Monthly Archives: September 2024
Avoid The Cost And Expenses Of Probate Court-It’s Not Cheap
You probably have read both our blog and others advising about the benefits of avoiding probate—in fact, that’s one main reason to have an estate plan in the first place. But one main reason to avoid probate is money—probate isn’t cheap, and avoiding it can save money in your estate, and thus ensure that… Read More »
Divide And Conquer: The Benefits Of A Directed Trust
In its simplest terms, a trust is set up by you, with instructions to the trustee on how and when to administer and distribute the assets that you place into the trust. The trustee has a lot of responsibility, and may have a lot of discretion, or very little discretion, all based on what… Read More »
Leaving Life Insurance Proceeds To A Trust: Does It Make Sense?
When you purchase a life insurance policy, you will very likely name a minor child as a beneficiary, if you have one. That’s natural, and that’s why you have life insurance—to take care of people you love. And, of course, we don’t anticipate the worst, so our assumption is that our minor children won’t… Read More »
California’s Next-Of-Kin Laws Can Create Problems
We tend to think of an estate plan as something you draw up and draft, in anticipation of whenever it is that you pass away. But estate plans aren’t just about death—they also help you plan for the contingency that you may be alive, but in no state to manage your affairs, or make… Read More »