Fiduciary duty refers to the duty of one party to act in the best interests of another. The main fiduciary duty is the duty of care, which requires fiduciaries to exercise reasonable care and skill when making decisions on behalf of others. There are other fiduciary...
Bay Area Estate And Tax Planning Law Firm
Bay Area Estates and Tax Law Blog
Beneficiary mistakes to watch out for in California
There are many things to consider when estate planning. One of the most important is who will receive your assets after you die. Unfortunately, many people make mistakes when choosing their beneficiaries, leading to estate litigation and other problems. Not updating...
The main types of tax incentives for charitable remainder trusts
Estate planning allows you to take care of your assets and beneficiaries in California. Some people want part or all of what they leave behind to go to charities. If you plan on donating a considerable amount of money to charity, it's good to know about charitable...
Startling statistics about estate planning
Anyone with a family, a bank account, pets, social media accounts or assets may want to create an estate plan. Dying without a plan in place results in the state determining what happens to your assets. For example, according to intestacy laws, California would...
Handling mortgage issues during probate
There are a great many estate administration issues that can come up during the initial exam in California. These are issues that can result in a tedious and costly process of probate. One of them can be your failure to resolve issues such as mortgage payments, condo...
What does fiduciary duty mean in California?
Many California residents might not be familiar with the term “fiduciary duty,” but it may or may not apply to their everyday life. In short, fiduciary duty refers to the relationship between a fiduciary – such as an employer or lawyer – and the principal slash...
Avoiding making these mistakes when updating your estate plan
Creating an estate plan can help California residents to prepare their estates for the future and protect their beneficiaries. However, it’s important not to make these mistakes when updating your estate plan documents. Forgetting to review your will A huge mistake...
California requirements for changing a will
Every state has different requirements for revoking, contesting or changing a will. There is specific information to learn about the process of changing this document in court. Under California's estate laws, anyone who wishes to change a will has to meet specific...
Common myths & misconceptions about fiduciaries in California
There are different kinds of financial planners and advisors that operate in California. While some of these advisors are not required to take extra steps to ensure that they always act in the best interests of their clients, others are. Those in this second group are...
Common ways to fund a trust in California
When creating a trust in California, one of the first things you will need to do is fund it. In other words, you need to ensure that it can sustain itself once you've transferred ownership. There are several ways to do this depending on your goals, but the common...