California state laws governing debt collection may contain some harsh surprises for uninformed residents of California who expect their college savings to be safe from debt collection judgments. While federal bankruptcy law provides some protections against...
Do I need a probate attorney?
Month: August 2016
How do I leave my body to science?
When it comes to making end-of-life arrangements, many individuals desire to make a gift of their physical body to scientific research. This noble gesture is an excellent choice for those wish to make it part of their legacy, but it does require some forethought and...
How should I prepare my partner to assume accounts I control?
Responsible estate planning takes into account the likelihood of outliving a partner, but often even those who intentionally plan for this eventuality forget key details that make the reality of losing a loved one an unnecessary nightmare. While your estate plan may...
Dividing real estate between multiple heirs
When determining how to divide unwieldy family assets such as real estate among several heirs, there are many opportunities for emotions to run high and relationships to become strained. It is safe to assume that no testator would want the legacy of his or her last...
California’s Revocable Transfer on Death Deed: Another Possible Estate Transfer Tool
A recent blog post highlighted the need for estate planning, and used the untimely death of music legend Prince as a cautionary tale. Because Prince apparently did not plan for the distribution or management of his estate, it is likely to be tied up in probate court...
New legislation help protect assets through estate planning
California estate planners just received a major win in the area of estate recovery for Medi-Cal recipients. SB-833, signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown just a month ago, has removed the state's ability to recover assets from a surviving spouse's estate for those...
