Protecting your assets from Nursing Home Costs       The topic of covering nursing home costs is always a difficult one.  No one wants to go to a skilled nursing facility, but sometimes our health puts us there.  I always discuss the issue of planning for the possibility of an extended nursing home stay with all…

ALERT. Be careful when considering a Transfer on Death deed as an estate planning tool. I had a troubling conversation today with a senior title company officer regarding Transfer on Death (TOD) Deeds. As you may know, California adopted the TOD in 2016 as a valid transfer method of passing property to others at death….

I just discussed the issue of reverse mortgages with a client. She has a $425K home with a $325K RM and assumed she did not need a trust.  I explained that for her heirs to receive the equity in her home after she passed away the house would have to be sold within 6 months…

It’s been my experience that wives often drive the creation and maintenance of estate plans for their families. There have been times, however, when the woman did not actively participate in the estate planning process despite owning at least 50% of the estate. It’s important to note that women who don’t speak up about estate…

I’ve talked about estate planning with a lot of people.  Every once and a while I hear something like: “Let my kids sort it out when I’m gone”. When I hear that, I jokingly tell the person “I hope I get your probate work!”. Most people think they will live a long life, then the…

Every spring I see an increase in younger families coming in to do their estate plan. It’s typically driven by the desire to protect themselves if something happens during their summer vacation. Here are the top 3 concerns parents have shared with me over the years. Who will care for my children?California courts give great weight to…