Estate Tax

Preparing one's estate can be a complicated process for many families here in California. An estate owner may have to decide what to do with a family home, certain heirlooms or the savings he or she has accumulated. Others may have to consider the process of how to...

January is coming to an end and it's a time when many people turn their attention from the festivities of the holiday season to the far more serious issue of tax season in California. While tax season and estate planning may not, at first glance, seem closely...

People in California marry for love, begin families and build futures together. Estate planning is frequently part of that process. While divorce is not the anticipated outcome when a couple marries, a significant percentage of marriages do end in divorce. In...

Tis the season of giving in California and asking the perennial question of what gifts to get one's family for the holidays. As the baby boomer generation enters their 60s and 70s, they are seeing their own children become adults. Baby boomers have begun to share...

Another year is coming to an end. With the beginning of 2019, aspects of the new tax law will come into play in California. Among these are new limits and parameters on estate and gift amounts. Both provide important tools for reducing estate taxes.The exempt...

A wealthy family in California may be considering moves that can be taken to preserve family wealth from taxes with the advent of the new tax laws. There are mechanisms that can be used when reducing estate taxes. The current exemption of $11.18 million went into...

The death of a spouse is perhaps one of the most difficult and trying times in a person's life in California. After the funeral, much of the focus may be on settling the late spouse's estate. While this is certainly very important and must be taken care of, an estate...

More and more people are recognizing the need to have an estate plan in place, even if they are at the beginning of their careers and adult lives in California. There are still almost 64 percent of Americans without a last will and testament. Estate planning can...

Estate planning can be a complex undertaking in California. In creating an estate plan, a person is determining who will inherit his or her accumulated assets after the person's death. Assets can include personal belongings, financial assets and real property, to name...

Changes in the estate and gift tax have made transferring wealth easier than before. New but temporary higher exemptions allow individuals and couples to gift, bequeath or give to the next generation greater sums of money than ever before. In California,...