- GuardianshipPlease read the information on the website carefully as we are certain you will find it informative and useful. It addresses some of the planning opportunities for your estate as well as the topics of probate, guardianship and conservatorship.
- Estate PlanningAlthough people spend the better part of their lives earning the assets which comprise their estates, all too often they overlook the estate planning opportunities which will transfer that hard earned estate to their families, friends, charities or others at the least possible cost. The result is that a significant portion of the hard earned estate is lost to taxes, probate fees or other costs.
- TrustsMany people believe it is this advantage of the Living Trust that outweighs all the financial benefits such as avoidance of probate and, when it applies, minimization of estate taxes. How much is it worth to avoid your children from receiving too much too soon?
- Power of AttorneyGenerally a complete estate plan will consist of at least the Living Trust, Pour-Over Will, Durable Power of Attorney for Asset Management and the Advanced Directive for Health Care, and for these documents, my office charges $2,500, plus $150 per Grant Deed which we will have recorded in the County Recorder’s Office for you. Beware of Living Trusts being offered for much less because estate planning, which consists literally of the disposition of all your hard earned assets to your chosen beneficiaries, is not a subject to be "penny wise and pound foolish" with. I have done considerable trust litigation for clients who come to me with Trusts which are deficient in their drafting, and most often these are the Trusts on which the creator tried to save a few hundred dollars. Ironically, trying to save a few hundred dollars in estate planning can ultimately cost tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, in lost opportunities to save estate taxes and in attorney’s fees where Trust litigation results. The bottom line is that, given the importance of estate planning, you should be comfortable with the qualifications of the attorney who is drafting your estate plan.
- Probate
- Tax Law