Recent Blog Posts
Changing Or Amending A Will In California
Once you make your will, you aren’t stuck with it–you can alter, amend or change it at any time. In fact, you should do it–life and your life situation changes, and if your life changes and your will doesn’t, your will may not reflect what you want to happen. Amending a will is not… Read More »
What Is A Transfer On Death Deed?
Let’s say that you own real property, and you want to make sure that the property transfers to someone else, as quickly as possible, and without going through the court probate process when you pass. Is there a way to do that? There is. It’s called a transfer on death deed, and although it… Read More »
Events That Could Trigger The Need To Revise Your Estate Documents
You did it all-you visited your estate lawyer, drafted your will, trusts, you have letters of administration, some health care directives, and now you’re done. Now that all that’s behind you, you are set….or not quite. Because events in your life can trigger the need to revise these documents. But life changes to some… Read More »
Why Is It So Important To Avoid Probate?
We often discuss why certain state planning methods are beneficial because they avoid probate. But why is it a good thing to avoid probate—why put all this work into avoiding probate? Why is Probate Necessary? When you pass away, your property has to transfer to someone else. It may pass to your beneficiaries by… Read More »
What Is A Payable On Death Account?
A payable on death (POD) account is an easy tool that, while it doesn’t solve every kind of estate planning need, can certainly make things easier when it comes to certain kinds of assets. What is a Payable on Death Account? A POD account (which is sometimes called a Totten trust, even though it… Read More »
Don’t Forget Lawsuit Proceeds In Your Estate Plan
When you are creating your estate documents, you may give a lot of thought about the things you own, and your assets, when you are thinking about who to leave them to or how to leave them to the people you love. But one asset that gets overlooked are things you may not think… Read More »
Trusts: What Kinds Are There?
We’ve often discussed the benefits of trusts, and how a trust can help you administer an estate. But what kinds of trusts are there? There are actually a large number of trusts, and the trust that’s right for you is an individual choice based on your specific situation. Still, it may be helpful for… Read More »
Can A No-Contest Clause Avoid A Will Contest?
None of us want to imagine family members fighting over what they are left in our estate, when we are gone. There are a number of ways to avoid this kind of fighting, some which are legal, and some of which are just plain common sense, but regardless of any of these methods, there… Read More »
Things To Do Now To Avoid Disputed Estates Later On
When thinking about what will happen when we are gone, the last thing we can imagine is our loved ones, friends or family, fighting with each other over who will get what. The idea of one family member getting a lawyer, and all of them spending thousands of dollars to fight over what you… Read More »
Should You Use A Pour Over Will?
Let’s say that you were smart, and you made sure that you transferred pretty much everything that you own into trusts. By doing that, you ensure that there will be no probate, and thus, no court action, and thus, hopefully, no infighting between your family over who gets what when you are gone. But… Read More »