You can buy it on Amazon if you prefer. Or email me for a PDF copy of my book HOW TO LIVE AND DIE WITH CALIFORNIA PROBATE (A Layman’s Guide to Understanding Probate in California) It has been printed and is in my hot little hands! If you want to pick up a copy at […]

As you likely know, in the email world, to use ALL CAPS means that you are “yelling.”  Or, should I say, “YELLING!?”  So the title to this post could be construed as my YELLING and I am ok with that. For the entirety of my career I have encouraged clients to consolidate assets, put individual […]

It’s only been three weeks, to the day, since my mom died and I have a few thoughts on what I have learned in regard to her estate planning matters. Some things done right and things not done right. VICTORY: My mom named me as co-trustee on her trust almost 10 years ago when she […]

We have all lost a loved one… or will eventually lose a loved one. Losing a loved one is hard there is no question. It is a sad reality of life though.  I lost my dad when I was 14. I remember it well of course.  My mom was a regular on the grief group […]

I was talking to one of my probate clients yesterday and he told me a story about a bill he received from the attorney who drafted his mom’s will and trust which include some scary billable hours.  My client, who we will call Bob called the drafting attorney who we will call Tom.  Bob called […]

Having been an estate planning attorney for over 20 years I have come up with a short list of the forgotten assets that are most commonly omitted from trust funding.  That is, these assets are frequently found after death titled in individual name rather than the trust. In some cases they can be cleared up […]

We in the tax and estate planning world love acronyms so no surprise the governments newest tax law is called “PATH” which stands for Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes act of 2015.   I like to blog about estate taxes primarily but as the focus in estate planning moves toward incomes taxes I like to […]

HOT OFF THE PRESSES:  The Internal Revenue Service has released a draft of a new Form 8971 for reporting basis information in accordance with new IRC section 6035 for assets held by a decedent and reported on a federal estate tax return (Form 706) filed on or after August 1, 2015. The form says it is to […]

The IRS recently released the tax adjustments for 2016. As our firm focuses on gift and estate tax planning I wanted to share the relevant numbers with you. The annual gift exemption remains at $14,000. As a reminder that is the amount each person can give away, each year, to any individual, and all without […]

For 20 years I have been telling people how to “put” their bank accounts and other assets into their trusts.  Some things, like real estate, are pretty easy. We just prepare a deed, our client signs it, and we send it in for recording.  Clients who work with full service financial professionals also have it […]