Estate Planning

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,...

Your estate plan is meant to persist after you die and give instructions to others about your final legacy. It will provide information about who will serve as the guardian of any children you have and offer instructions about how to distribute your property after you...

If your parent is getting older and they don't have an estate plan, you might want to talk to them about that. Especially if you only have one living parent or if your parents have divorced, having an estate plan in place is very important for your family. Encouraging...

Putting your estate plans in order is a gift for your loved ones. Your clear direction can help them resolve any lingering doubts about what you might want in your final hours or how you want your assets and personal belongings divided. An advance health care...

If you’ve just been given a serious diagnosis, such as late-stage cancer, your first thought is likely about what treatment options you have. At the same time, though, you also want to think about what else you need to do in case that treatment does not work or...

Most of your estate plan will focus on what happens to your property after your death. However, a thorough estate plan should also protect you in the event of a medical emergency. A workplace fall, a seizure or a cardiac event could leave you in a coma and unable to...

Californians who own land that they want to protect from development after they’re gone can purchase a conservation easement. An easement offers protection in perpetuity for land from any use that the owner believes would conflict with their goals for it or compromise...

There are many reasons why individuals sit down to do estate planning. One big factor that motivates them is choosing what happens with their assets instead of allowing the intestate succession rules to apply instead.  What happens, however, if someone contests your...

Formalizing an advance health care directive is a powerful part of estate planning. It can ensure that your medical providers adhere to your health care wishes, even if you cannot communicate those wishes orally. When written well, an advance health care directive...

One thing that we know for certain is that everyone’s affairs will need to be taken care of at some point. This could mean paying taxes, distributing assets, making final medical decisions and much more. But there will come a point in everyone’s lives when this...