Estate Planning

What Prince’s Death Can Teach Us About Estate Planning

Posted on May 18, 2016 in Estate Planning, San Diego Lawyer | Comments Off on What Prince’s Death Can Teach Us About Estate Planning

What Prince’s Death Can Teach Us About Estate Planning Well, here we are again, yet another big name, big estate celebrity has passed away without a will. You can see our previous posts about Whitney Houston’s estate plan and Anna Nicole Smith’s lack thereof. But, today, lets talk about Prince. What can Prince’s death teach us about estate planning? As millions of people around the globe mourned the loss of this rock star icon, many others, his family especially, had something else to mourn- the financial battles that are sure to come. Prince was known for being very...

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What Is a Conservatorship?

Posted on Apr 27, 2016 in Estate Planning, San Diego Lawyer | Comments Off on What Is a Conservatorship?

What Is a Conservatorship? On air discussion on 4/5/16 on www.KPRZ.com with Marty Schneider – The Retirement Professor  Q: How can my wife take care of things if I became disabled? Aren’t there some things I need to agree to or to sign no matter what? A: Most property owned by married couples in California is in joint title. Most loans are joint loans with both husband and wife on the loan. Most property is considered community property. Joint title is great, BUT if one of you becomes disabled (legally unable to make decisions), it is almost impossible for the other to do...

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Death Tax: Is it fair to tax people at death?

Posted on Mar 29, 2016 in Estate Planning, San Diego Lawyer | Comments Off on Death Tax: Is it fair to tax people at death?

Death Tax: Is it fair to tax people at death? On Tuesday’s Word On Wealth radio show, www.KPRZ.com, I answered the following questions: Why do I need a Will or a Trust? A man ready to retire owns a modest home but has no estate plan – no trust – no Will – nothing. He figures it is not a big deal because he will just let his children have the house.  Assuming he dies first, his children would most likely end up with the house as joint owners. They would be partners in owning the house whether or not the chose to be. The children would take title to the house after it...

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How can I get a copy of someone’s California Will?

Posted on Mar 22, 2016 in Estate Planning, San Diego Lawyer, Taxes | Comments Off on How can I get a copy of someone’s California Will?

On Tuesday’s Word On Wealth radio show, www.KPRZ.com, I answered the following questions: Q: How can I get a copy of someone’s California Will? A: Wills are required to be filed 30 days after the death of the Testator (the person who made and signed the will). The Will gets filed in the courthouse where the person lived. If there is no Will filed with the court and you think the decedent had a Will, you will need to do some investigating with the family to see if it can be found. To transfer assets valued over $150,000 or any real property valued over $50,000, there will need to...

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Money and Trusts, Frequently Asked Questions

Posted on Mar 8, 2016 in Estate Planning, San Diego Lawyer | Comments Off on Money and Trusts, Frequently Asked Questions

Money and Trusts, FAQ Marty Schneider, the Retirement Professor, asked me questions the following questions on our radio show today: What happens to money outside of the Trust when the trust creator dies? The money must be transferred to the Trust but may require court orders to make the transfer. Smaller amounts of money can be transferred through the use of Affadavits. How can you make sure that life insurance is in the Trust? You can look in our your original policy or ask the insurance administrator or company to provide that information. How can you make sure the bank accounts are in...

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4 Ways Your Trust Can Become Unfunded or Invalidated

Posted on Mar 5, 2016 in California Probate, California Trusts, California Wills, Estate Planning, San Diego Lawyer | Comments Off on 4 Ways Your Trust Can Become Unfunded or Invalidated

With Attorney Gary Quackenbush on WOW (Word on Wealth – www.KPRZ.com – 1210AM radio in San Diego, CA) today we covered: 4 Ways Your Trust Can become Unfunded or Invalidated Post death funding of a Trust If the property (house, bank account, car, etc.)  is not in the Trust when the Trust creator dies, you’ve got a big mess on your hands. You will probably be required to go to Probate court and have a judge transfer it to the trust. The process is very slow and expensive. If your property is not in your trust when you die, the Trust could become unfunded or invalidated. How...

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