Who Inherits What if My Parent Died Without a Will in California?
As much as we estate planning attorneys try to impress upon people the need to create a will, it still happens quite frequently that people will pass on without having created a will, even when they...
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Why It’s Time to Consider Getting A Trust
It’s a troubling statistic: According to the AARP, a vast majority of Americans—more than 60%–don’t have a trust or any other form of estate planning. There are a variety of reasons why they don’t....
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Our Firm Is Different Because We Fund Trusts At No Additional Charge
You’ve gone to a lawyer, your revocable trust has been drawn up, documents have been signed and notarized—congratulations! You’re done! Right? Not so fast. Where real estate is concerned, yes, your...
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Can I Completely Avoid the Probate Process?
To hear some people describe it, going through probate makes root canal surgery or a trip to the DMV seem like a vacation. Sure, it involves things most people would like to avoid—attorney and court...
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Shield Your Large Estate from Coming Changes to Federal Estate and Gift Tax...
Remember the Y2K scare? If you’re of a certain age, then you probably recall the blood-chilling fear that our vast global financial network wouldn’t be able to handle a simple date change from the...
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Divorce, Estate Planning & Easy Riders: Some Uncomfortable Facts
Dennis Hopper in “Easy Rider” (1969) When you’re going through a divorce, there are many things to consider, and one of the most important is to carefully review your estate plan. Why? Because your...
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Take A Lesson From Ben Franklin: Make A List!
When it comes to your financial peace of mind, especially what will happen to your assets after the inevitable happens one day (either via natural causes or a falling piano), you might take some...
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Your Intentions Might Be Good Enough … Thanks to the Heggstad Petition
“The road to hell,” the old saying goes, “is paved with good intentions.” So, it seems, are some people’s estate plans. Who doesn’t know someone who wanted to make an important addition to their...
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Two Scary Words—and How A Trust Protects You
Most people know that revocable trusts are designed to protect assets from probate, but there’s another situation that most people probably don’t think about and that involves two chilling words....
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Jimi’s Big Mistake
When he departed this life for the big guitar center in the sky, rock musician Jimi Hendrix left a recording legacy that has grown over time. Something else has grown over time, too: a string of...
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Trusts, Dynasty Trusts, and Helping Your Descendants
Trusts usually don’t last forever. They’re not like reruns of NBC’s “Friends,” which our children’s children’s grandchildren will be watching when they’re living in space stations orbiting the moon....
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Give Up Control of Your Assets? If You Want An Irrevocable Trust, That’s What...
Here’s a riddle for you: What do stone cutters and irrevocable trusts have in common? Answer: the phrase “carved in stone.” Ok, like most Dad jokes, that riddle’s not funny, but the punchline is true....
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When a Young Child is Involved, A Trust Can Be Critically Important
Trust funds definitely get a bad rap. Contrary to the gossipy headlines about the Hollywood set, these funds aren’t just reserved for spoiled brats who don’t want the daily 9-to-5 to cut into their...
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