Estate Analyst: The Year In Review—2012
By: Robert L. Moshman, Esq.
Regrettably, you did not win the $587.5 million Powerball lottery. And, although you survived the Mayan apocalypse, this is no time to relax. We have segued right over the “fiscal cliff” and into the new economic reality zone. In fact, with so many dangerous-sounding analogies, we may soon find ourselves between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Let’s regroup with a look back at the highlights of 2012, including Supreme Court rulings, Tax Court cases, celebrity estates, and a variety of items gleaned from another eclectic year.
A Supersonic Recap
Fortunately, 2012 was a leap year, and we had an extra day to pack in the events: Apple released the iPhone 5, the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare, Republicans held presidential debates, Facebook went public, George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin, physicists found the elusive Higgs Boson particle that may be the key to the universe, a plutonium-powered rover named Curiosity explored Mars, Felix Baumgartner did a space jump at supersonic speed (and lived), Superstorm Sandy tore up the east coast, and President Obama was reelected.
LeBron James got his first NBA title; the Olympics were held in London (where McKayla Maroney was not impressed); The Avengers grossed $1.36 billion worldwide; Psy’s “Gangnam Style” went viral with 1 billion YouTube views; Kim Kardashian dumped Kris Humphries for Kanye West; Kristen Stewart cheated, broke up, and then made up with Rob Pattinson hurray!);and Kate Middleton is expecting an heir to the British throne.
The Rolling Stones performed for their 50th anniversary. It was the 50th anniversary of the death of Marilyn Monroe. Also
turning 50 were the New York Mets, General Hospital, the Shelby mustang, and motion pictures Lawrence of Arabia, To
Kill a Mockingbird, The Music Man, and Dr. No.
It was the 100th anniversary of Chevrolet, the Girl Scouts, and Canada’s Grey Cup. New Mexico and Arizona became our 47th and 48th states, respectively, in 1912. One hundred years have also passed since the sinking of the Titanic. The last
Titanic survivor, Millvina Dean, was a two-month-old baby who was put on a lifeboat in 1912. She died in 2009 at the age of 97...