Bob Saget’s Estate Plan Will Bring Tears To Your Eyes
Family Estate Planning
Bob Saget drove an extremely effective vocation during his time from Full House, America’s Funniest Home Videos, and a fruitful standup with a Grammy selection. All of that achievements assisted him with amassing a huge abundance during his residency in the diversion world.
Saget left behind a total asset of around $50 million at the hour of his demise. It’s too soon, and muddled precisely how his home will be taken care of following his demise. We can be sure that his huge total assets were gained through his vocation in film, TV, and stand-up satire from a lifelong that traverses over 40 years.
Even though it stays hazy precisely how Saget spent his abundance, we, in all actuality, do realize that he devoted himself and his income to a few remarkable foundations. He upheld the Susan G. Komen for the Cure establishment, which is devoted to tracking down a solution for breast cancer; a few animal associations, including the Voice for the Animals Foundation and the Los Angeles-based Alliance for Children’s Rights. The late entertainer turned out to be useful with his abundance while he was as yet alive, notwithstanding the time enjoyed engaging millions with a fanbase traversing ages. Hopefully, those nearest to him will emulate his example and proceed with his obligation to magnanimous offering in his honor. Without a Will, his legacy would doubtlessly be divided between everybody he adores because it would be what he needed.
FAQ
1. If my spouse dies, do I get his social security and mine?
According to the surviving spouse law, you can collect all funds from your social security onto yours.
2. What is a pour-over will?
A pour-over Will is a Will written document stating the actions that the trustee needs to do. For example, the truster is responsible for many assets to be taken care of or sent to assigned beneficiaries.
3. Who qualifies for Medicaid in NY?
Medicaid can apply to pregnant women or women with children over 18 and seniors. Disabilities such as blindness, deafness, or physical injury are also eligible for Medicaid.
4. What is elder law?
Elder law handles long-term care, including future medical care, special needs care for those who are handicapped or mentally disabled, and estate planning for ages over 50. This type of law also handles elder abuse cases as long as there’s evidence of these sorts of cases. Elder abuse can come from family members, and the elder can approach a lawyer to report this sort of behavior to prevent manipulation of your estate plan.
5. Does transfer on death avoid probate?
The transfer of death only makes the probate process much more difficult by having you provide additional details and reasons for the transfer. This makes the process longer, and it’ll be more expensive if it’s longer. The only way to avoid probate is through a trust because everything would be set up or planned, especially the transfer of death.
6. Are living trusts revocable or irrevocable?
A living trust can be both, but with an irrevocable trust, you cannot change anything unless you discuss the changes with all beneficiaries and the court.
7. If my spouse dies, do I get his social security and mine?
Because of the laws of Estate Planning, there’s something labeled the surviving spouse clause, where if one spouse dies, the surviving spouse gets their assets. The only assets not provided would be government funds that the spouse still owes or would lose the entire thing because of labeled ownership unless there’s a Will stating rights to owning these finances.
8. Why do I need an elder law attorney?
The only reason you should have an elder law attorney is to have a lawyer to care for cases related to future needs leading to promising medical care that can protect yourself and your assets, including your estate. An elder law attorney can also protect you from elder abuse that you can report to your lawyer and court.
9. What happens if you die intestate?
Who’s ever married to you or related to you by blood gets your inheritance through the surviving spouse gets it all unless the Will or trust says differently.
10. How long can you receive unemployment in NY?
In NY, you can collect unemployment for 26 weeks, but with the pandemic, it can go as long as this draws out.
2026 Update: What Has Happened With Bob Saget’s Estate?
Bob Saget died unexpectedly on January 9, 2022, in an Orlando hotel room from accidental blunt-force head trauma. Nearly four years on, his estate planning continues to offer a teachable case study for our New York clients. Here is what we know now — and what every estate planner should take away from it.
A Reported $50 Million Estate — and Almost No Public Court Fight
Saget’s reported net worth at death was approximately $50 million, accumulated over four decades of stand-up comedy, television (“Full House” and “Fuller House”), hosting (“America’s Funniest Home Videos”), and podcasting. What is striking is what has not happened: no contested probate filings, no public estate litigation between his widow Kelly Rizzo and his three adult daughters (Aubrey, Lara, and Jennifer), and no leaked accountings. That kind of silence is the loudest signal a planner can give — it means he used trusts, not a will alone.
The Autopsy-Photo Lawsuit — and Why It Mattered
The one public legal proceeding involving the estate was filed by Kelly Rizzo and Saget’s daughters in February 2022 against the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the medical examiner. They sought a permanent injunction to prevent the release of autopsy and death-scene photographs and records under Florida’s public-records exemptions. A Florida judge granted the injunction. The case is instructive: even where the will and trust are buttoned up, the family of a public figure has to actively defend privacy. In New York, similar protections exist under Civil Rights Law §§ 50–51 and the Public Officers Law, but the family still has to invoke them.
Three Concrete Lessons for New York Estate Planners
- Use a revocable living trust as the spine of the plan. Saget almost certainly funded a living trust during his lifetime, which is why his estate has not surfaced in any probate docket open to the public. New Yorkers who want the same privacy use a revocable living trust under EPTL Article 7.
- Plan for a sudden, premature death. Saget was 65, in apparent good health, and on tour. The accidental head injury that killed him was the kind of risk no actuarial table predicts. Every adult with dependents should have funded life insurance, a fully drafted will, a power of attorney, and a healthcare proxy in place before age 50 — not as a someday project.
- Coordinate the second-marriage blend. Saget married Kelly Rizzo in 2018; his three daughters are from his first marriage to Sherri Kramer. Blended families create predictable friction points around the marital share, the in-trust-for-children share, and personal property. A properly drafted estate plan uses separate trust shares (often a QTIP for the surviving spouse and a residuary trust for the children) so that no one has to litigate the boundary.
Bob Saget’s Net Worth at Death — The 2026 Answer
Public estimates have settled around $50 million. Because the bulk of the estate appears to have been held in trust, exact figures are not in any public probate file. That itself is the point: a well-funded trust converts a public spectacle into a private family transition. Reported income streams that survive him include royalties from “Full House” and “Fuller House” (paid through Warner Bros. Television), residuals from his stand-up specials, and his podcasting catalog. Those royalty streams are now held by his trust for the benefit of his wife and daughters.
What His Estate Did Not Do — And Why You Should Not Either
- Did not rely on a will alone. A New York will has to be probated in the Surrogate’s Court; everything in the probate file becomes public record. A funded trust does not.
- Did not name the estate as life-insurance beneficiary. Naming the estate forces the proceeds through probate, exposes them to creditor claims, and adds to the gross taxable estate. Saget’s policies almost certainly named the trust or specific people.
- Did not leave digital assets unaddressed. Podcasts, streaming residuals, and intellectual property all need a fiduciary access clause under New York’s Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (EPTL Article 13-A).
Related Reading from Our Celebrity-Estate Series
If this case study is useful, you may also want to read our other celebrity estate breakdowns: how the Aretha Franklin handwritten-will dispute finally settled, the Britney Spears conservatorship case, and our breakdown of Prince’s intestate estate. Each one illustrates a different category of planning failure — Saget’s case stands out as one of the rare modern examples of how to do it right.
Do Not Plan an Estate Like a Comedian — Plan It Like a Professional
Saget’s estate worked because he hired the right professionals while he was alive. Whether your estate is $500,000 or $50 million, the same architecture — revocable living trust, pour-over will, durable power of attorney, healthcare proxy, properly designated beneficiaries — is what keeps a family from grieving in a courtroom. Call (888) 529-1315 to schedule a consultation with Morgan Legal Group, or visit our contact page. We serve clients across New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and Florida.
