Should I do a Will or Trust
This question of a will or trust comes up all of the time when it comes to estate planning. Unfortunately, many attorneys and other professionals try to cram and squish this very subjective square peg into an objective round hole with a sledgehammer. The fact is that there is no simple “one-size-fits-all” number answer to […]
The Red Tape Estate: The Probate Process Explained
Ever since my grandfather passed on and my grandmother had to deal with a year and a half of uncertainty, convoluted procedures, and legal bills, I made it my mission to find ways for my clients to avoid the red tape of probate. But not only did I want to help my clients, but I […]
Schedule A is Missing
You know a plan is broken into a thousand-piece puzzle when the pages of the trust were taken out of the binder, put back out of order, and some pages are missing. But what happens when the “all-important” (sarcasm inserted here) Schedule A is one of those missing pages? It turns out in California that […]
I Want a Revocable Living Trust
I Want a Revocable Living Trust… Do I Need a Will? “Well, if you have a Revocable Living Trust, don’t you also need a Will?” the other attorney asked. “Yeah, you need a Will,” I responded. “Ah ha!” the other attorney exclaimed as if he has just made some profound and overriding point to justify […]
How Much Is An Estate Plan?
When approaching something new and unfamiliar, people tend to think of things like estate planning in the simplest terms possible. However, it’s not like going to the grocery store to buy a gallon of milk where there may be some small differences, but by and large, there is not much of a price difference and […]
Declare Independence From Probate
I wrote this blog back on Independence Day, but I wanted to share it with everyone. I Want You to Declare Independence From Probate I know it sounds like a stretch to compare our country’s independence to estate planning, but hear me out on this. In 1776, our colonial leaders decided they didn’t want government […]
The Estate Paparazzi
Estate Privacy When an estate goes through probate, privacy is out the door worse than Beyonce taking a stroll down Rodeo Drive. In this outtake from the webinar “Estate Planning… Bigger Than Beyonce” I review the loss of privacy that occurs to an estate mired in this court process. My name, account values, beneficiary contact […]
The High Cost of “Low Probate Fees”
Probate Fees “Probate fees in our state are not that high.” Unfortunately, I hear this from some attorneys who focus their practice on handling probate, and probate is exactly what you get when you rely on a Last Will and Testament for your estate plan. Considering the massive attorney’s fees involved in handling full-blown probate […]