Why Do Celebrities Get Into Money Trouble?

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inheritance taxes.

It is patently unfair that Ms Lebovitz should have to pay inheritance tax on her longtime partners estate. There is no less love, sacrifice, committment, or responsibility for a gay couple than a heterosexual one. This system is BROKEN, BROKEN BROKEN.

margaret of NJ @ Jun 24, 2009 13:21:55 PM

Estate taxes

It has been confirmed that it is NOT due to paying inheritance taxes as Ms. Sontag left the majority of her estate to her son.

Please fact check before you write comments that are based on the mublings of a blog writer who has no intimate knowledge of the subject.

http://www.pdnpulse.com/2009/03/after-ellen-blog-was-wrong-about-leibovitz.html

If what was written were true, I would certainly agree that the inheritance tax is a problem, but that's not how it works.

Leibovitz's money woes stem from precisely the items mentioned in this article: unpaid bills, rental equipment, renovations, unpaid taxes, etc.

J of MI @ Mar 23, 2009 16:31:21 PM

Leibovitz' Orientation Tax

Part of the photographer's problems stem from the death of her long-time partner, Susan Sontag. Because many of their properties and possessions were held jointly, Leibovitz now has to pay an inheritance tax on half the value of everything they jointly owned. If their relationship was recognized in the same way as a hetero couple, she wouldn't have to pay a dime. Can you imagine if your father died and your mother had to pay taxes on half the value of her home just to keep it? This is not about mismanagement of personal finances, it's bigotry, plain and simple.

Michael Buitron of CA @ Mar 03, 2009 20:04:42 PM

WHY CELEBRITIES GET MONEY TROUBLE

ITS THE SAME PROBLEM WORLDWIDE,..WITH ME TRYING TO COME UP AND SCRAMBLING FOR THE SAME LIKE I NEVER HAD IT BEFORE BECAUSE I LACK THE LAWS GUIDING MONEY AND ITS EDUCATION..

BRUNO EDWARDO @ Sep 21, 2008 20:43:00 PM

Can't Save This

This is what I refer to as the MC Hammer Effect: the hubris to assume that one's current income level and source of income stream will both continue unabated.

Young athletes don't think they'll get old, or hurt, or cut. Entertainers assume their star won't fade.

On top of that, many get their money while they're young and dumb. Some surround themselves with bad people. Others feel a need to spend up to the next strata. B-listers spend like A-listers.

And some just aren't particularly bright, and that probably bleeds into money management.

www.stocksbondsandrockandroll.wordpress.com of GA @ Sep 17, 2008 15:54:12 PM

Wants don't change

Why do lottery winners literally go broke? Because they don't have a 'feel' for the money they've won and put it into perspective. Rookie sports stars have the same problem. Smart rich people realize what they don't know and hire the right people to guide them. Celebrities probably have the same 'keeping up with the Joneses' the rest of us do, except on a more expensive scale. You read about these people walking into overpriced boutiques and going on a multi-million shopping spree. Just because they spend the money doesn't mean they can afford it.

jimmy of MD @ Sep 16, 2008 12:18:39 PM

The Bigger they are the harder they fall

They have more to spend, so they spend more.

The more they spend, the less they have.

You can make a million a day, and spend a million and one dollar a day, and you are broke and in debt.

HillbillyBill of TN @ Sep 15, 2008 21:06:25 PM

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Alpha Consumer

Alpha Consumer

Kimberly Palmer, senior editor for U.S. News & World Report, writes about how to save money, avoid scams, manage debt, and be a savvy shopper. Send your personal finance questions to her for expert money advice.


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