Category Archives: Estate Planning Questions?

Gifts to Care Custodians: Traps for the Unwary. What does care custodian mean to you? A friend or acquaintance that visits, runs errands, pays bills, cooks, cleans, administers medications, and takes care of other pressing needs? Probate Code Section 21350 … Continue reading →

Qualified Personal Residence Trusts. We are fortunate to live in an area where strong demands for real estate have pushed the prices to unimagined levels.  For many of us, home ownership has increased our net worth beyond the exemption amount … Continue reading →

Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts. For most people, estate planning includes transferring assets to their children or grandchildren without paying any taxes.  The problem is that these transfers are typically subject to federal taxes.  The transfers are either treated as gifts … Continue reading →

Avoiding Capital Gains Taxes. One of the primary goals of estate planning is to minimize the costs associated with wealth transfer, including court costs and taxes. While most people associate estate taxes with estate planning, we must also consider how … Continue reading →

Advance Health Care Directives: The Quality of Life Saver. In 2000, the California legislature passed the Health Care Decisions Law which allows an individual to create an Advance Health Care Directive.  This document is a type of power of attorney … Continue reading →

Estate Planning: More Critical than Ever We have all been battered by the economy. Perhaps that is the most common shared experience of the last year. We have lost equity in stocks, real estate, retirement accounts, and even savings accounts. … Continue reading →