David H. Lenok
Verified
Senior Wealth Planning Editor, Wealthmanagement.com
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by David H. Lenok
Trust & Will Launching Chartered Retail Trust Company
The overwhelming industry trend in the past 25 years is moving from physical capabilities to digital ones. With its announcement of the launch of a chartered retail trust company, online estate planning provider Trust & Will is doing just the opposite, leveraging its digital success to expand into the ‘analog’ realm. The new Trust & Will Trust Company is a Nevada-chartered retail trust company with the legal authority to serve as a professional corporate trustee.
Celebrity Estates Replay: Lessons from Rob Reiner’s Estate
What happens to an inheritance when a beneficiary is accused of killing the person who left it to them? In this replay episode of Celebrity Estates, revisit Senior Editor David Lenok’s conversation with Sean Weissbart, partner and co-chair of the Tax Benefits and Private Client Practice Group at Blank Rome, examining the estate planning issues surrounding Rob Reiner’s estate.
The Advisor’s Guide to Estate Planning: From First Conversation to Core Service Offering
calendar_month Date: Oct 20, 2026 schedule Time: 2:00 pm EDT Estate planning is now an expected element of a comprehensive advisory relationship. Whether you’re just starting to implement estate planning services or scaling the offering across an enterprise, The Advisor’s Guide to Estate Planning walks you through what it takes at every stage: Learn how to run your first estate planning meeting, what a complete plan includes, and the life events that should prompt a client review.
Celebrity Estates: The Murdoch Family Trust and Irrevocable Planning with Mark Parthemer
Glenmede Trust's Mark Parthemer discusses the Murdoch family trust dispute and what it can teach advisors and families about irrevocable trust planning. What should planners consider when an irrevocable trust no longer fits the family it was designed to serve? For estate planning professionals advising families with closely held businesses, that question can become especially difficult when beneficiaries have different roles, financial interests and ideas about the company’s future.
Celebrity Estates: Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and Prenuptial Agreements
Couples often treat prenuptial agreements as something to worry about only if a marriage ends, but many of the most useful decisions happen long before that possibility ever arises. The process can bring financial expectations, family responsibilities and future planning into the open while both people are still working toward the same goals.
Customization at Scale: Extending Direct Indexing
Direct indexing has emerged as a foundational tool for delivering customized, tax-aware portfolio solutions. But as client needs grow more complex, driven by concentrated positions, liquidity events, and ongoing tax burdens, advisors are increasingly evaluating how to extend beyond traditional approaches. This webinar explores how customization is reshaping advisory platforms and the advisor value proposition.
Seven Tips to Protect Wealthy Families from Cybersecurity Threats
The more money a client has, the bigger the target on their back. In the wake of numerous high profile data breaches over the past several years, cybersecurity is an issue on the mind of just about every advisor.
Celebrity Estates: Heath Ledger’s Estate Plan and the Conversations Families Avoid
Families often assume everything will work itself out after a major loss, until unanswered questions and outdated decisions start creating confusion. The hardest part usually isn’t the paperwork itself, it’s the conversations that never happened beforehand.
Tax Planning Is Estate Planning: What’s Changed for 2026 and What to Do Now
In this session, Jennifer Raess, JD, CFP®, CLU®, Associate General Counsel at Vanilla, breaks down the permanent estate and gift tax changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the shift toward income tax efficiency as the primary planning lever for many HNW clients, and a practical mid-year estate plan audit framework advisors can use with clients this month.
Edelman Loses Mariner Trade Secret Suit Original
Federal judge Holly L. Teeter dismissed Edelman Financial Engines' trade secrets lawsuit alleging Mariner poached advisors and clients. Federal judge Holly L. Teeter dismissed Edelman Financial Engines’ trade secrets lawsuit against Mariner, alleging the firm poached advisors and clients.
Celebrity Estates: Chuck Norris, Royalties and Family Expectations with Scott Rahn
RMO's Scott Rahn discusses Chuck Norris and how celebrity net worth figures often differ from the actual value of an estate, particularly when royalties, private companies and likeness rights are involved. Estate planning often becomes far more difficult when families inherit assets tied to royalties, licensing rights and public image. Clear communication and preparation can make the difference between unity and conflict after a loved one passes away.
Celebrity Estates: Lessons From Matthew Perry’s Well-Planned Estate
Pitcairn's Jennifer Proper discusses Matthew Perry's estate, a plan that worked exactly as intended Estate planning can appear straightforward until factors like privacy, control and long-term management come into play. What begins as a simple distribution of assets can quickly involve decisions around trusteeship, probate and how to prevent disputes.
Art, Legacy and Intestacy Original
Who controls an artist’s legacy after they die? The short answer is: whoever the artist entrusts to do so. But, like many aspects of estate planning, that simple statement can get complicated when it comes time to put it into practice. The New York Timesrecently wrote a piece about a settlement between an artist’s family and a charitable foundation that adroitly illustrates this difficulty.
Celebrity Estates: Cross-Border Estate Planning Lessons with Martin Behn
Estate planning becomes more complicated when assets, citizenship and tax rules extend beyond a single country. What seems straightforward on paper can quickly involve multiple jurisdictions, reporting requirements, and competing legal systems. In this episode of Celebrity Estates, Senior Editor David Lenok speaks with Martin Behn, partner at Lathrop GPM, about the estate planning challenges that arise when individuals hold assets or citizenship in more than one country.
Bron Launches Digital Inheritance Feature for Crypto Wallets
Traditional crypto wallets have always had a single point of failure—the seed phrase, a password composed of a series of random words intended as a backup. As early crypto adopters age and digital assets become part of mainstream wealth planning, inheritance, particularly centered around the seed phrase, has emerged as a critical gap in self-custody.
april Launches Integrated Tax Platform for Wealth Managers Original
Embedded AI tax platform april has launched a new integrated tax platform built specifically for wealth management and advisory firms. The platform purports to give advisors a real-time view into client tax workflows, documents and insights while enabling a more efficient filing process. “Advisory firms are looking for ways to deliver high-quality tax analysis without building or scaling a tax practice from scratch,” said Ben Borodach, co-founder and CEO of april.
Wealth.com Launches Tax Planning Platform for Advisors
Estate planning tech platform Wealth.com recently announced the launch of a major expansion to its offerings—Wealth.com Tax Planning—which purports to unify tax planning, estate strategy and execution workflows within a single platform for advisors. As advisors navigate increasingly complex client lives, fragmented tools and disconnected workflows can struggle to keep pace.
Wealth.com Announces the Launch of Proprietary Tax Planning Platform
You can find original article here WealthManagement. Subscribe to our free daily WealthManagement newsletters. Estate planning tech platform Wealth.com recently announced the launch of a major expansion to its offerings—Wealth.com Tax Planning—which purports to unify tax planning, estate strategy and execution workflows within a single platform for advisors. As advisors navigate increasingly complex client lives, fragmented tools and disconnected workflows can struggle to keep pace.
Estate Planning 101 Course for Financial Advisors
Tune in for this estate planning 101 course with Vanilla’s expert team. Erica Ellis, Associate General Counsel, Estate and Tax Product at Vanilla will cover all the basics an advisor needs to know about estate planning, from core documents to common types of trusts. Plus, she’ll take a look at the soft skills an advisor needs to hone to start having these important conversations with clients.
Lessons from Rob Reiner’s Estate
Blank Rome's Sean Weissbart discusses the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, specifically how slayer statutes function, why probate courts rely on civil standards rather than criminal convictions, and how intent and mental state influence inheritance outcomes. Unexpected events can expose gaps in even the most carefully prepared estate plans. When family conflict, legal standards and timing collide, the outcome can reshape how assets move and who ultimately benefits.
Future Focused Estate Planning Summit
This 1.5-hour virtual summit (CE Credit eligible) will equip advisors and wealth planners with the strategies and tools needed for client success in an evolving tax landscape. SESSION 1 2:00-2:30 PM ET - Tax-Efficient Wealth Transfer Learn strategies for optimizing wealth transfers to minimize tax liabilities and preserve family legacies. SESSION 2 2:30-3:00 PM ET - Leveraging Tech in Estate Planning Discover how technology is enhancing transparency and efficiency in estate planning processes.
How Philanthropy Shapes Legacy Planning
Hollow Brook Wealth Management's Philip Richter discusses The Giving Pledge and how charitable intent, when left informal or unspoken, can lead to confusion, missed opportunities and misalignment among heirs. Legacy is often shaped less by what is given and more by how values are shared across generations. In this episode of Celebrity Estates, wealth manager Philip Richter joins the show to explore philanthropy as a core part of estate planning and family decision-making.
Why Wealthy Families Limit Inheritances
Money passed down with good intentions can still create conflict, confusion and long-lasting family tension. In this episode of Celebrity Estates, estate planning attorney Don D. Ford III joins the show to examine why more high-net-worth families are choosing to limit inheritances, not out of neglect, but out of concern for the long-term health of their family relationships. The discussion centers on how silence, assumptions and sudden wealth transfers can trigger conflict.
Rob Reiner, Wife Deaths Raise Estate Planning Questions
The world awoke Monday to the tragic news that Hollywood icon Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, had been found dead in their Brentwood home with their throats slit. The primary suspect in the murders is the couple’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, who was arrested Monday morning.
Advisor Lessons From Basquiat Estate
Art Fiduciary Advisors' Doug Woodham breaks down one of the most unusual art legacies in recent history. Stories about legacy often reveal more than the moments that made someone known. In this episode of Celebrity Estates, author and advisor Doug Woodham joins the show to explore how Jean-Michel Basquiat’s unexpected passing set off a chain of estate challenges tied to illiquid assets, sudden value changes and family decisions.
How to Overhaul Estate Plans After OBBBA Tax Changes
Bryn Mawr Trusts' Jamie Hopkins discusses whether old estate plans designed around lower exemption amounts still work under the OBBBA. Welcome to Talking T&E for Advisors, where WealthManagement. Senior Wealth Planning Editor David Lenok and Jamie Hopkins, chief wealth officer at Bryn Mawr Trust, take seemingly complex estate planning issues and break them down for financial advisors.
Lessons From Gene Hackman's Estate
On this episode of the Celebrity Estates podcast, Victoria Gray, founder and principal of Insight Art & Collectibles Advisory, once again joins WealthManagement.com Senior Editor David Lenok to examine the tragic and complex estate of actor Gene Hackman, a case where timing, trust gaps and estranged heirs collided. From an $80 million fortune and a decades-old will to simultaneous death rules and charitable trusts, Victoria unpacks how not regularly updating the estate plan shaped the outcome.
John Amos Estate Battle
Family drama doesn’t end when the spotlight fades. On this episode of the Celebrity Estates podcast, litigator Michael Napoleone joins Wealthmanagement.com Senior Editor David Lenok to unpack the bitter dispute over actor John Amos’s estate, and what it reveals about aging, trust and family dynamics. From allegations of elder abuse and undue influence to sibling rivalries turned legal battles, Michael shares what really happens when communication and transparency break down.
Nine Estate-Planning Related TV Shows and Movies
Susan R. Lipp is editor in chief of Trusts & Estates magazine, the WealthManagement.com Journal for estate-planning professionals. She oversees both the print and online version of T & E, as well as the monthly e-newsletter articles. Susan served in leadership positions at Vendome Group, LLC (formerly Brownstone Publishers, Inc.) with editorial responsibility for publications and newsletters.
Celebrity Estates: Estate Planning Must Evolve
Life changes, and your estate plan should change with it. Attorney Matthew Erskine joins the Celebrity Estates podcast to explain why estate planning is never a “set it and forget it” process, but a lifelong practice that evolves alongside major milestones. Matthew walks through key life events from marriage and divorce to relocation and retirement and shares how each can reshape a client’s estate strategy.
Foundation Source Expands DAF Custodial Options Original
BridgeFT's WealthTech API will power the expansion. Foundation Source recently announced the addition of multi-custodial capabilities to its turnkey, white-label donor-advised fund platform. Powered by BridgeFT’s WealthTech API, this enhancement allows advisors to keep investment assets with their preferred custodian while taking advantage of Foundation Source’s existing white label infrastructure.
Giorgio Armani’s $12B Legacy Plan
Giorgio Armani left behind more than fashion when he passed away at 91. His $12 billion empire, absence of direct heirs and a carefully crafted foundation raise essential estate planning lessons that extend beyond celebrity headlines. Kevin Ghassomian, partner at Venable LLP, explains how Armani separated wealth from control, empowered trusted collaborators and institutionalized his brand to ensure continuity.
Lessons from Ozzy Osbourne's Estate
Ozzy Osbourne left behind more than music when he passed away at 76. His $250 million fortune, blended family and valuable music royalties raise pressing estate planning questions that extend far beyond celebrity headlines. Tasha Dickinson, partner at Day Pitney LLP, shares how advisors can address family conflict, use independent fiduciaries and manage complex assets like royalties. She highlights the crucial role of communication and expectation-setting in preventing disputes.
Blended Families, Disclaimers, and Hulk Hogan’s Estate
When wrestling legend Hulk Hogan passed away, he left behind more than a fortune; he left a tangled family web. In this episode, David Lenok talks with Lawrence D. Mandelker, Partner at Venable LLP, to discuss the estate challenges surrounding Hogan’s $25 million legacy. Together, they explore how blended families, strained relationships, and renounced inheritances highlight the planning pitfalls that advisors see every day. From fairness vs.
Lessons from Leonard Lauder’s Art Legacy
In this episode of Celebrity Estates, host David Lenok welcomes Oliver Pursche, senior vice president at Wealthspire Advisors, for a deep dive into the estate complexities surrounding Leonard Lauder’s famed art collection. From cubist masterpieces to staggering valuations, they explore how collectibles impact balance sheets, spark family conflict and raise nuanced estate planning questions.
From $600M to $150M After Settlements, Refunds
With disgraced financier, pedophile and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein dominating headlines once again, it’s a good time to take a look back at what’s become of his estate. Epstein allegedly died of suicide while incarcerated awaiting trial for sex trafficking and was worth roughly $600 million at the time of his death. He attempted to shield his fortune by placing the entirety into trust for the benefit of his brother Mark two days before his death.
Advisors Are Underestimating Charitable Giving
Financial advisors have traditionally been in the business of accumulating money; one need look no further than the hard-dying value placed on AUM for proof. However, a recent study by Fidelity Charitable suggests that advisors may be missing opportunities by not helping their clients give money away.
The Art of Celebrity Auctions with Victoria Gray
Victoria Gray, deputy chairman of Bonhams North America, has spent decades curating and managing some of the most iconic celebrity estate auctions. From U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s six homes to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s salt and pepper shakers, she reveals how intimate artifacts transform into coveted treasures worth thousands.
Leon Spinks ands Estate Planning Lessons for First-Gen Millionaires
Leon Spinks shocked the world in 1978 when, in just his eighth professional fight, he defeated Muhammad Ali to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, a victory still regarded as one of boxing’s greatest upsets. Yet, despite his early success and multimillion-dollar earnings, financial missteps and the long-term effects of brain injuries would take a heavy toll. At his lowest point, Spinks worked as a janitor and fast-food worker in Nebraska.
From Onboarding to Oversight
Want to watch this webinar? Register for full access. Wealth management firms are under pressure to deliver seamless client experiences while upholding strict data privacy, security, and compliance standards. However, legacy systems, email-based processes, and manual document handling create roadblocks that technology solutions, including AI, are now uniquely positioned to eliminate.
The 30-Year Battle Over Bob Marley’s Estate
Noah Rosenfarb explores Bob Marley’s estate planning challenges and modern solutions. When Bob Marley passed away in 1981, he left behind a musical legacy, but no estate plan. Due to his religious beliefs, Marley didn’t create a will, and what followed was a legal firestorm: forged documents, disputed signatures and a tangled web of allegations involving his wife, attorney and accountant.
Daffy Announces New Suite of AI-Powered Tools
The irony of leveraging AI to add a more 'human' touch. Daffy, the donor-advised fund-focused charitable giving platform helmed by co-founder and CEO Adam Nash, announced a new set of AI-enabled features on Tuesday. According to Nash, philanthropic planning in America is outdated, with too many friction points when it comes to gifting. Reliance on direct mail, non-intuitive online forms and minimal follow-up from recipients all impediment well-intended donors.
40% of Clients Would Switch Advisors for Estate Planning Services
As client expectations evolve, estate planning is no longer an afterthought for financial advisors. There’s a growing gap between what clients want and what financial advisors offer regarding estate planning. According to a recent survey of 10,000 U.S. adults (27% of whom currently work with a financial advisor) by online estate planning platform Trust and Will, 70% expect estate planning to be a part of their financial plans.
Wealth.com Partners With Cetera
The move gives access to the estate planning platform to over 12,000 financial advisors. Estate planning platform Wealth.com announced a strategic partnership with Cetera Financial Group on Wednesday. Through this partnership, more than 12,000 financial professionals in the Cetera network will receive an exclusive discount on Wealth.com’s advanced estate planning technology and resources.
Gene Hackman and Estate Planning
Warshaw Burstein’s Jackie Bevilaqua discusses Gene Hackman’s death and the pressing issues about elder care and cognitive decline it brings up. After four decades of acting and winning multiple awards, Gene Hackman was found dead in his home at the age of 95, along with his wife and primary caretaker, Betsy Arakawa. Forensics uncovered that his wife predeceased him, leaving him to struggle with Alzheimer’s alone before passing away one week later.
An Overview of Trump's Projected Tax Changes
Here we go again. For only the second time in American history, a president has been elected to a second non-consecutive term in office. During his first term, President Donald J. Trump focused heavily on taxes. Will that hold true for term two? Taxwise, Trump’s second presidency will likely look much like his first. This is largely due to the upcoming sunsets of numerous aspects of one of the keystones of Trump’s first term, The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
All the President’s Money with Megan Gorman
With Donald Trump appearing at his recent inauguration flanked by tech billionaires, the connection between presidents and the almighty dollar is more apparent than ever. However, Trump is not the only president with an interesting relationship with money.
Alvina Lo | WealthManagement.com
Alvina is responsible for overseeing the wealth planning, strategic advice, and thought leadership services for Wilmington Trust's Wealth Advisory division. She manages a national team of wealth strategists, financial planners, and thought leadership experts, who together, serve as advisors to high-net-worth individuals and families, business owners, entrepreneurs, and foundations and endowments.
Ryan W. Neal | WealthManagement.com
Ryan W. Neal Associate Editor, WealthManagement.com Ryan W. Neal is an associate editor for WealthManagement.com. Originally from Sacramento, Calif., Ryan studied English and philosophy at UC Santa Barbara and found his way into journalism. After spending a few years in the Colorado Rockies as a freelance writer and full-time snowboarder, Ryan moved to New York to earn a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
David H. Lenok | WealthManagement.com
David Lenok is a senior editor for Wealthmanagement.com and Trusts & Estates. He's an attorney admitted to practice in New York and writes about general wealth planning issues.
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with David H.
Contact David H., search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack