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 […]
Legacies: What We Leave Behind
What We Leave Behind is More Than Money When it comes to estate planning, it comes down to what assets you want to pass along and how it happens. However, the legacies we leave behind are often far more than money. In this broadcast originally to The Plain English Attorney Community, attorney and author Jeffrey […]
Should A Law Firm Be Your Trustee?
This is actually a question that came up in a Reddit Format, so we’re going to go ahead and go through the question and some of the comments. Executor and Alternate Trustee – “We’re working with a law firm to create a living trust. We are having a hard time choosing an executor and alternate trustee. […]
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 […]
Joint vs Individual Trusts for a Couple
The Pro-Con Checklist for What’s Right for YOUR Situation This happens quite frequently when couple-clients move to the area, ask to meet with me about updating their current estate plan… and they have two trusts. Or when meeting with clients who want to avoid probate for their estate, but are just starting to learn about […]
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 […]
Plain English Attorney Adding More Diverse Content
More Content As technology improves and my video skills have quickened, it’s becoming easier to produce more content to post on YouTube and social media posts on a regular basis without eating up much more time. In addition, there are only so many videos and posts that can be focused on the same or similar […]