After your death, you have very little control over what happens with your personal assets. The only control you have is when you create an estate plan, but even then, things can go awry. If your main concern is keeping your money in your family, then you need to...
Helping You Through Times of Change
Year: 2020
How can California residents quickly appoint a conservator?
Asking a court to appoint a conservator for your aging parent or relative may not be an easy one since a conservator will assume a lot of responsibility over your loved one. Still, sometimes it is necessary. In fact, some families have an urgent need for a conservator...
When will a court remove an executor?
If you are making your estate plans, you want the executor of your estate to be the best person possible to handle the job. Whoever you appoint will have the responsibility to your heirs to make sure they receive their inheritance. In the event your executor...
What are the differences between a will and a trust?
If you are beginning to think about your estate planning goals, you may be weighing the benefits of having a will, a trust or both. There are similarities and differences to consider and the decision you make could depend on how much control you want over your...
Responsibilities of a trust administrator
Tying up the financial loose ends of a loved one is challenging. Ideally, the person who appoints you the Trustee of their California estate discusses their wishes with you before they pass. However, if you unexpectedly find that you have these responsibilities after...
How should I create an estate plan with a blended family?
Getting married for the second, or even subsequent, time is no longer an unusual thing. Many people successfully find happiness in a new marriage after a previous divorce or loss of a spouse due to death. While a blended family may bring great joy to a person's life...
How do I limit the powers of a limited conservator?
You may have a family member that, because of a disability stemming from childhood, is not able to exercise self-care and needs someone to act as a conservator. However, you do not want to take away the full rights of your loved one, which is why a limited...
Fiduciary duties and accounting
As a fiduciary to a beneficiary, there requires a long-standing commitment to arrange financial details, make important decisions regarding a trust and keep an impartial head about things even when beneficiaries get heated over the division of trust assets. As Forbes...
Probate law and the new process to settle small estates
Under California law, there is now a simple procedure beneficiaries can use to settle estates with assets that do not exceed a certain level. The new law helps these small estates avoid probate and simplifies the task of transferring assets. Probate explained...
Why might family members contest a will during probate?
Whenever a family member contests, or tries to argue against, certain parts of a will, probate becomes more complicated. If the writer of the will was unduly influenced or distressed during the process, it may mean the beneficiaries have a reason to interrupt probate....