When you begin estate planning, you should consider what to tell your family members about your estate plan. What you tell them, and what you don’t tell them, could have an impact on everyone in the future. Should You Tell Relatives Who Inherits? Unfortunately, estate plans can lead to conflict among family members. If someone…
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How Can Estate Planning Help Your Family After a Serious Medical Diagnosis?
You or someone in your family has just received a serious medical diagnosis. You are overwhelmed with doctor’s appointments, treatment options, anxiety, and stress. How will you and your family cope in the future? Careful estate planning can help you with some of the practical issues facing your family in this trying time. Why Estate…
No Matter How Much You Own, You Need an Estate Plan
Some families think that because they do not have much money, they do not need to do any estate planning. In fact, it does not matter how much you own. You should still make an estate plan to make sure your wishes get carried out and save your relatives hassle and expense. Anyone Can Make…
What Are Transfer on Death Securities in California?
When you are helping to settle a deceased relative’s estate, you may come across some transfer on death securities. To properly pass on all the estate assets to their new owners, you will have to figure out who should receive these securities. Securities include stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, and other shares or marginal shares…
Will Your Lifetime Decisions Impact Relatives’ Inheritances from Your Estate?
Decisions that you make during your lifetime can have a substantial impact on which property relatives will inherit from your estate. It is important to review your estate plan carefully with a knowledgeable attorney to make sure your decisions line up with your wishes. Here are a few ways that your choices now will matter…
When Your Children Leave for College, Who Makes Decisions for Them?
When your children leave for college, your ability to make decisions for them changes dramatically. Often they no longer live in your house, they are legally adults, and they become more independent. This big transition in your family’s lives could affect your and your child’s estate or future planning. Legal Adult Status Depending on your…
What Happens to Your Debt After Your Death?
Credit cards, college loans, mortgages, and other common lending techniques leave many people in debt at some point in their life. Others have unexpected medical needs that cost more than…
Single v. Married Status: How Spouses Factor Into Estate Planning
Whether you are currently single, just married, or married for many years, you should know that your marital status affects how your estate will be distributed. In California, there are…
Why and How to Fund Your Living Trust in California
When you set up and fund a living trust in California, you may receive some exciting benefits from using this estate planning structure. First, you need to figure out how…
Including Funeral and Burial Wishes in Your Estate Plan
Some people have strong wishes about their funeral, burial, and other end-of-life questions. Rather than hoping your family members will remember your wishes years later, you can write these wishes…
The Totten Trust: What You Need to Know
A Totten trust may sound like a fancy and unusual type of estate planning tool. In fact, it is just another name for a payable on death bank account. When…
Setting Up a Foundation or a Scholarship in California
For those with the means and the desire, setting up a foundation or a scholarship in California can be a wonderful way to give back to the community. If you…
