Our California readers may have read about what initially appeared to be an imminent and vicious court battle between the wife of deceased painter Thomas Kinkade and the woman who was his live-in girlfriend at the time of his death. Kinkade, whose paintings and...
Focused And Personalized Attention Concerning Your Estate Planning Needs
Year: 2012
Substitute teacher inherits astounding treasure of gold coins
Earlier this month a Nevada judge certified that a substitute teacher from California is the sole heir to an unexpected fortune. The fortune was left behind by a family member who was a reclusive retiree from Carson City. As the only traceable living heir, the woman...
2013 tax considerations for California estate planning
Californians may have seen a recent financial news article about the new taxes from the Affordable Care Act, known colloquially as Obamacare, that are scheduled to go into effect at the beginning of 2013. In particular, people need to pay attention to a new 3.8%...
Estate planning in the face of a divorce
Californians may have seen a recent article that discussed the financial implications of divorce, especially for women. Whether male or female, divorce usually constitutes a major life shift, and though there are plenty of considerations one has to take into account...
Supreme Court rulings could impact California same-sex couples
California has been no stranger to the controversy surrounding same-sex marriage and the courts continue to struggle to make sense of the situation. Some much-needed guidance on legal issues related to same-sex marriage may be on the horizon, as the United States...
Sherman Hemsley’s body laid to rest after will contest
Blog readers may recall the story of deceased Hollywood sitcom star Sherman Hemsley's estate and the legal challenge from his brother that kept his body above ground for more than three months after his death. Finally, an El Paso, Texas, judge has ruled that Hemsley's...
Voters in California pass Proposition 30 to raise taxes on rich
One of the major differences between President Obama and Mitt Romney was their opinions on how to handle taxation of the middle and upper class. Obama favors an increased tax rate for the wealthiest Americans, and not surprisingly, Democrat-dominated California voted...
Whitney Houston’s estate settled after family squabble
Californians may have seen that deceased pop star Whitney Houston's estate has finally been settled. Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown, will receive three sizeable installments from the estate as she hits certain age...
Gift tax deadlines warrant creative estate planning
California residents, especially readers of this blog, are well-aware of the impending changes to the gift tax and the estate tax that will take place unless Congress acts quickly to pass new legislation before next year.For people with sizeable assets, families with...
Same-sex couples may face more estate planning concerns
A recent news article discussed the issues that California same-sex couples may face when it comes to making sure that they and their loved ones are fully protected financially. Same-sex couples can face more difficulties than heterosexual married couples when it...