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Creating a Charitable Remainder Trust as Part of Your Estate Planning

Charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) are a strategic estate planning tool, offering a dual benefit of supporting charitable causes while providing income to designate beneficiaries. When implemented effectively, CRTs can significantly Read More

Using Annual Gift & Estate Tax Exclusions as Part of Estate Planning

The federal gift and estate tax annual exclusion allows you to give away a certain amount of your property to another person each year tax-free. As of 2025, the exclusion Read More

Why You Still Need a Will Even Though You Have a Living Trust

A living trust is a valuable tool for managing your assets during your lifetime and for avoiding the public probate process after your death. It directs that all assets within Read More

Why You Need to Revise Your Estate Plan After a Divorce

After a divorce, updating your estate plan is a crucial step to ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes and that unintended consequences are avoided. Estate planning Read More

How to Talk About Estate Planning With Your Parents

Estate planning is a subject ignored by many people (neglectfully or deliberately) and you might find that your parents are among them. It may fall on you to explain to Read More

Writing Wills that Can Stand Up to Contests in Probate

Making a will is an important step to making sure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes after your death. However, it is equally important that your will Read More

Common Estate Planning Goals and Ways to Achieve Them

Estate planning directs how your wealth will be managed and distributed later in life, during any period of incapacitation and after your death. By clearly defining your intentions in legal Read More

Planning for the Federal Estate Tax Exemption Sunset

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 brought significant changes to the federal gift and estate tax landscape by doubling the exemption amounts. Currently, the exemption is $13.61 Read More

A Guide to Probating a Will in California

The death of a loved one is a difficult time, and often requires navigating complex legal processes like probate. In California, probating a will – the court-supervised process of administering Read More

Common Disputes That Arise Over Wills

In the aftermath of a loved one's passing, emotions often run high as family members process their grief and deal with the complexities of settling the deceased's estate. During this Read More

Managing Retirement Accounts as Part of Estate Planning

When it comes to estate planning, people often focus on assets such as real estate, investments and personal belongings. However, retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs are valuable assets that Read More

How Will-Drafting Mistakes Can Stall or Derail Probate of an Estate

Your last will and testament is a fundamental part of estate plan. It specifies how you want some or all of your property to be distributed after your death. For Read More

What Property Can You Keep When Applying for Medicaid?

Medicaid is a federally funded insurance program that pays for medical services, including long-term nursing care, for individuals and families and families in financial need. In California, Medicaid is administered Read More

Perils of Relying on POD and TOD Account Designations in Estate Planning

Customers of banks and other financial institutions can opt to have their accounts include “pay on death” (POD) or “transfer on death” (TOD) provisions, which direct that money or securities Read More

How a Living Trust Can Simplify or Avoid Probate

One of the goals of estate planning is to pass on property to one’s intended beneficiaries without legal complications. Many estates must go through probate in a local or regional Read More

California Eliminating Asset Test for Medicaid Eligibility

Medicaid (known as Medi-Cal in California) is a publicly funded healthcare program that provides medical services to the elderly, disabled, pregnant women and certain low-income individuals and families. Until recently, Read More

Viewing 1 - 16 out of 19 posts

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