Estate Planning

If your parents are advancing through their Golden Years, even if they rarely go online, they likely have a digital presence. Older adults may not be active on social media or own cryptocurrency, but almost all adults living in the U.S. possess digital assets that may...

One important thing to remember with estate planning is that, even after initially drafting your plan, you don’t want to neglect it. In some cases, you need to sit down and review the plan to see if updates are necessary. But when should you do it? A good idea is to...

A power of attorney (POA) is a legal document that allows you to grant someone else the authority to make decisions on your behalf. Whether it’s for financial, medical or legal matters, a POA can provide a trusted individual with the power to act in your place when...

There seems to be a misconception that no one should know what’s in your estate plan until you pass away. Too many movies have shown family members gathered around while the lawyer read the terms of the will. In the real world, there are several reasons why you should...

A will is the key component of any estate plan. This legal document provides precise instructions on how assets are to be divided upon the testator’s death. It can also designate guardians for minor children and much more.  However, a will only carries out its...

Do you lack an estate plan? You may be missing an important opportunity to protect your future.  If you are considering making an estate plan, here are a few questions you may have: 1. What is an estate plan for? The main use of an estate plan is to instruct how your...

As you make your estate plan, you may consider splitting everything up equally between your beneficiaries. Maybe you have four adult children, so you’re going to leave them all 25% ownership of the family home or the vacation cabin. Maybe you have $1 million in your...

While there are numerous steps to estate planning, drafting a will is usually the first. A will allows the testator to name beneficiaries. These are individuals or organizations that assets will be given to upon the testator’s death.  A will can also carry out several...

California is a state that allows terminally ill patients to determine when and where they will make their final exit from the world. First signed into law in 2016, the California End of Life Option Act was later amended in 2022 to shorten the total period of the...

Writing an estate plan is important for your future and for your family. Far too many people haven’t written a plan at all. They’ve left no instructions for the distribution of their assets or what end-of-life care they would like to receive. However, even among those...