Tustin Estate Planning Law Blog
Incapacity planning can be beneficial in an estate plan
Estate planning is a comprehensive undertaking, partly because it encompasses so many areas of your life. While you’re thinking of how you’re going to handle your assets, you also need to consider making plans for how things will be taken care of if you become...
How trusts help an estate plan work as intended
An estate plan often has more than one component in order to accurately and legally relay the creator’s wishes. While you might be focused on getting your will set up, you should also think about setting up a trust. A trust is an important part of an estate plan...
Life insurance beneficiaries vs. estate planning beneficiaries
There are cases where estate planning beneficiaries and life insurance beneficiaries do not line up. This can get complicated during the probate process. It may not be entirely clear what the deceased individual actually wanted to happen. For instance, say that...
Incapacity planning with a springing power of attorney
Incapacitation is a potential risk for everyone. It can sometimes happen gradually, such as if someone has a form of dementia and slowly loses the ability to take care of themselves and make their own decisions. But it can also happen suddenly, such as when a person...
Protecting a blended family with an estate plan
Blended families begin when parents with children from prior relationships get married. They create a larger blended family unit that contains stepchildren and stepparents, as well as stepsiblings. That new family unit may be fragile, especially in cases where...
When is ancillary probate necessary in California?
Probate proceedings are common when people die in California. Even if the decedent created a thorough estate plan, their assets may need to pass through probate court, and any disputes about the legitimacy of their documents or the conduct of their personal...
Why do people sometimes try to avoid probate?
Probate is the legal process of administering a deceased person’s estate. In many ways, it makes a lot of sense to have your estate pass through probate, as the involvement of the court can act as an important check to help make sure things are done properly and avoid...
Advance health care directives can help prevent family disputes
There may come a time in life when you need critical medical treatment. If you are able to when that happens, you can discuss the options with the doctors yourself and choose the one you prefer. If, however, you are unable to, such as if you are in a coma, then it...
Can interested witnesses invalidate a California will?
Adults in California may want to draft wills to protect their minor children. They may also want to directly control who inherits their most valuable property after they die. A will can designate a guardian for minors and the personal representative who oversees...
How large must an estate be for estate taxes to apply?
Estate taxes can significantly reduce the value of an estate. California has abolished its state-level estate tax. People who die while living in California are not subject to state-level estate taxes, and their beneficiaries do not need to worry about any California...
