Edie Ceccarelli, a 114-year-old woman from Mendocino County, California, was recently confirmed as the world’s third oldest person. Her longevity is a testament to her good health and strong spirit, but it also highlights the importance of estate planning.
Planning for digital assets is important for several reasons. First, without a plan, digital assets may get lost in the Internet ether and not pass to your loved ones after your death due to the simple fact that their existence is unknown. Second, planning now means your family will not have to worry about hunting for these items upon your death while also grieving a beloved family member.
Five years ago, cryptocurrency was probably not on your radar. Today, it may be an important investment in your portfolio. You could even own some nonfungible tokens (NFTs), which are powered by the same blockchain-based technology. You should ensure that they are included in your estate plan so you can preserve them for your heirs.
If you do decide on a trust, you can avoid a lengthy probate process. Another frequently underrated reason is the added privacy a trust offers.
My spouse has died, do I need to file an estate tax return? California does not have any estate or inheritance taxes at a state level.
When you use a trust, you bypass probate, a lengthy legal process that validates your will, and you leave precise, legally binding instructions for how to distribute and potentially maintain your assets. Have a beneficiary with special needs who’s ill equipped to manage the inheritance? Bequeathing complex assets that require ongoing attention after you’re gone?…
California is one of the few states which has enacted filial laws. Filial laws place a requirement on adult children to support a parent who is unable support themselves. The filial laws were enacted in 1994 and amended in 2019 in California Family Code Sections 4400-4405. When determining the amount of support to which a…
Guns can be transferred to intended beneficiaries through a special purpose trust. The special purpose Gun Trust will contain the applicable state and federal statutes governing firearm possession and ownership to protect not only the Successor Trustee but also the beneficiaries from liability for possessing a firearm which state or federal law would not otherwise…
Establishing your estate plan including a Living Trust is merely the first step in avoiding probate and allocating your assets to your loved ones on your death. Trust maintenance must follow to fund the Trust with change in assets, life changing events (death, divorce, inheritance, etc.), and occasional changes in law. The most recent change…
California law (Probate Code Section 15212) provides for the ability to leave your assets for the benefit of your animal(s). The following are the key issues that must be addressed when drafting a valid Pet Trust: Definition of the animal(s) covered under the Trust; Caretaker for the animal(s) who is left with detailed instructions and…
