Magazine Archive
Inside: Estate Planning for ALL Stages of Life
The Estate Planning Issue’s organizing principle is that estate planning is relevant at all stages of life – from childhood to marriage (and second marriage!), buying a house, running a successful business, and yes, old age. This selection of articles is our attempt to bring that home the reality that estate planning is relevant to...
Read ArticleEstate Plans 101: The Basics for Those Just Starting Out
Imagine a young entrepreneur (“Jacob”), recently graduated from college and living at home to save on expenses. Business is growing and the future is bright until Jacob suffers an unfortunate accident, leaving him incapacitated. Suddenly, Jacob is faced with a series of important issues: Who is going to make medical decisions for Jacob? What are...
Read ArticleWhat’s the Deal with Prop 19?
What is Prop 19? As most estate planners can attest, California Proposition 19, or Prop 19, caused a whirlwind of calls and emails from worried property owners in the beginning of the year. Prop 19 passed in the November 2020 general election. Prop 19 did two things: (1) allowed for older and/or disabled homeowners to...
Read ArticleEstate Planning Before a Second Marriage
Second marriages present unique challenges for estate planners to consider. In addition to complex legal issues, practitioners must be aware of the complicated family dynamics that often arise when two families are joined. A clear statement of the spouses’ intentions and thorough documentation of the characterization of assets can help prevent conflict within a blended...
Read ArticleSpousal Lifetime Access Trusts & Closely Held Businesses
Business owners often face a unique estate planning challenge: how to minimize the estate tax implications when the business is worth more than the gift and estate tax exclusion. The Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT) is one estate planning tool that may address the issue. SLATs do not work for every high net-worth client seeking...
Read ArticleLegal Triage: Medi-Cal Eligibility
A well-crafted estate plan is a work of art: Carefully constructed documents addressing complex legal issues ranging from fraught family dynamics to sophisticated tax avoidance strategies that create a family legacy. Then life happens. Or rather, death tries to happen, but the miracle of modern medicine extends life at the price of severe mental and/or...
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