Not all trustees are independent and not all trustees are special… but the terms “independent trustee” and “special trustee” have the same meaning in estate planning. They are an unrelated and economically disinterested person with limited authority in a trust. Not all trusts will have such a trustee as the vast majority of trusts just […]

Estate planning is on my brain just about 24/7 and 365. I occasionally give my brain a day off but not often. I thought today I would just post some discussion points or, to put another way, things you should be thinking about in regards to your own estate plan: – How would you like […]

It’s not always crystal clear who is entitled to notice in a California probate case. Let’s start with a basic premise that over-noticing is probably better than under-noticing. If it’s a gray area, in the notice rules, I usually suggest you give notice. Basic Rule #1: If there is a will give notice to every […]

Estate planning is overwhelming to some. In my office we try to distill it down to the basics to make it something people can complete.  There are basically five steps in the process. 1) GOALS: We need to discuss what YOUR goals are. 2) INFORMATION: We need to gather and organize YOUR information. 3) ANALYZE: […]

I was excited to see that October 15-21 is National Estate Planning Week. I read the article on theNAEPC website.  Use this as a push to get YOUR affairs in order. The website indicates over 1/2 of American adults do not have an up-to-date estate plan. Do YOU?

As an estate planning attorney, since 1994, I have met with a lot of perspective clients. I have helped thousands of families with my estate planning services. In all that time I think I am yet to meet someone that doesn’t need some type of estate planning document.  This is because estate planning is so […]

Each year my law school classmate, Steve Oshins, puts out a list of the top states to use for a “dynasty trust” and for a asset protection trusts. He just released his dynasty trust rankings. A dynasty trust is a trust designed to live as long as possible, from generation to generation, or a “Rockefeller […]

I had the pleasure of attending the Placer SPCA’s Barktoberfest events this weekend in Roseville. We took our dog Coco. I must say that Coco had a dog-gone good time there!  I actually could make a long post about how much fun Barktoberfest was but that’s not the point of my post. If you have […]

I have spoken to many groups in the last 18 years.  From small town gatherings in Davis, Dixon, Sacramento, Roseville and the list goes on. To large groups at Lyon, Rotary and SIRS (Seniors in Retirement). I have taught classes to attorneys, paralegals and financial planners on estate planning, probate and trust matters. I have […]

As the year progresses toward December 31st one of the biggest estate planning opportunities in modern history is getting set to expire.  The Bush era tax cuts, as modified in December 2010, created an unprecedented FIVE MILLION DOLLAR GIFT TAX EXEMPTION.  This exemption, now $5,120,000, is set to expire at year end. The estate tax can quickly […]