Thinking about the future can be inspiring but it can also be a difficult task. Just as its name implies, successful estate planning requires foresight and diligence. While this is true for the initial creation of an estate plan, it holds true as time passes and life...
Focused And Personalized Attention Concerning Your Estate Planning Needs
Michael A. Sawamura, Attorney at Law
Life insurance is an important estate planning consideration
Planning for the future can be a complex process. An estate plan needs to be tailored to fit your needs. This may mean benefiting a charitable cause, taking care of a long loved pet or providing as much financial security to your loved ones as possible. Depending on...
Medical instructions can be key to successful estate planning
A lot of estate planning is focused on the distribution of wealth upon an individual's passing. While this is certainly an important aspect of the estate planning process, it is only a portion of what should be a comprehensive estate planning approach.Another critical...
Effective trusts require a keen legal eye
Recently on the blog we discussed spendthrift trusts and how they can fit into your estate plan. This type of trust isn't right for everyone, though.Yet, those seeking to create an estate plan shouldn't write off trusts altogether just because a spendthrift trust...
Digital wills may cause estate planning headaches
It seems like nearly every aspect of our lives is becoming digitized. Estate planning may be no different. In fact, some states are even making it legal to create electronic wills. Although it may sound like this process is convenient, it can actually present...
Is a spendthrift trust right for your estate?
Estate planning can serve many purposes. In most cases, though, those who engage in estate planning simply want to provide for their loved ones as much as possible. Fortunately, there are many estate planning tools that can help further that goal. But estate planners...
Dealing with retirement accounts during estate planning
Many people have retirement accounts and other investments, as well as Social Security benefits that they have worked hard to earn and build. Although these individuals hope to take advantage of these resources when the time comes, they don't always live long enough...
Why should I create a will?
Have you been putting off estate planning? If so, you're not alone. Many Californians struggle to get around to dealing with estate planning.Although many of these individuals view the process almost like a chore, the fact of the matter is that estate planning is...
Estate planning procrastination: how to stop it
Most people avoid thinking about death. The mere thought of our own mortality often makes us uncomfortable, and it depresses our spirits.As a result, many Californians choose to put off estate planning until they feel "ready" to do so. For a lot of these individuals,...
Effective estate planning can avoid illusion of unfairness
There is a lot of decision-making that goes into estate planning. Perhaps the biggest decisions are those that determine to whom assets will be distributed when the time comes.For many Californians this is a simple choice. They simply decide to evenly divide their...