Are you trying to get started with your estate plan? A will, trust and other legal documents can help you organize and instruct how your assets are managed after you pass away. While the main focus of estate planning is to help ensure your loved ones experience a...
Year: 2024
Can I make a beneficiary use their inheritance in a certain way?
When you pass away, you will leave an inheritance to the beneficiaries named in your estate plan. This could include your spouse or your children, but you can pick any beneficiaries that you would like. Many people will have an extensive estate plan that includes many...
3 places to store your estate planning documents
Your estate planning documents are crucial, as they contain sensitive information. Thus, you want to store them in a safe place. Below are three places to consider: 1. Your home Storing your estate planning documents at home allows you to access them easily. But where...
How does the Corporate Transparency Act affect your estate plan?
It's not unusual for some people to utilize complex structures for asset protection and succession planning when creating estate plans. However, the introduction of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and the legal scrutiny it brings to business entities can...
Is it possible to avoid probate? 3 strategies that can help
After you pass away, the assets you leave behind will go through a legal process called probate, unless you take steps to avoid it. Probate involves validating your will (if you have one), paying off debts and distributing your assets to heirs. Probate can take time...
How can you simplify your estate plan for your executor?
Estate planning can be complicated. Between distributing your assets and drafting documents that comply with the law, you may find it challenging. However, it is important to get it right for the person you entrust to execute it and for those you leave behind. A few...
Why you shouldn’t rely on California’s next-of-kin law
If you’re one of the many Californians who doesn’t have an estate plan because you assume you’ve still got “plenty of time” before you need to decide who will inherit your assets, it’s important to remember that estate planning is about more than what happens after...
How to navigate estate planning with your children
Estate planning is a crucial process that involves making decisions about how your assets will be managed and distributed both during your lifetime and after your death. If you are a parent, your children will likely be responsible for the management of your estate...
Updated estate planning laws for 2024
Estate planning laws are always going through changes, and 2024 isn’t any exception. Sometimes, people need to pass down part of their estate prior to their death. One way to do this is through gifting. Laws related to gifting limits went through a change in 2024....
Can I reduce the cost of probating my estate?
We all want to leave as much inheritance as possible to the people we love when we die. This is the essence of estate planning. However, the process of transferring your estate to your beneficiaries (known as probate) costs money. Thus, while working out your estate...