Bay Area Estate And Tax Planning Law Firm
When creating your will, you’ve carefully chosen who should inherit your home, your savings or a family heirloom everyone quietly covets. However, even the most well-thought-out will can fall apart if someone decides to challenge it. Many people turn to a no-contest...
People who have high-value estates often want to be able to pass as much as they can to their loved ones. Estate taxes are one thing that can significantly cut down on what your loved ones will receive if you have an estate that’s valued over a specific amount, which...
Most people make an estate plan with the intention of never having to look at it again, but that’s not what thought should be present. Instead, anyone creating an estate plan should prepare to review it periodically. As a general rule, estate plans should be reviewed...
If you’d like to have a bit more control over what happens to the inheritance you are leaving to your beneficiaries, you may want to consider putting that inheritance into a trust. If you just leave it to them in your will, you can decide who gets specific assets, but...
Estate and trust administration may require months or years of concerted effort. The person creating an estate plan or funding a trust typically selects someone to manage administrative matters. A trustee helps administer a trust, while a personal representative or...
A will serves an important legal purpose. The instructions included in a will establish the testator's legacy after they die. Wills may include information about what beneficiaries should inherit from an estate. Wills also empower certain people to serve as personal...
Irrevocable trusts are set up so they can’t be changed or canceled by the creator; however, there are times when these trusts may not reflect the intent of the creator as time progresses. One of the hallmarks of an irrevocable trust is that the creator relinquishes...
One of the primary tasks that an estate plan accomplishes is to pass assets down to the intended beneficiaries. This can be done in the will, but there’s also an option to establish trusts. All trusts are classified as either revocable or irrevocable, and the...
Most of us believe in something. Some strongly believe in a particular god or collection of gods, while others pointedly believe that no such thing exists. Whatever beliefs you hold dear, it’s likely you want your estate plan to reflect them. If you don’t cover these...
Estate administration is a complex process. The personal representative named by the decedent or appointed by the California probate courts has to secure estate resources and review financial records. They need to provide the courts with a copy of the will and an...