If you have children and then marry someone else who also has children from a previous relationship, you’ve created a blended family. This can be a beautiful thing, a wonderful way for families to expand and children to get to have new sibling relationships. But it...
Thinking about a time when you won’t be able to make medical or financial decisions for yourself isn’t pleasant. However, if you don’t plan for this possibility, then it may leave a stranger in charge of your assets and life. It’s possible to prevent this with a...
It’s important to prepare for the end of your life. It’s something you know you should do, but six out of 10 adults in the U.S. don’t have a living trust or will in place. While most older adults have these important documents in place, many younger Americans have...
A living trust is a valuable estate planning tool for many Californians. A living trust allows you to maintain control over your assets while you’re alive. Then they’re relatively seamlessly transitioned to your beneficiaries – typically without having to go through...
It is best to consider your estate plan as something fluid and dynamic. You need to review and alter it as you go through life for it to serve you and your family as well as it can. Here are some stages to think about: When you first turn 18 years of age You might not...
Everyone needs an estate plan regardless of the size of their assets. A properly written estate plan guarantees that your wishes will be honored when you pass on and that your assets will be distributed exactly how you want them to be. But what happens when things...
When you received a serious medical diagnosis, it made you start thinking about your plans for the future. You realized that you didn't have an estate plan yet, so you decided that it was time to get one put in place for your family. This is a good time to do your...
All adults should have an estate plan in place, but many don’t realize that they need to get their power of attorney designations handled right away. These designations give someone the legal ability to make decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated. ...
Unfortunately, estate planning is an area of the law that is often plagued by myths. You'll find you will many people repeat these myths if you ask them about their plan or if you find out that they simply haven't made an estate plan. To help you avoid the same...
You generally use your estate plan to pass on your assets. However, you may be able to use it to pass on your personal values and things that you find important. One way to do this is by using a trust. A trust is a financial device that allows you to set money aside,...
