Estate Planning

People in California may have heard about a recent tax policy change that could provide some peace of mind for same-sex couples across the state. Same-sex marriage has been a hot-button topic here in California and in many other states, and shifting laws and...

Residents in California know that estate planning can be very complicated. This is especially true due to increasing taxes and a number of changes to state and federal law that make shielding your hard-earned money from unnecessary taxation extremely difficult. Estate...

People in California probably know about James Gandolfini, the actor most-well-known for his turn as Tony Soprano on the hit television show. When he unexpectedly died at the relatively young age of 51, people mourned the loss of this talented man, but soon afterwards...

People in California know that the Supreme Court handed down a tremendously important decision last month overturning Proposition 8. Proposition 8, the voter initiative that outlawed same-sex marriages within the state, was effectively nullified by the Supreme Court's...

People in California know that the Great Recession has been hard on many families, as unemployment rates have skyrocketed, and tax increases have resulted in a tremendous decimation of wealth across nearly every generation. People may be surprised to find out that...

People in California are forced with a lot of tough choices as they decide how to save their money. Obviously, people want to protect as much of their money from unnecessary taxation as possible, but because every person's situation is different, there is no such...

People in California choose to live in the Golden State for many personal and practical reasons. While the quality of life for many here is indeed quite high, Californians pay dearly for these benefits when it comes to taxes. Across the 50 states in the U.S.,...

Many people in California have concerns about wills, estates and trusts but often feel they are too busy to do anything about it. After all, most people don't reach a level of financial success and responsibility by spending too much idle time. It is also common for...

People in California and readers of the blog know that there are a number of tools available to estate planners looking to maximize their assets for the good of their heirs or favorite charities. However, what many people do not realize is that state laws can have...

Readers of this blog may have seen the recent piece about Phil Mickelson's frustration with the California state income tax. He's certainly not the only one complaining, as income taxes have steadily increased over the last several years and certainly seem likely to...