Madeline’s Uncertain Future

As I have previously discussed, neglecting to discuss estate planning matters with your adult children can lead to problems down the line.  The Bemelmans family is one such example.

Austrian-born American writer and artist Ludwig Bemelmans died at the age of 64 with an estate valued at only $200,000.  But before his death, he ensured his wife that a little girl named Madeline would be their Social Security.

That independent Parisian schoolgirl he created has since made the family business millions, but now, due to a lack of succession planning, the author’s descendants are struggling with what to do with Madeline. 

Grandson John Bemelmans Marciano has taken over writing and illustrating the Madeline books, but his mother Barbara Bemelmans, 77, still holds the keys to the Madeline kingdom.  Barbara is the late artist’s only daughter and has yet to sell any of her father’s paintings and drawings despite the demand for Ludwig’s artwork.

Barbara and Ludwig’s grandchildren are now faced with the continuing dilemma of trying to figure out what Ludwig would have wanted for Madeline.  For more on the real-life journey of Madeline, please click the link provided below.

See Deborah L. Jacobs, Madeline and the Family Business, Forbes, Nov. 27, 2013.