Estate planning lessons from Michael Jackson

+ the meaning of makeshift memorials US Edition - Today's top story: Estate planning lessons from the $600M fight over Michael Jackson’s music catalog [View in browser]( US Edition | 28 August 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [The mixed emotions Americans express when it comes to nature]( - [Weather and football results: The important election unknowns]( - [How parents' chronic drinking can make offspring age faster]( Lead story Michael Jackson has been dead for 15 years, but that hasn’t meant his music has stopped making money. In 2023 alone, Jackson’s estate brought in US$115 million, according to Forbes magazine. That’s more than Elvis, Prince, David Bowie and every other departed celebrity. But while Jackson has unusual earning power among “the silent majority” — once a euphemism for the dead − his story is, in one respect, common: After Jackson died, people started fighting over what he left behind. The latest development happened last week, when a California court ruled that his estate could sell $600 million in assets to Sony Music − against the wishes of Jackson’s mother, Katherine, who testified that her son never wanted them sold. As law professors Reid Kress Weisbord, of Rutgers University - Newark, and University of Virginia’s Naomi Cahn note, the dispute offers [valuable lessons]( for anyone writing a will of their own.
 [ [Understand business news and trends better. Sign up for our weekly Global Economy & Business newsletter](. ] Tracy Walsh Economy + Business Editor Michael Jackson performs in concert circa 1986. Kevin Mazur/WireImage via Getty Images [Estate planning lessons from the $600M fight over Michael Jackson’s music catalog]( Reid Kress Weisbord, Rutgers University - Newark; Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia Restrictions that seem reasonable during life can backfire after death. 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But so far there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission. - [Creative arts therapy programs can help health care workers dance, write and draw their way through burnout and on-the-job stress]( Marc Moss, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Rafaela Mantelli, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Long before the pandemic, health care workers were experiencing high levels of stress, burnout and compassion fatigue, all of which contribute to reduced quality of care for patients. Science + Technology - [Drinking alcohol before conceiving a child could accelerate their aging – new research in mice]( Michael Golding, Texas A&M University Researchers are uncovering the ways by which dad, mom or both parents drinking can result in fetal alcohol syndrome and other lifelong effects on children. 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Consequently, cisgender men and women were much more likely to say that they'd call the police if they became the victim of a crime.]( From the story, [LGBTQ people have a troubled relationship with police − new survey shows high rates of harassment, abuse and distrust]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [Giving Today]( [New!] • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Follow us on social media: • [Bluesky]( • [Mastodon]( • [Threads]( • [Nostr]( • [LinkedIn]( • [Instagram]( • [Facebook]( • Or [get a daily text from us]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to [help you make sense of our complex world](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. 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