If you have minor children and have not yet named guardians, you are not unlike many other parents who put off this critically important task. Perhaps you’re not quite sure how to go about naming guardians. Perhaps you just haven’t made the time to name guardians yet. Or perhaps you and your spouse/partner cannot agree […]
Asset protection is not at the forefront of most people’s minds. Most of us spend the majority of our time working to accumulate assets rather than considering the importance of protecting what we have. A recent article on The Motley Fool notes there are many things that can harm an investor more than a big […]
Most of us who have pets consider them part of the family; unfortunately, the plans we may have so carefully put together to protect our family do not always take our pets into account. According to the ASPCA, only 17% of dog and cat owners have made the necessary legal plans to ensure their pets […]
So what exactly is your estate? Simply put, it is everything you own. This includes your home (and any other real property you own), furniture, personal possessions, car, bank accounts, insurance, and anything else owned by you. Estate planning is act of preparing for many important issues, including: Providing instructions for your care in the […]
Your holiday season “to-do” lists is already incredibly long, I know, but you really owe it to yourself to answer these six tax questions before year-end: Should I defer or accelerate income? Will you be in a higher tax bracket next year? If so, you may want to pull more income into this year. Conversely, […]
On January 1, 2013, Congress passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. If you have not reviewed your estate plan following the changes made to the estate and gift tax laws by this legislation, you need to ask yourself these 10 questions then schedule a meeting with your Family Trust Lawyer to ensure you […]
Do you think trusts are only for the wealthy? While it is true that wealthy Americans commonly use trusts to protect and pass their wealth, there are a number of important reasons Americans of modest means should consider the use of trusts, too. Here are 7 of them: 1. Control distribution of assets. You probably […]
Retirement decision-making for baby boomers is very different than it was for their parents, when it was usually just one spouse (Dad) who retired. More often than not, both spouses work now and must make decisions together on retirement, and each may have very different ideas of what that retirement should look like. Here are […]
A simple will is one of the most basic California estate planning documents there is, and everyone over the age of eighteen should have one to make sure that there is no question about what would happen to their assets (and kids) if something happened to them. But there are some cases when having a […]
If you’re visiting this site to find out what we charge for a Will or you are considering calling us (or any other law firm) to ask, “How much do you charge for a Will?” stop. That’s not the right question. The first question you need an answer to is, “What should I have in […]
