Using Special Needs Trusts to Avoid Conservatorship for Disabled Beneficiaries
Planning for the long-term care of a disabled loved one is a complex process, and one of the most important considerations is ensuring they have the resources they need without sacrificing their independence.
A Special Needs Trust (SNT) is a powerful tool that can help disabled beneficiaries maintain their...
How to Prepare for Incapacity Without Resorting to Conservatorship
Incapacity can occur at any time in life. If you have not started estate planning, now is the time to do so. In particular, it is in your interest to begin preparing for incapacity with tools that empower you to avoid a conservatorship.
Our California estate planning attorney is...
How to Handle Out-of-State Assets in Your California Estate Plan
Handling out-of-state assets in your California estate plan can complicate matters if you do not work with a California estate planning lawyer. Many people overlook out-of-state assets when they create a simple Will. They leave everything to their heirs without considering how properties in other states will be transferred. An attorney ensures...
How to Include Pet Care in Your California Estate Plan
Your pet provides you with unconditional love on a daily basis. Don't you want to do the same for them? Leaving your pet's welfare to chance isn't the way to go. That's why, as a pet owner, it’s essential to consider your pet’s well-being in your estate plan. In this post, our
Real-Life Stories: How Effective Estate Planning Helped California Families
Effective estate planning accomplishes many goals. It protects assets, provides for loved ones, and ensures a smooth transition. Without a comprehensive estate plan, your family may face challenging and costly problems after your death. Our California estate planning lawyer shares real-life examples of situations that estate planning can address.
What is Intestate Probate?
Intestate probate is the process that an estate has to go through when a person dies without leaving a valid will or living trust behind. After gathering the assets and paying the debts of the estate, the administrator will distribute the remaining assets according to the rules of intestate succession in California.
Often, the assets...
Is a Handwritten Trust Legal in California?
A handwritten will can be a valid document as long as the paperwork meets California’s requirements for validity, but you might wonder whether you can handwrite a living trust and whether it would hold up in court. You could technically create an oral trust, but that would create more problems than it is...
Do All Wills Go Through Probate in California?
No, not all wills have to go through probate in California, but all wills of individuals who lived in our state at the time of their death have to get filed with the court. The court in the county where the decedent lived will then decide whether the estate has to go...
Beneficiary Income Tax Planning
There is a common assumption that people who inherit through a trust do not have to pay any taxes, but that is not always correct. Because trust beneficiaries do have to pay taxes in certain situations, you will want to think about how to minimize the tax consequences for the beneficiaries of your trust.
A...
When is the Deadline to Object to the Will or Personal Representative?
California law contains time limits to contest a will or object to the appointment of a personal representative, as well as many other aspects of the administration of an estate. You need to know these deadlines if you plan to take any of these actions so that you do not lose the legal right...