His heirs have hit the tax-free jackpot.
Yeah, your house wasn't looted while you were at the funeral! It's a jackpot.
One thing I would like to know: How much of the Kennedy family fortune has been turned over to the tax man for death taxes since Joe Kennedy died? His generation, just about all (and maybe all with Ted's death, I didn't check for sure) of the next generation and some from the following generation should have paid. How much was actually paid and how much was hidden in impenetrable trusts which the elected members of the family make sure the IRS doesn't look at too closely? Libs, don't come crying to me that there should be an estate tax unless you can look me in the eye and say that 3/4 (50% with Joe's generation and 50% of the remainder with John, Robert and Ted's generation) of the Kennedy family fortune has been paid in estate taxes.
(Side note: a few years ago a very, very liberal family member was trying to get everyone in the family to put our money in some family trust because she said that the rich like the Kennedies use them to keep from paying estate taxes. I asked her if anyone in the family had a direct line to the IRS and then did a pretty good imitation of Ted Kennedy saying "If any IRS agent audits me, he'll be doing his next audit in Fahgo!")
‘few years ago a very, very liberal family member was trying to get everyone in the family to put our money in some family trust’.
It’s not a bad idea. That’s what my family has done. My grandpa and grandma did the same, and their kids have done the same as well. They all have shares in the family business.