VA Pension Planning
If you are a veteran or the spouse of a veteran, then you may be eligible for VA pension benefits, and VA pension planning may be an option for you. VA pension benefits consist of monthly cash benefits paid to eligible wartime veterans or their surviving spouses and dependent children[...]
California Revocable Living Trusts and Divorce
Family law includes nearly every area of law; however, the purpose of this blog post is to explore some estate planning considerations in the context of a divorce. This post is limited to estate plans drafted in California and divorces taking place in California, as each state may have different[...]
“I don’t want the government to take my money when I die.”
This is something I hear almost weekly in my office. Most clients are surprised to hear that the general answer is “the government will not take your money.” Estates will usually pay little-to-no money to the government through taxes unless there are debts owed to governmental agencies such as Medi-Cal.[...]
The Power of a Power of Attorney
A power of attorney allows the principal to delegate authority to the agent, sometimes referred to as the “attorney in-fact,” to act on the principal’s behalf in managing the principal’s financial affairs; however, the principal retains his or her power to perform these same functions. An important component of the[...]
HIPAA and Your Estate Plan
Recently, I’ve met with many clients who have revocable living trusts, and other estate planning documents, that were executed some fifteen or twenty years ago. The issue with many of these estate plans is that they are non-compliant with privacy rules established by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act[...]
Estate Planning: The Overlooked Documents
As an attorney who practices primarily in estate planning, I often encounter people who ask, "Why do I need an estate plan?" I usually answer, "So your last wishes are carried out properly in the most timely and cost effective way possible." However, this statement does not cover all aspects[...]
