Playwright Christopher Bullock once wrote that nothing is certain, save death and taxes. Sometimes, the two coincide, leaving behind a somewhat complicated situation. If you are not familiar with tax law, then sorting through its intricacies can be difficult. In the event of a loved one’s passing, you, or someone close to your loved one
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Death can come suddenly and unexpectedly, and it is rare to be prepared for it. As a matter of fact, nearly half of all Americans over the age of 55 do not have a will, and only 18 percent of Americans above age 55 have an established estate plan (with more than just a will).
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The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump earlier last December, features a series of provisions designed largely to help Americans prepare for retirement. As the pension vanishes, more Americans turn towards partially self-sufficient means of preparing for retirement, such as the IRA and the employer-provided
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The thing to remember about probate is that, in a best-case scenario, it is boring. And that is a good thing. The probate estate process is not overly complex in most cases, and it does not need to be. If you are in charge of overseeing the probate estate process, it helps to have a
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Buying a property in probate can help you get a great deal that you wouldn’t find on the regular market. However, to take advantage of this opportunity, you must be prepared to wait, wait some more, and be prepared for the unexpected at any moment. There are several ways in which the process of buying
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Unless an individual dies with a living trust or meets other specific criteria, their estate must go through probate after they pass away. The California probate process ensures that all of the estate’s debts are paid and that the assets are distributed to the proper beneficiaries and heirs. From start to finish, this process typically
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Selling properties in probate is a time-consuming process, but it’s an important task that helps families move on and prepare for the next stage of life. However, property in probate is prone to disputes, particularly if there’s an unclear will or multiple beneficiaries who want to lay claim to the house. A quiet title can
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While not the most complex in the country, the probate process in California can be both frustrating and long-winded for many concerned with finding the best possible way to pass on their wealth to the next generation. Luckily, there are multiple California probate alternatives that ease the process. Probate occurs when a person dies, and
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At its most basic, probate is the process by which a court determines that a last will and testament is legitimate and provable. Without a will present, the California probate process can also become a means by which to determine how an estate is best distributed. Yet while these two concepts seem quite simple, the
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It’s difficult to determine exactly how much of California’s population still seeks a divorce – while divorce rates have been plummeting across the country since the Great Recession began in 2008, couples do still continue to seek separation in cases where the differences in the relationship feel irreconcilable. In recent years, out of roughly 20,000,000
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