I recently attended the Special Needs Planning Symposium. The sessions were all very informative, but it was the opening session that really stands out for me, ‘Proactive and Next Generation Planning for Families That Include a Loved One with Disabilities.’ The panel of presenters in the session really brought to light how important it is to consider the needs of…
Debbie was furious. “Darn Medi-Cal. First, they put Mom through the ringer to qualify for benefits, and then after she dies, they try to recover the money they gave her. How is that even fair? Mom had so little as it is. My God, all she left me and Cyndy was $500 and her house. They probably want that, too.”…
Mary was ill-prepared for the drama that was probate. “I mean, seriously,” she told her friend, Amy. “Who would have thought Uncle Harry would leave his estate in such a mess? I found deeds, contracts, promissory notes, life insurance policies, and wills, multiple wills, in his house, stuffed in the trunk of his car, in his shed, even in his…
When Carole and Michael created a trust for the benefit of their adult children, they had two goals in mind. First, they wanted to avoid probate, and second, they wanted to take advantage of California Proposition 58, which permits transfers of real property from a parent to a child in a tax-advantageous manner. To facilitate their goals, they decided to…
When Oliver died, at the ripe old age of 96, he left behind eight lineal descendants or heirs—three sons and five grandchildren. All of them believed that they would inherit from Oliver. He had told them about his Living Trust and promised each and every one of them that they would be “well taken care of.” Upon Oliver’s death, however,…
When we last heard from Jenna and Mark, they were clinging to one another, attempting to wait out Hurricane Astrid in a community center in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. The trip was Mark’s attempt to reignite the romance in their lives, after the birth of their third child, Mikey, five months prior. At age 30, they had thriving careers—Jenna…
When we last met Jenna and Mark Livingston, they were hunkered down in St. Thomas, U.S Virgin Islands, waiting for Hurricane Astrid to pass. As they huddled in the town assembly hall, Jenna, an attorney, and Mark, a pediatrician, bemoaned their failure to adequately plan for the care of their children in the event of their death. Both age 30,…
Perhaps the most important decision you will ever make is who will serve as guardian(s) for your children. In California, a child under the age of 18 is not legally qualified to care for her or himself if both parents die. Any child under the age of 18 must have a legally appointed guardian. Typically, guardians of minor children are…
After years of marital discord, John and Angie Wakefield finally decided to call it quits. John filed for divorce in California on the grounds of irreconcilable differences, asking for a fair and equitable division of community property, retention of all separate property, and shared custody of their two children. In her response, Angie not only requested child support, she sought…