California Estate Planning Attorney
Portability of the Estate Tax Exemption
The legacy you leave your loved ones and cherished causes includes the values you instill in them, directives for the...
What Is HEMS and Why Is It in So Many Trusts?
When creating a trust, one of the questions you have to answer is how you want the trustee to make distributions to...
What is the Difference Between Legacy Planning and Estate Planning?
When starting the estate planning process, you may also hear the term ‘legacy planning’ and assume that the two terms...
How to overcome uncertainty and confidently divvy up your estate
Humans are often uncomfortable with uncertainty, and it’s part of what makes us, well, human. Estate planning is a...
How Business Owners Can Protect Their Legacy by Avoiding Inheritance Mistakes
When it comes to estate planning, people often think of what will happen to their personal assets—for business owners,...
What Is a Qualified Personal Residence Trust in the United States?
Many people who learn about the estate tax underestimate the value of their home. They think that the estate tax...
Single with No Children? Why an Estate Plan is Still Necessary
Estate planning is a complex process. One of the hardest parts of it is deciding how to distribute one’s assets....
Naming Non-Citizens as Beneficiaries, Trustees, and Executors
When your family includes non-U.S. citizens and you want to make them beneficiaries, trustees, or executors for your...
Forming a Trust in California as a Non-Citizen
A non-citizen can form a trust in California but will need significant legal advice on the tax consequences. Both...
Creditor Access to Irrevocable Trusts in California
In California, creditors have limited access to irrevocable trusts because the trust creators cede all control of...
The Generation Skipping Tax and Your Estate Planning Strategy
The generation-skipping tax, also called the generation-skipping transfer tax, generally impacts families where...
What Is the Maximum Gift You Can Give Without Being Taxed?
If you have heard of the gift tax, you may worry about paying taxes on any gifts that you give to family and friends....
How Dual Citizenship Affects Your Estate Planning
Can Dual Citizenship Affect Your Estate Plan? A couple of well-known actors, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, became...
Can a Non-U.S. Citizen Create an Estate Plan in the U.S.
Can a Non-U.S. Citizen Create an Estate Plan in the U.S.? The United States has experienced a surge in immigration...
Will Charitable Giving Reduce Your Taxable Estate?
If you give to charity or plan to start giving, one of your goals in giving may be to reduce your taxable estate....
What You Need to Know About Charitable Lead Trusts
Charitable lead trusts fall into the general category of trusts that benefit charities. Sometimes known as CLTs, these...
What Does A Successor Trustee Need To Know?
It is a great honor to be named a successor trustee in someone’s revocable living trust document. However, the honor...
Responsibility to Inform the Life Insurance Company of a Death
Upon the death of a loved one, navigating the complex aspects of their estate can be challenging. Grief can take a...
