settling Prince’s estate would have been a complex process, even with a will. But Prince did not have a will, and this led to one of the largest and most complex estate battles in Minnesota and even American history.
However, the most mysterious part of Prince’s estate is the bank vault with a code that even Prince himself forgot.
In this episode, David Lenok is joined by Matthew Erskine of Erskine and Erskine revisiting the topic of Prince. Focusing on the sealed vault filled with unpublished songs and recordings, David and Matthew discuss the relevance of protecting your intellectual property (IP) regardless of your celebrity status. They reveal the potential ramifications of posting content online and why the importance of understanding your collection for future heirs.
Matthew and David discuss:
How the internet has immortalized intellectual property
The ramifications of self-selling when it comes to IP ownership
The impact of fan-made creations on the original creators
Why you should categorize your collection for you heirs
Matthew Erskine is the managing partner of this fourth generation law firm. He focuses his estate planning and trust services practice on serving business owners, professionals, individuals, families, collectors, and inheritors of significant assets. Helping his clients and their families achieve their goals by providing customized solutions. Matt carries on his family’s tradition of integrity, continuity, and service.
Matt has a particular expertise in the stewardship of special assets that few other estate planning and trust attorneys can match. Working with collectors of art, jewelry, heirlooms, and other valuable assets, as well as owners of real estate and family businesses, Matt brings his and his family’s generations of experience and intimate knowledge of unique areas of the law to help clients achieve their desired investment and personal goals.
The Erskine family has been counsel to client families since 1876, overseeing litigation, estate and income taxation planning, residential and commercial real estate conveyances, close corporations, nonprofit corporations, personal trusts, dynasty trusts, private foundations, and family offices. Matt is also active in numerous community organizations in the Worcester, Massachusetts area, including the American Antiquarian Society, the Council on Foreign Relations Worcester Committee, Inc., the Worcester Economics Club, and the John J. Kittredge Numismatic Foundation.
Matt is an active member of Wealthcounsel, Wealthcounsel Advisors, Vistage, the American Bar Association and several other professional organizations.
After graduating from Lawrence Academy, Matt received his B.A. in Medieval History from Carleton College and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
