Can I redo my estate plan before my divorce is final? The answer is yes. Once you are legally separated, you need to have an estate plan, or at least a will, detailing the beneficiaries of your estate.  Most couples’ largest asset is the family home, but even though the marital property settlement has not…

What's the difference between a Living Trust and a Revocable Trust? The answer is simple. There is no difference. My opinion is that lawyers coined the name "Living" trusts because "Revocable" was too confusing to most people. The term living implies before death, so it is easier for people to understand. A "Revocable" trust is...

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….

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…