Financial elder abuse can be prevented by a carefully-crafted estate plan, provided the documents are in place while an individual is relatively young and healthy. Wills drafted in advanced age can invite legal contests among heirs and beneficiaries. Huguette Clark came from “old money” and a lot of it. Clark inherited $300 million from her […]

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California estate planning laws include ways Los Angeles residents can circumvent probate. Some probated estate issues take a long time to resolve and devalue an estate. In many cases, probate functions simply to verify the validity of a will so the last desires of a decedent take place. Living trusts and property joint tenancy move assets to […]

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Beneficiaries do not have to be named in a will to receive assets from an estate. A life insurance policy is an example. The proceeds from the policy go to the assigned beneficiary, whether or not that person is also named in a Los Angeles will, trust or other estate planning document. Heirs may be […]

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Grief and duty mix following a family member’s death. Relatives nearest to the deceased are often assigned the roles of executors and trustees with time-sensitive duties to perform. Fiduciary responsibility begins the moment someone dies and continues until estate assets are distributed, as directed by the decedent or a court. Fiduciaries for an estate have […]

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