The first days after a death do not feel like the days that came before. Everything continues — the mail, the bills, the calendar — but you are not the same person receiving them. The family calls come first. The funeral arrangements come next. And then, sooner than you expect, the practical questions begin to arrive. Do you have the…
He had always assumed the house would pass to his children the way his parents’ house had passed to him—with the property tax staying roughly the same. He grew up believing that a family home in California was a legacy in the truest sense: an asset that could stay in the family across generations without becoming a financial burden. It…
She called on a Tuesday afternoon. Her father had been diagnosed with dementia six weeks earlier, his decline had been faster than the family expected, and she was beginning to look at what came next. He still lived in the home he had owned for forty years in Lafayette. He had savings. He had a small pension. He had two…
If you own a home in the East Bay, you’ve raised a family here, or you’ve spent a lifetime building up savings, it’s natural to assume those assets will simply pass to the people you love. I wish it were that simple. In more than 20 years as an estate planning attorney here in Walnut Creek, I’ve sat with too…
Probate in Contra Costa County: What Walnut Creek Families Need to Know in 2026 When a Walnut Creek family walks into my office after losing a loved one, probate is usually the word they’re hoping not to hear. And I understand why. Probate has a reputation — and much of it is deserved. It can be slow, expensive, and public…
When it comes to estate planning, most people focus on how to ensure their loved ones are taken care of. However, you may want to also consider charitable gifting, a tool that not only provides for causes you care about but also preserves wealth by reducing estate tax liability. Charitable gifting refers to donating money or assets to a qualified…
