We help you get your estate plan done!
If you’ve been thinking about getting your affairs in order, but haven’t done so, you won’t believe how easy it is to do it now. For anyone with assets such as a home, establishing a Living Trust is the biggest no-brainer in wealth management.
Unlike other attorneys who start with an endless questionnaire with information to complete, we start with listening to you and helping you assess your estate planning goals in light of the drastic recent changes in the law and rising property values.
A thoughtful estate plan can accomplish many goals. It minimizes taxes. It enables you to leave a legacy—to make a difference—after you are gone. An estate plan keeps assets in the family in the event of divorce. It explains what you want to happen if you die or become unable to manage your own affairs. If you are in a car accident or contract a terminal illness, your estate plan will authorize someone you choose in advance to protect you and your assets.
People who own assets—especially California residents or those with real property in California—should consider including a document called a Living Trust in their estate plan to avoid the time and expense of having the court manage your affairs. Assets that are titled so that they are owned by someone called a “Trustee” can pass at death without court intervention. You, not the court, stay in control.
You choose the person in charge, you choose what the person can and cannot do and you choose who inherits your assets and how. In other words, when you create an estate plan with a Living Trust, the person or institution you choose distributes your assets to those you name in your Living Trust when you die. Without the Living Trust, most assets—except those with named beneficiaries such as life insurance, retirement accounts, and property held as joint tenancy—require a judge to oversee the management and distribution of the assets upon incapacity or death.
Creating the right Living Trust is the key. We help you assess your goals and understand how the new tax law that went into effect on January 1, 2018 affects you and your estate plan.