As a trusts and estates lawyer, I spent much of my time for over a decade as an estate administrator, tidily wrapping-up human life on retainer for heirs of estates. Some estates were small, consisting of a checking account and a few outstanding debts, while some were larger than life requiring appraisals of lavish homes, jewels, paintings, boats and rare collections.
Regardless of the size of the estate, there was one common theme: People are particularly persnickety about personal property, and rich or poor, our stuff means a lot to us.
