Category Archives: Estate Planning

How California’s Lemon Law Protects New Car Buyers

By | July 7, 2017

For much of our country’s history, consumers were on their own when they purchased a product. Buyer beware wasn’t just a sign posted at flea markets, it was a way of life for Americans. But slowly over the course of the 20th Century, our government enacted laws that offered greater protection for consumers.

Millennials: The Untapped Estate Planning Market

By | May 18, 2017

If you’re an employer, a parent, or both, then it will come as no surprise to you that Millennials are a little different than previous generations. Most don’t prioritize the same traditional values as your generation, or those of their parents and grandparents. The stereotypical Millennial is tech savvy, entrepreneurial, and socially conscious. On the downside, many people… Read More »

What to Expect When Challenging a Will

By | April 18, 2017

A will is the document by which we carry out final decisions, but what happens if the integrity of that document is in doubt, or if descendants question the mental capacity of the maker of the will? These are tough questions that ultimately can lead to a will contest. A will challenge is the legal process by which… Read More »

5 Important Things to Know About Estate Planning

By | March 28, 2016

If you have not gotten around to planning your estate, then it is high time you do. There are several reasons why you should not delay in planning how your assets should be distributed after you are no more. A comprehensive estate plan will help you decide who gets to inherit your wealth and you can proactively prevent… Read More »

What a Will’s Executor Is – and Who it Should Be

By | March 9, 2012

If you’ve never heard of the term “will executor” before, it might sound like a scary position to hold. And it can be. Being the executor to someone’s will means that you’re someone who has been trusted with intimate details of someone’s life – and it also means that you have the burden of making sure the will… Read More »

How to Set Up a Living Trust — Starting Today

By | January 25, 2012

A living trust can be one of the most valuable legal entities you ever create. Why? Because it gives you a large degree of control over your own estate. But let’s back up here and explain what a living trust is all about. Essentially, a living trust is a trust for estate planning that you create while you’re… Read More »

How to Pass More Money to Your Loved Ones

By | December 16, 2011

If it’s taken you a lifetime to build up a nest egg that can help you retire comfortably and provide for the future well-being of your family, then it only follows logically that you won’t want to part with that nest egg. Yet that’s exactly what so many Americans do when they ignore the issues of estate planning,… Read More »

The Secret to Avoiding Fights Over Inheritance

By | October 24, 2011

It’s the last legacy you want to leave behind: a fight over your estate. And for a family that’s dealing with the grief of a lost loved one, these arguments can tear relationships apart. Avoiding fights over inheritance is one of the primary goals of solid estate planning, but you’ll never be able to do it if you… Read More »

What You Need to Know About Power of Attorney

By | September 14, 2011

It’s one of the most powerful legal moves you can make, and yet not many people are aware of it. What is it? Well, when you consider the fact that it allows someone else to sign documents and write checks on your behalf, you’ll probably be asking that very question. And the answer is as simple as reading… Read More »

How To Use Trusts to Avoid Estate Taxes

By | August 8, 2011

In modern parlance, a “trust” has the connotation of extreme wealth, of an upper-crust legal refinement that most people in the middle-class wouldn’t be able to enjoy. But in reality, a legal trust is a powerful tool available to any one of us that truly wants to set one up. The only question remaining is: why set up… Read More »