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often reports about persons in the public eye with fortune and fame that die suddenly without a will or with a terribly outdated estate plan.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...
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Leaving a Home to Your Children: Things to Consider
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...
How and When Should I Update My Estate Plan?
If you have an estate plan, you’re doing better than about 50% of Americans, who don’t have a plan in place at all. Good job! Now, have you considered the need to update or amend your plan? You can’t just cross things out and initial your changes. For one thing, you...
How Grief Affects Thinking
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...
The Risks of Writing Your Own Will
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...
How Does a Pet Trust Help Take Care of My Pets
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...
The Key Elements of an Advance Directive
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...
Protecting Your Adult Children Using Powers of Attorney
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...
Choosing an Estate Planning Lawyer in California
Choosing an estate planning attorney in California can be confusing, particularly if you’ve never hired a lawyer before. In order to help make this decision a little easier for you, we’ve compiled the following tips to help get you started.
Answers to Common Estate Planning Questions
Do you want to begin the estate planning process in California, but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry! At the Law Office of Rodney Gould, we know that the estate planning process can be complicated. But as an experienced lawyer, Rodney Gould, is happy to answer any questions you have.