A power of attorney is a specialized legal document that grants a chosen individual – the agent – the ability to act in the document creator’s name – the principal – in a full or limited capacity for as long as the document specifies, and there is four notable power of attorney types in California. …
The inheritance tax is distinct and not to be confused with the estate tax, sometimes also known as the death tax. The estate tax is levied on an estate after its decedent has died. In contrast, the inheritance tax is set on the heirs receiving their respective portions of the estate in the final stages …
When we die, our belongings are distributed among the living. Some assets and property, both tangible and intangible, have automatic rules of distribution. For example, a life insurance policy usually requires you to name at least one beneficiary when creating it, as the purpose of the policy is to leave behind a buffer to pay …
Ever wondered why people don’t just transfer their home titles to their children while they’re alive, rather than waiting until they die after being written into the will? Aside from losing out on the equity of a home or investment property holds – and thereby losing the value of that equity in your retirement years …
When we die, everything we leave behind must be transferred and distributed among the living. Yet we do not all distribute our financial and material legacy equally. Some people utilize estate plans to determine distribution, drafting different documents to establish a succession order among heirs and beneficiaries, designate beneficiaries for specific assets, hold certain assets …
Disinheritance can be a tricky thing. It is not easy to disinherit someone, and they do have the ability to fight back against your disinheritance, if your reasons are too shaky. Solid grounds for disinheritance and the professional expertise of a lawyer will be needed to carry out a disinheritance against someone with any interest …
What happens to your financial affairs when you are incapacitated? Who makes important healthcare decisions for you when you’re unresponsive? How are your financial responsibilities, from managing payroll to paying off your debts, managed while you are in a coma? The answer, in most of these situations, is that a court decides for you, directly …
When we die, the things we owned in life must pass on to the living. Aside from very minute exceptions – like being buried with your car – there is little you can truly take with you “beyond the grave.” To that end, there are special processes in place to facilitate the distribution of your …
Let’s say you own a rental property or are the sole owner of a home. Let’s say you die without bequeathing that property to anyone specific and leave behind children and a surviving spouse. What happens next? Without a will, the state you reside in (and the state in which the property is located) will …
An estate consists of everything you owned in death. A trust is a legal entity funded by your property and managed by a third-party trustee for the sake of your chosen beneficiaries. In both instances, these are accumulations of property and assets meant to be passed onto others at some point after your death (usually). …