Some have speculated that Whitney’s estate will be worth between $10 and $20 million, or more. At this point, that’s pure speculation. As
we wrote a few weeks ago, Whitney’s camp previously denied rumors that she was broke.
Certainly, between the royalties from increased record sales, and with prudent marketing of her name and image, her estate can bring in millions. But, because Whitney Houston only sang songs, instead of writing or producing them like Michael Jackson did, her estate won’t have the same earning potential.
Here’s an
ABC News article that discusses her estate’s earning potential in more depth. The article quotes an unnamed source familiar with the situation who indicated that Whitney did have a will and that the estate process has been started. At this point, we don’t know how much estate planning she had in place. But, certainly, we can expect there will be millions of dollars at stake.
We hope that Whitney Houston’s estate planning included more than just a simple will. For the large majority of people with even a modest amount of assets, a will is not enough. Whitney Houston’s passing provides a perfect illustration of why this is true.
With a basic will alone, Whitney’s beneficiaries would generally receive their inheritances outright. Everyone expects that Whitney left most — and perhaps all — of her assets to her daughter Bobbi Kristina. Because Bobbi Kristina is 18, she would be entitled to receive everything at once under a simple will.
How many 18-year-olds do you know who are responsible enough to handle a large sum of money? Not many. And, again
according to TMZ, there may be more concerns about Bobbi Kristina’s responsibility. Reportedly, family members want her to undergo drug rehab right away, because she has been struggling with substance abuse issues for years— much like her mother did.
