Being named as the executor of an estate or the trustee for a trust is quite the responsibility. It will be your job to interpret and follow the last wishes of a loved one. This could include the division of assets, the allocation of physical items and even clearing out a living space. Every step […]

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It happens in many families where the roles reverse and adult children become responsible for the welfare of their parents. If a doctor has diagnosed your parent with dementia or other mentally impairing disease, it may be time to start taking steps to ensure that you will be able to manage affairs when the time […]

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It can be a huge hassle for an estate administrator to force his or her own family members to move out of a deceased parent’s or other relative’s former home. But this might be necessary to manage the property and get it ready to put on the market. Because of familial ties, these individuals may […]

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At this very moment, there are hundreds, even thousands, of individuals throughout California who have been handed the awesome responsibility of administering a substantial estate. For each, there are many ways that even the most well-intentioned executor or administrator can allow things to fall through the cracks. The truth is, properly administering an estate is […]

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With a Republican president in the White House next year and a Republican-controlled Congress, some people who have considerable assets to leave to their heirs are hoping that the estate tax (sometimes referred to by those opposed to it as the “death tax”) will be repealed. The majority of Americans don’t have to pay a […]

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When you’re developing your estate plan, you need to determine what will happen not just to your primary residence but to your vacation home(s). Whether it’s a centuries-old house by the ocean that’s been in your family for generations or a mountain cabin where you spend Christmas vacations every year, these properties can have not […]

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Increasingly, more of our financial and social activity is carried out online. This can create a dilemma for surviving family members when someone dies. While people can and should designate an executor for their estate in their will, that designation doesn’t give them access to accounts that are strictly online, such as some bank accounts […]

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Generally, when people think about estate planning and administration, it’s in relation to how a person’s property, money and other assets are divided up and bequeathed to heirs and other beneficiaries. However, what happens to a person’s debts when they die? That generally depends on the type of debt, what state the person lived in […]

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Any person who has administered an estate knows that, even in this digital age, the amount of paperwork can be overwhelming. Once the estate is settled, it can be tempting to shred all of the documents that have been taking up room in your filing cabinets, drawers or wherever you’ve stashed them. Not so fast. […]

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Most Californians have some familiarity with the Medi-Cal program. It’s basically our state’s version of Medicaid, and it helps cover low-income Californians’ medical care. What many people may not realize is that if a loved one who was enrolled in Medi-Cal passes away, the state (specifically the Department of Health Care Services) may try to […]

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