Being blessed with an inheritance seems like a good thing, and indeed it can have many beneficial effects on your life, but with a sizable inheritance also comes a great deal of responsibility. The fact is, deciding how to appropriately handle your inheritance will...
Do I need a probate attorney?
Year: 2015
The importance of creating your powers of attorney now
A power of attorney is a powerful document indeed. However, if you don't create the document now, it could be too late to do so when you need it most. These documents are designed to serve you when you are no longer able to serve yourself -- in other words, when you...
Basic information on living wills
A lot of California residents confuse living wills with actual wills. However, living wills are actually quite different. These documents -- which are also referred to as "directive to physicians" and "health care directives" -- express an individual's preferences...
Powers of attorney for dementia patients: Who is involved?
Being diagnosed with dementia can be scary. Although each case is different and a surprise recovery or halt in progression of the illness is not unheard of, most California residents diagnosed with dementia will face a decline in mental, and eventually physical,...
Estate planning tips for the modern digital age
In the internet age, most of us will leave behind some kind of a digital legacy that includes online bank accounts, investment accounts, digital photos and other kinds of data. Most of this information will be password protected and some of the data can be very...
Who can benefit from estate planning?
A lot of Americans feel that estate planning is only something that rich people need do. While it is true that estate planning becomes more vital when you have more assets to organize and divvy up, to say that low and middle income California residents cannot benefit...
Keep your trust up to date
A trust is a very useful estate planning document. First, estate planners can use a trust to render the probate process unnecessary for their estates. Second, trusts can be used to clearly outline who will receive specific assets, when and over what period of time....
Disney barred from using Robin Williams’ ‘Aladdin’ outtakes
Disney is blocked from using Robin Williams' outtakes from the original "Aladdin movie," until 2039. The comedian's will has a stipulation that prevents the media giant from producing new films with unused material from Williams' "Aladdin" recording sessions completed...
Do single people need an estate plan?
A lot of single people in California wrongly assume that they don't need an estate plan. However, this simply is not true. Single people need estate plans just like married people do. The only difference is that the issues single people face are slightly...
A pet trust will ensure that your furry friends are taken care of
Our furry little friends are often the best friends we will ever have in this life, and that is why we treat them so well. However, as we grow older -- and even for people who are not of retirement age -- we begin to wonder if our pets might outlive us. This raises a...
