People in California may have questions about how the legal process of transferring assets and property after a person's death occurs. This legal process in general is referred to as probate, although the process can vary greatly, depending on the circumstances. In...
Focused And Personalized Attention Concerning Your Estate Planning Needs
Michael A. Sawamura, Attorney at Law
Trusts are a must for California complex estates
People in California have a lot of uncertainty about the future, especially when unpredictable natural disasters strike. When tragic and scary events happen, it is human nature for people to feel helpless and fragile in their own mortality. When confronting these very...
Robin Williams left financial support for his children
People were stunned and saddened to hear about the death of one of the world's most innovative comedic minds earlier this month. Robin Williams' suicide was completely unexpected to most people, even those who knew him best. His family, friends and fans will mourn the...
Talking about inheritance still proves difficult
People in California may have seen a recent editorial article in the New York Times about the state of familial relationships and the difficulty of starting conversations about estate planning. Talking about anything related to death can be difficult and...
Trust funds don’t necessarily lead to spoiled kids
People in California may have heard that the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman declined to set up any trusts for his three children, saying he didn't want them to be "trust fund kids." Recently, the musician Sting said essentially the same thing. With this recent...
Actor Hoffman excluded his children from his will
People in California probably remember revered actor Philip Seymour Hoffman for his roles in many of the most acclaimed Hollywood movies of the last decade. Hoffman, who died unexpectedly of a drug overdose in February, 2014, left behind a substantial estate, but the...
Big life changes require changes to estate planning
People in California may have seen an interesting editorial article about how certain major, yet common, life changes can impact a person's financial well-being and future plans. This is especially true of people who have recently gone through a divorce. While...
The requirements of passing on real estate to loved ones
People in California know that estate planning can be a complicated matter, rife with the pitfalls of extra taxation, legal complications and even the hassle of going through probate when assets aren't accounted for properly in the estate plan. Even the simple act of...
Avoiding estate taxes requires early planning
People in California may have seen an interesting financial news editorial in Forbes recently. The article discussed the ways in which estate planning can shield people from unnecessary taxation, but that is really only the beginning of the benefits that an estates...
Estate planning is best left to the professionals
People in California know that everyone needs a will. It's an important document that spells out what is to become of a person's assets after they die, and in many ways is a person's only means of communication with friends and family members after death. For that...