Category: Estate Planning & Taxation

Other Posts in this Series Part I: The Elements of a Revocable Living Trust Part II: Why Set Up a Revocable Living Trust? A revocable living trust can provide many benefits, but not if you don’t fund it. In our previous post, we explained how a revocable living trust is...

Other Posts in this Series Part I: The Elements of a Revocable Living Trust Part III: Funding Your Revocable Living Trust Revocable living trusts provide numerous benefits for California residents. This estate planning tool, which provides for a faster, less expensive, and more private estate administration, should be considered by...

Other Posts in this Series Part II: Why Set Up a Revocable Living Trust? Part III: Funding Your Revocable Living Trust Revocable living trusts provide multiple benefits for those who utilize them properly – this begins with an understanding of how these trusts work and what they are designed to...

You can designate who inherits from you, or you can let intestate succession laws decide for you. Holocaust survivor and New York real estate developer Roman Blum apparently left no instructions for the distribution of his $40 million fortune when he passed away in 2012. The first will produced was...

If you don’t prepare your estate plan, the law has provisions in place to handle the management of your estate and the guardianship of your children. You might not like it, though. Our July 9, 2019 post “Don’t Delay Your Estate Plan!” highlighted the colossal mess that Prince Roger Nelson...

Setting up an estate plan isn’t enough – remember to review and update it periodically to ensure that it consistently reflects your wishes. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that sent a clear message how important it is to keep your estate plan up to date. The...

Proper estate planning can save your heirs the hassle and expense of probate and conservatorships, estate taxes, and contested court proceedings. Just weeks after Prince Roger Nelson’s death in 2016, dozens of people filed petitions in the Carver County District Court in Minnesota, claiming a piece of the music icon’s...

As digital technology continues to take hold, including a growing number of end-of-life planning websites and mobile apps, lawyers and lawmakers alike are calling for a closer look at how we may be able to effectively utilize electronic signatures in the area of wills, trusts and probate. Passage of the...

There are certain events that call for a fresh look at your estate plan.                   “Nothing endures but change.” - Heraclitus of Ephesus The quote may be 2,500 years old, but the ancient Greek philosopher’s statement remains true – change is still the only constant in life. Spouses get divorced,...

Adequate preparation for your first estate planning appointment will help ensure that your attorney prepares the best estate plan for you in the shortest period of time. Facing your own mortality is not an easy thing to do, and getting ready for your first estate planning appointment requires that you...