Earnings don't necessarily end when we do

For most of us the ability to create wealth ends at pretty much the same time our life does. That's not true for everyone, however. Consider the case of Michael Jackson. Although MJ died in 2009, his name, face, and voice continue to reap financial rewards that would stagger the average wage earner. He's not alone either. Forbes is running a story on their online edition that ranks their “Top-Earning Dead Celebrities,” in a listing that is curious to say the least.

Jackson is in the lead with estimated earnings of $170 million this year. Admittedly, that number is down roughly $100 million from last year, but it's still enough to get the attention of anyone who was wondering how they might provide for their family's financial stability after they're gone.

Elvis is still doing well, with a reported $55 million earned in 2011, more than three decades after his death. Even Marilyn Monroe makes the Forbes list with an impressive $27 million nearly fifty years after she departed the scene. And lest you think it is just the beautiful people who have long term earning potential, let's keep in mind that Albert Einstein is still pulling down a very respectable $10 million through licensing agreements that touch everything from children's educational products to eye glasses, and even video games.

The big story for the rest of us, the folks who are never invited to Hollywood parties and have so far managed to avoid a single embarrassing episode with paparazzi or TMZ reporters, our income doesn't necessarily have to stop when our heart does. Many of us own property, intellectual or otherwise, that may well have value after our time on earth is up.

Whether you're in that group or not is anyone's guess. Remember, Emily Dickinson only became a successful poet posthumously, and Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting in his entire life. Even Edgar Allan Poe was only a very modest success in life, although his work has become a staple of high school and college literature classes in our time.

None of them were voted, “Most Likely to Succeed,” in high school.

So don't despair if you haven't yet realized your dream of creating the world's hottest dance album, or writing the great American novel, crafting a classic statue that will last for centuries, or creating an indispensable computer program. Your day may come, and your big payday may follow by enough time that you never personally see the financial benefits of your efforts – but your heirs may.

In the big scheme of things that might not be such a bad thing. It's an interesting idea, in any case.

Good luck to you. You can read the full Forbes piece here:http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2011/10/25/the-top-earning-dead-celebrities/