I am going to probate Court today on an interesting case. It’s not something you see every day.  There is a conservatorship of the person but not the estate.  My lead conservatorship attorney, Jennifer Rouse, opted to skip the conservatorship of the estate to save on costs. The financial matters are mostly done through the […]

An irrevocable trust means it cannot be changed, right?  Well, yes and no. There are situations where an irrevocable trust can be changed.  There are even situations where that irrevocable California trust can be changed AFTER DEATH. Probably the simplest to petition the Court after getting all the beneficiaries to agree to the change. However, […]

I just read yet another article regarding Michael Jackson’s estate. His siblings are still suggesting the will is fake… two years after he died. However, how does that benefit them? If the will is invalid then the estate goes 100% to the kids.  Michael’s money-grubbing siblings never get anything. Makes no sense and just seems […]

Estate planning with an experienced California estate planning lawyer is not just about the numbers.  We go beyond the numbers. We of course talk about guardianship issues so that your minor children would live in the home you most want them to live in and get there without a courtroom battle.  We talk about at […]

Bob Keebler, the well known CPA, recently posted about the new 3.8% Medicare tax. Rather than getting your tax news from Facebook or while standing by the water cooler at work how about letting me give you the basics about this hotly discussed tax. Bob posted, “For tax years beginning after 2012, new Internal Revenue […]

Spousal property petitions are tools that are used by surviving spouses or surviving domestic partners to transfer the title of the decedent’s assets from the decedent to the spouse or partner. It is cheaper and less complex than probate, which is why many people will find it advantageous.  If the decedent died with a will […]

Very informative article in the Sacramento Bee regarding Michael Jackson’s estate expressing concern for the family due to the bitter disputes that are on-going.  What a mess this one is!  Here’s the link.

In 2022, the law in the state of California changed regarding small estates. Currently, California Probate Code §13100-§13116, the Small Estates Law, says that if the value of the decedent’s estate at the time of death is less than $184,500.00, the estate does not have to go through probate. Unless the death was before Jan […]

There are dozens of errors that people make when they do not have a highly experienced California probate attorney handling their case. Here are five common ones to avoid: 1) Failing to file the will within 30 days – by law the will is required to be filed with the Court within 30 days of […]

Transferring cars, boats and other vehicles after death is really easy in California. The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has some very simple forms to use. In most cases you do not need a probate lawyer and can do it yourself. I am updating this page on April 8, 2020.  Interestingly the law changed […]