Notorious doomsday prophet Harold Camping, whose past predictions of the end of the world proved overblown, is now absolutely certain that the world will end on October 21, 2011. Don't be surprised if you are reading this on or after October 22, 2011, but don't get lulled into thinking that estate planning is one of those things you can put off indefinitely.
In the wake of Rev. Camping's last failed prediction (May 21, 2011), several people who gave their worldly possessions to Camping's ministry, Family Radio, found themselves penniless. Eileen Heuwetter and her family found themselves severely shortchanged. That is because Eileen's aunt, Doris Schmitt, left a will bequeathing the bulk of her estate to Family Radio, but never lived to see May 21, 2011. Check out the CNN report titled I Lost My Inheritance to the Doomsday Prophet by clicking here.
We at Est8Planning Counsel encourage charitable giving through clients' estate plans, and we encourage discretion in choosing the objects of your gifts. We also recognize the inevitability of death and taxes and the ways that our clients can soften the blow on their loved ones.