You’ve inherited part of a family member’s estate. Maybe they designated you as a beneficiary in their will. Perhaps they died without a will (“intestate”) and you are due a portion of the estate under California’s probate laws. What if you don’t want or need the inheritance? You’d prefer that someone else receive it — […]

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Making the decision to move a loved one into a nursing care facility might be one of the most difficult choices you ever make. Generally, no one likes the idea of uprooting an elderly parent from the home they have lived in for decades and moving them to a strange and unfamiliar facility. Unfortunately, there […]

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Many people think that they have no need for a trust in their estate plan unless they have millions of dollars in assets to pass on to their heirs and other beneficiaries. In fact, you can set up a revocable living trust even if your assets total far less than that. There are many good […]

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People often think that California’s community property laws are only relevant when couples divorce. However, they also apply to how property is disbursed and how debts are handled after someone’s death. Under our community property laws, everything that spouses earn or receive (with the exception of gifts and inheritances received by one partner) during the […]

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People who create an estate plan will usually set an executor and powers of attorney designations. For the people who are named in these positions, understanding what they mean is important. There are specific duties that must be handled properly. Failing to do these correctly can be costly for the heirs since mistakes may come […]

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When someone dies without a will, the California probate courts will have to handle the distribution of assets. People call this process “intestate succession.” Thankfully, there are relatively clear-cut laws in place in the state that guide the courts in dividing the assets of someone who dies without a will among their closest relatives in […]

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For estate planning purposes, it is important to keep track of the loans and financial gifts that you give to your children while you’re still alive. Do they count as an advance on that child’s inheritance or not? Maybe you have three children, for example. Two of them do very well financially and need nothing […]

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