Ahoy there, fellow Californians, estate planning enthusiasts, and everyone who’s setting sail in the sea of life! I’m your friendly neighborhood lawyer, seasoned sailor of the legal seas, ready to guide you through the complex currents of estate planning. Today, we’re going to char...

When a spouse is disabled and has qualified to receive Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program), what happens if the “well” spouse dies first? Medi-Cal is a “needs based” program. That means there are strict income and asset requirements. A person applying for and receiving Medi-Cal must have less t...

One of the most difficult decisions you may face is choosing the person who will speak on your behalf when it comes to financial or health care decisions or raising your children if you can’t speak on your own behalf. In fact, this is where most people get stuck in the estate planning process – [&he...

Who takes care of you if you cannot care for yourself? Do you know who will take care of you if you are so sick that you cannot make your own healthcare decisions? Will that person be legally allowed to talk to your doctor and make decisions on your behalf? And, will that person know […]

I was recently asked the question, “How old should I be when I start my estate planning?” It’s a great question, and the answer surprised her: Estate planning should begin as soon as someone legally becomes an adult (18 years old). At 18, you don’t need complicated estate planning, but there are sev...

For many people, their retirement assets consist of accounts such as an employer sponsored 401(k) plan and/or IRA accounts. The reason for doing so it obvious: they allow for either tax-deferred growth of your hard earned money. One pitfall of these accounts is what will happen to them when you pass...

Lawyers seem to have their own language. Many certainly speak in jargon. While I try to speak in plain English, there are many terms that are used in estate planning that need to be explained. One is “Intestate Succession.” Intestate Succession is the method by which property is distribu...

Today is Giving Tuesday. The idea is that after spending our money on stuff on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, we take a day to give back. I recently read the book The Power of Half by Kevin and Hannah Salwen. It really changed my thinking on charitable giving. The book descr...

Estate planning is often associated with death. But it’s just as important for your plan to address incapacity associated with illness, injury, advanced age or other circumstances. Unless you specify how financial and health care decisions will be made in the event you become incapacitated, there’s ...