The Erskine Company

05/20/2026

⚖️A Costly Lesson in Probate Law💰

Caitlyn Jenner filed a creditor's claim against the estate of her late manager and close friend, Sophia Hutchins, after she died in an ATV crash. The dollar figure was hard to ignore: $439,095.88 in allegedly unreimbursed credit card charges, cash advances, debit card transactions and shared legal fees. Jenner filed the claim in November 2025, roughly four months after Hutchins died.

Practical consequences for creditors, executors and families across the country are buried in the procedural machinery that determines how that claim was filed, noticed and resolved through the probate process.

Probate law rarely works that way. In most states, an unsecured creditor must follow a precise statutory process—often on a tight deadline—and a single missed step can permanently extinguish an otherwise valid claim. The window from notice to claim is different in nearly all 50 states.

Alternatively, people routinely assume that one state's rule is universal. It is not. A creditor still timely in one jurisdiction may already be barred in a neighboring state. An executor who safely distributes assets under local law might be taking on personal liability if the estate had connections to a stricter forum.

The legal question is never just whether the debt existed. It is also whether the creditor used the correct probate mechanism, met the deadline and whether enough estate assets remain after superior claims are satisfied. In the Jenner matter, the estate apparently had sufficient assets and chose to allow the claim. Many creditors in similar disputes are not that fortunate.

What should you do?
Creditors Has an estate been opened? Who is the personal representative? What statute governs the deadline and method for presenting a claim in that state? Waiting for a check—or for the family to reach out—is a common and often fatal mistake.

Executors and beneficiaries, the lesson runs in the other direction: paying or rejecting claims informally, without regard to the formal claims process and statutory priority rules, can create personal liability that outlasts the estate administration itself.

Learn more about liabilities in estates and what you should do to be prepared as a creditor or an executor. The full Financial Advisor Magazine article is linked in the comments.

05/15/2026

What questions should UHNW families be asking about Art and Collectibles Valuation? An Appraiser, A Collector and a Securitized Investment give their perspctive.

For ultra-high-net-worth families and their advisors, the real work - valuing art and collectibles for estate planning, managing concentration risk, and structuring intergenerational succession — starts where the headlines stop.

The questions that matter to wealth advisors and estate planners are more demanding: What is any given piece worth on a specific date and for a specific purpose? What does full-cycle ownership cost? How does the collection interact with the family's trust structure, operating business interests, and the next generation's willingness — or reluctance - to serve as stewards? And how should these assets be treated for estate planning, gift planning, and charitable giving?

Get all of the perspectives and see why asking the right questions is so important in planning your estate in the full article linked in the comments.

05/13/2026

Wishing a very happy birthday to Matt today! 🎉

He works hard to read the big legislative bills, tax law, and estate planning updates to help us all preserve our legacy.

Perhaps a bite of cake is in order? 🎂

In lieu of gifts, show him some birthday love in the comments 🎁

04/27/2026

A cautionary tale about the famous Zappos founder, Tony Hsieh. It is a blueprint for estate planning failures that expose any substantial estate to fraud, prolonged litigation, and unnecessary loss. 💔

Hsieh died in November 2020 at age 46 with an estimated $500 million fortune and no documented estate plan. He had no spouse and no children. His estate was on track to pass to his parents under Nevada intestacy law. Then, in early 2025, a seven-page document surfaced—mailed from Pakistan, purportedly signed by Hsieh, witnessed by four individuals whose listed addresses do not exist, and naming a trust with no verifiable public record. That document is now before a Nevada probate court with a legitimate claim on his entire estate. ⚖️

One of the most misunderstood aspects of probate law is how little it takes for a will to receive initial consideration by a court. To read the story of how this failure to plan is playing out, see the link in comments. 🔽

To prepare an estate plan that ensures the decisions you make now will actually govern what comes next, contact our office for a consultation. ☎️

04/13/2026

Episode 2 of Strategic Succession:
Bridging Governance and Legacy

In this episode, we explore why even carefully drafted estate plans can fail when they encounter real-world complexity.

Legal documents alone do not account for evolving family dynamics, complex assets, or the need for coordinated professional advice.

Understand the structural gaps that often undermine otherwise sound planning and the importance of governance as a foundation for successful multigenerational succession.

04/03/2026

Episode 2 of Strategic Succession: Bridging Governance and Legacy ⚖️

This episode examines why successful succession planning requires more than paperwork; it requires a coordinated system designed for long-term continuity. Family dynamics, complex assets, and disconnected professional advice often create gaps that legal documents alone cannot solve.

Learn why successful succession planning requires more than paperwork, it requires a coordinated system designed for long-term continuity.

Now streaming on your favorite platforms, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and YouTube. Links are in comments. Follow for more helpful resources in planning your legacy.

03/30/2026

The first episode of Strategic Succession is now on our YouTube Channel.

Enjoy a brief preview here and catch the full episode linked below.

💡Remember:
"A document is drafted, a trust is signed, and a transfer occurs.

From a legal standpoint, the transaction is complete.

But from a strategic standpoint, nothing meaningful has yet begun.

For families who own operating businesses, complex real estate portfolios, or significant collections, succession cannot be reduced to paperwork.

It must function as a system designed, coordinated, and sustained across time."

The debut episode of Strategic Succession: Bridging Governance and Legacy airs on March 26, 2026Introduces a core idea that reshapes how families should thin...

03/26/2026

A preview of the upcoming series on Estate Planning by Matthew Erskine.

Bring over 40 years of experience to you in a new format. Short episodes where you learn about timely topics in planning your legacy and saving taxes. So whether you are an avid art collector or have a family business to pass down to your children, this series will provide you with the strategic tools you need to navigate the future.

This format takes many of the topics Matt has published in outlets such as Forbes and Financial Advisor Magazine and turns them into short audio episodes, perfect for your lunch break or commute.

03/25/2026

🚨 Strategic Succession – New Podcast Launching Tomorrow! 🚨

If you own a significant art collection, rare collectibles, or unique family assets, this podcast is for you.

Too often, families pour decades into curating meaningful collections only to watch them be fragmented, heavily taxed, or lost in lengthy probate when the time comes to pass them on.

Strategic Succession is designed for collectors, family offices, small business owners, and the advisors who serve them.

Each episode explores practical, powerful strategies, including:
• Strategic use of trusts to keep collections intact
• Tax-efficient charitable giving that can dramatically reduce estate taxes
• Proven steps to protect your legacy and avoid common succession pitfalls

Whether you want to preserve your collection for future generations or maximize its value while minimizing taxes, learn actionable insights used by experts in estate planning, tax, philanthropy, and family wealth.

🎧 The first episode drops tomorrow.

Follow the podcast now and turn on notifications so you don’t miss it.

03/05/2026

Luxury watches have become serious assets. ⏱

Treating them accordingly does not diminish their personal meaning—it preserves it.

In Matt's latest article for Luxury Daily , he published A Short Planning Checklist for Watch Collectors. This checklist provides the following questions and a practical starting point for collectors and advisors, tax and estate planning professionals.

Liquidity planning must be intentional, not reactive. You may find that what started as rewarding yourself with a Submariner or Royal Oak has likely evolved into something more substantial.

Do you have a watch collection? The full checklist is included, along with details for how to plan for them in your estate, in the comments.

02/05/2026

The enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) on July 4, 2025, has fundamentally reshaped the landscape for ultra-high-net-worth families—particularly those stewardship closely held businesses, significant fine art collections, or valuable collectibles.

This landmark legislation delivers unprecedented opportunities through a permanently increased estate, gift, and GST tax exemption to $15 million per individual (indexed for inflation starting in 2026), enhanced provisions for qualified small business stock (QSBS), permanent extensions of key deductions, and other taxpayer-friendly measures. Yet it also introduces new compliance complexities and strategic considerations that demand proactive, sophisticated planning.

Matt's comprehensive list of essential questions that ultra-high-net-worth owners should be asking their advisors in 2026 and beyond has been published in Family Wealth Report.Stay ahead—review the full article (linked in the comments) to ensure your strategy is as robust and enduring as your achievements.



The full list of questions Matt recommends that ultra-high-net-worth families should be asking their estate, tax and financial planning professionals was recently published in Family Wealth Report. Be prepared by checking the article linked in the comments.