If you’re someone who is serving in the role of trustee, executor, conservator, or guardian, acting as a personal representative for someone’s estate in California, did you know that the state has specific guidelines for probate accounting? According to section 16062, the California probate code requires representatives to provide an accounting at least once a year. The purpose is usually…
For this four-part series, we are discussing very common scenarios that we see in our trust administrations where real estate is involved. Real estate, particularly the family home, often has emotional and sentimental components that throw a wrench in trust administrations. Beneficiaries often have different ideas of what to do with the family home. We will continue using the same…
Imagine this scenario: your cousin, David, dies without an estate plan here in California. He had no children or further descendants. He has no living siblings, parents, grandparents, or aunts or uncles, but he does have you, his first cousin on his dad’s side. His only first cousin that you are aware of. You petition the court to open a…
Welcome to 2023! It’s the start of a new year, a new month, and it’s time for new resolutions. Now, while anyone can set goals or make good old-fashioned New Year’s resolutions, seniors tend to struggle the most. Goal setting can seem irrelevant later in life, but research begs to differ. Instead, goal setting can be a factor in slowing…
In Part I of this series on taxes, we discussed federal taxes, and in Part II, we discussed state taxes. For Part III, we will discuss local taxes in California and generally. In California, local taxes are typically handled through the county tax assessor/collector. We will specifically discuss property taxes and taxes on the transfers of property. Local Taxes: Property…