When you send your child off to college, you probably made sure they were up to date on their shots and that they had the right kind of bed sheets for those weird dorm mattresses. What you may not have considered is what would happen if your child had some kind of...
Your estate plan enables your family members and others named in the plan to know what you want to do with your assets when you pass away. When you set up a comprehensive estate plan, it also relays your wishes for your care if you become incapacitated. Many people...
California recognizes three main types of wills. While some may appear quicker, simpler or cheaper than others, they may not exactly accomplish your goals, protect your interests or protect your estate. Will contests can delay your estate’s distribution, waste your...
When you discover that you are the beneficiary of a trust, you probably have many questions. Generally, people want to know how the document works and whether it contains any special rules beneficiaries must follow. Two other questions we often hear from trust...
Many people assume that they need to include all of their assets in their will in order for those assets to go to their rightful heirs. However, there are some assets that don’t have to be included in a will because they are handled in other ways. It’s imperative that...
If you have elderly parents and you're unsure about whether they’ve drawn up an estate plan, then you may feel like you should talk with them. You might have heard from friends about the downsides of not having a plan in place. If you and your siblings are concerned...
Contrary to popular belief, estate planning isn't just for individuals of endless means. It's instead something that everyone should do -- and that may include funding a trust. Living trusts, and more specifically, revocable ones, have become increasingly popular for...
Selecting an executor is a big part of the estate planning process. You may have seen lists of attributes that your prospective candidate should have. An executor is a fiduciary, or someone who operates on the legal behalf of another, such as a deceased individual and...
If you are like many California residents, you have a safety deposit box to store items you want to keep safe. While that is all well and good for some of your assets, a safety deposit box is not a catch-all for everything of value that you own — or your most vital...
As you proceed with developing your estate plan, you’ll learn all sorts of new terms. While the sheer number of them can be overwhelming, it’s important to understand them so that you can be sure that your plan will do what you intend it to do. Two of the terms you...
