Creator of the wildly successful Star Wars and Indiana Jones film franchises George Lucas has recently sold his largest asset, the LucasFilm company, to The Walt Disney Company. The sale, which netted Lucas over $4 billion, was a smart move for Lucas from an estate planning perspective. A recent article discusses several of the estate planning benefits that resulted from the sale. First, George Lucas is publicly committed to donating much of his money to charitable organizations and causes. By liquidating his largest asset, the LucasFilm company, Lucas is now able to gift his money during life as he chooses. Charitable contributions during life are a good estate-planning tool because they are exempt from the lifetime gift taxes, as well as death estate tax. Furthermore, Lucas himself will be able to see the positive impact of his donations during his lifetime. Second, by selling the LucasFilm company himself, Lucas was able to steer the company in the direction he wanted to see it take in the future. In his negotiations with Disney, Lucas was likely able to make certain decisions concerning the future of his film franchises. By choosing the buyer and being involved in the sale, Lucas parted with the company on his terms, and left it in what he believes to be capable hands. The important lesson learned here is that if you put your estate plan together now, not only will your heirs reap its benefits once you’re gone, but you can see the impact it will make on your loved ones during your lifetime.