Life insurance policies exist to provide an additional financial safety net for our loved ones in the case of an untimely death or serious illness. This is especially true for primary earners or breadwinners, who may be worried about what might happen to their family if they were to disappear. Through a life insurance policy,
read more
When a person dies, their belongings must pass onto the living. When no other arrangements are made, these belongings are usually distributed and passed among the next of kin according to the intestate laws in the decedent’s home state. This process is supervised by a probate court and can be lengthy, depending on the decedent’s
read more
A conservator is appointed by a court to care for an adult who is mentally or physically disabled and incapable of caring fully for themselves, or a minor in need of an adult to manage finances and properties under their name. Conservators have a fiduciary duty to their conservatees, and the exact limits of their
read more
To understand how a trust should be built, you need to first understand what a living trust is, how funding a trust works, and why it’s important. A trust is only worth what you fund it with – so if you decide against funding a trust, it is effectively useless. Learn more about funding
read more
Life insurance policies provide a plethora of tax advantages depending on the policy and your circumstances, especially regarding its beneficiary. But for you, the policyholder, a large life insurance policy payout after your death may count towards your estate’s total value and potentially push you over the edge of the federal and/or state estate tax
read more
In California, a “small estate affidavit” is often used to resolve final estate matters for a deceased person who died without a will and can help fast track the costly, lengthy process of probate. A small estate affidavit is a state-specific legal document used to skip the estates’ probate process with a total value under
read more
The trust litigation process is reserved for cases where the integrity of trust is in question. Like other examples of litigation, trust litigation requires thorough research and a lengthy, at times expensive discovery process to prove ill intent or wrongdoing and justify damages or some other compensation for the petitioner. There are times when trust
read more
The probate process can be a lengthy and expensive affair for certain estates, especially after they have reached a specific scope and level of complexity. But it is not always necessary, and there are ways to shorten and even avoid probate. Careful estate planning tools can serve as an alternative option to California probate and
read more
When an adult is no longer capable of caring for themselves, their loved ones may step in to care for them – to the point of taking full authority over their lives, if circumstances validate it. That is what a conservatorship authorizes. Conservatorships may be considered in cases where adults are no longer self-sufficient due
read more
When a person dies, their assets must be distributed among their relatives or persons of their choosing. Accounts, real property, and even sentimental items may be bequeathed to individuals, groups, or organizations. An estate plan can help a decedent’s loved ones (and the appropriate probate court) determine who gets what after death. Estate plans often
read more