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Estate planning is not just about setting up wills and trusts to care for your loved ones when you’re gone. It’s also about preparing for the unexpected surprises in your own life, especially when it comes to your own health.

The news often reports about persons in the public eye with fortune and fame that die suddenly without a will or with a terribly outdated estate plan. Because the celebrity with high net worth failed to address who will inherit their assets with a will or trust that...

Disabled Californians rely on public benefits payments to support them in their daily lives. Receiving a large sum of money as an inheritance, however, can put those benefits at risk. In these cases, establishing a supplemental needs trust could give them the funding...

If you can’t speak for yourself, how will your loved ones know what you want? The answer to that question is an advance directive, a legal document that explicitly outlines your health care wishes. Despite being a crucial piece of an effective estate plan, most of us...

Your children are grown up and out of the house. You are proud of how independent they have become, but you are still their Mom or Dad. You want to be there to help them if they ever need it. When your kids were teenagers, you had parental rights over them that...

Real estate is often among the most valuable assets we own. A house purchased a few decades ago may have ballooned in value, making it worth far more than you could have ever imagined. The question is: What should you do with it long-term? Many older adults want to...

There are so many resources online that show you how to do everything from making a gourmet dish to refinishing a piece of furniture. While some things are worth embracing the “DIY spirit” and doing yourself, writing your will on your own is not one of them. What...

We have been talking about the importance of timely estate planning in many of these posts. Obviously it is optimal to plan when we are clear-headed. We also know that grief can cloud thinking. This is why an estate plan, complete with health care directive, can...

Many people make the mistake of letting their estate plan sit. Yet, life happens, and you may need to make changes to it that reflect your current circumstances. By knowing when and why you must update your estate plan, you can manage it from a position of strength....

Estate planning helps Californians protect their most valued assets, their family and even their pets. For many people, pets are as special as anyone else in their family. If you’re worried about what will happen to your pet if you unexpectedly pass away, become...