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…
Effective January 1, 2022, California Probate Code Sections 15800 and 16069 are amended by Assembly Bill 1079. The change in law affects Trustees who assume their role when the settlor or trustor (the creator of the trust) becomes incapacitated. Typically, the person or persons who create a revocable living trust hold the power to be able to revoke the trust.…
This seems like a simple question, right? My retirement goes to the person I listed as my beneficiary (spouse, kids, etc.). Most of the time this is true, yet we also get a fair share of people having to file a probate for an IRA or having to request the court to allow someone to set up a special needs…
You may or may not already have your estate planned for when you die, but did you know that you can also make gifting your assets while you are alive a part of your estate plan? Most people are aware that you, as an individual, can gift up to $15,000 per year to any other individual without having to report…