The holiday season gives Los Angeles families the opportunity to get together. That can be something that can be hard to coordinate any other time of the year. There are only a few occasions outside of holidays that draw families to one place. Among the most common are births, marriages and deaths. Careful preparations are […]

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An adult lifetime is spent carefully gathering, managing and protecting assets. If you’re like many Los Angeles residents with considerable wealth, some or a great deal of those assets will outlive you to benefit the ones you love. Many affluent Californians supplement estate planning documents with trusts, to ensure that heirs and beneficiaries preserve assets wisely and […]

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A large inheritance received during a time of grief would seem like a great comfort. Without proper thought and consideration, though, that windfall can create more problems than solutions. If the assets from a generous California will or trust have been passed to you, it’s likely that you have never more wealth at one time in your […]

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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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The parents of baby boomers have reached an advanced age. The children of the World War II generation are baby boomers. Members of the country’s largest-ever generation were born between 1946 and 1964, which means some Los Angeles boomers are already grandparents living in retirement. The boomer generation is becoming aware of the importance of […]

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Last year at this time, Los Angeles estate planning attorneys were concerned about protecting clients’ assets from potentially high taxes. Fears that the IRS tax-free part of an estate would drop from above $5 million to $1 million were unfounded. Federal estate taxes did rise to 40 percent but not to 55 percent as was […]

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A Los Angeles parent with adult children is incapacitated by severe illness. The children are uncertain whether estate planning documents exist, including powers of attorney that permit someone to manage the parent’s finances or health care decisions. The children don’t know whether the parent has made a will or where to begin looking for one. […]

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Advancements in computer technology have dramatically changed all aspects of society. It has even made a significant difference in estate planning strategies. Now with the advent of digital assets, those looking to create an estate plan in California will have to be up-to-date on all of the legal implications of owning digital assets. One of the most […]

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Actor James Gandolfini was worth an estimated $70 million at the time of his death. Reports said the star of the HBO series “The Sopranos” left behind a will that passed the bulk of his fortune to a baby daughter and siblings. Critics felt estate planning mistakes cost the late actor’s heirs tens of millions of dollars. […]

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Parents of a disabled child often worry how to set up an estate plan that provides an inheritance without disqualifying the child from valuable government benefits. Estate planning trusts can be designed to help a special needs beneficiary without sacrificing Supplemental Security Income or Medi-Cal, the California Medicaid program. Qualification for SSI and Medi-Cal benefits is dependent […]

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