I ask this question and it’s personal to me… Do you have to change a California Scholarshare 529 account after the death of an owner? Let’s talk through the mechanics of the situation and how it SHOULD operate first. Let’s hypothetically say a grandma puts aside money for each of two grandchildren when they are […]

On April 23, 2024 John Palley was a guest on a podcast talking about California probate and estate nightmares. The podcast is called Estate Planning Nightmares…. and how to avoid them by Jonathan Braddock. It is available in the all usual podcast services as well as a video feed on YouTube! In addition to talking […]

Yes, I intentionally titled this: Are you organized for if you die? Yes, I intentionally said “IF” as if you really have much of a choice in the matter. I have spoken before about the time a client called me, on my cell phone, on a Saturday night, as I sat watching television in our […]

A common question I get is I still have not started probate is it too late? That is, it’s been a week, a month, a year, 5 years, or LONGER and they wonder if it’s too late to start the California probate process. Generally speaking there is not a deadline to start the process. I […]

I am going to classify this a client story because I have heard this scenario so many times. I have been doing estate and probate work since the 1990’s! When I first did probate work the California probate courts would update us on the status of cases by posting case information on a bulletin board […]

I recently was contacted by a potential client trying to clear up title to land in Imperial County, California. When I looked it up I realized it was at, and appears to be beach front, at the Salton Sea.  Living in California for over 50 years I have heard of this place but never actually […]

Twenty-four things dying people wished they had done differently are listed below.  What about you?  Are you living your best life?  Are you saving money to benefit your kids in the future?  Will your kids have to go through probate?  Focus on what really matters! . I wish I had the courage to just be […]

Make sure you are on official IRS webpage when applying for EIN or TIN! I was trading emails with a probate client today and he said he was going to apply for a tin (tax identification number) and showed me the link. I reminded him that we are happy to take care of it for […]

You are looking at starting probate without meeting your attorney in person. Can this really be done?  YES!  We do this all the time.  Some simple reasons why this is so: I have clients that live all around the country, and even the world, who lost a loved one in California. Most of my clients […]

I recently had a potential new client who discovered his father had properties in Sacramento county… or so he thought.  Though dad had died some years ago this seemed to be pennies from heaven for this nice young man.  The client was very nice and due to his father’s unique name these certainly seemed to […]