7/7/2014
Casey Kasem Family Feuding over His Care
Casey Kasem, beloved host of the American Top 40 radio show and the iconic voice of Shaggy in Scooby-Doo over decades, was unfortunately recently at the center of a family feud over his care.
Kasem was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, the most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, according to CNN.
Kasem was married to his wife of 34 years, Jean Kasem, with whom he has one daughter, Liberty. From his previous marriage, Kasem had three children: two daughters, Julie and Kerri, and one son, Mike.
Estate planning documents can help you protect yourself and your family and spell out your last wishes—but only if they are found!
If your documents are gathering dust in a long-forgotten drawer—or worse, hidden away in a safe to which your family members don’t know the combination—they won’t serve their purpose when needed.
If you are incapacitated, for example, your family will need to access your advance directive (also known as a living will).
Actor Mickey Rooney passed away recently, saddening his many fans, friends, and family. The actor, whose 
In November, film actor Paul Walker—star of the Fast & Furious movies—tragically died in a car accident. He is survived by his parents and his 15-year-old daughter, Meadow.
Though this is a tragedy for Walker’s family and fans, there is also something to be learned.
A recent 
You might think that trusts are only for the obscenely wealthy—families like the Rockefellers, the Gates, and the Fords. “I don’t have the kind of money that makes a trust necessary,” you think.
But that’s where you’d be wrong.
If you have a net worth of $100,000 (and you might be surprised how much your estate is worth) and meet one of several conditions, a trust could be beneficial for your family.
When it comes to preparing your estate, there are a lot of things that require careful attention. For one, if you have minor children, who will be their guardian? Plus, who will your beneficiaries be? One decision that often gets less personal thought than it should is who will be your executor. After all, this person will be in charge of your estate and its assets once you’ve passed away.