Articles
Heggstad Petition – The Solution to a House Not in Trust at Death
Heggstad Petition Are you a trustee and trying to sell your parent’s or spouse’s house after they have passed away? Did he or she have a Trust, but the house was in his or her individual name (not in Trust)? An all too common problem. Enter the Estate of Heggstad to the rescue! The… Read More »
How to Avoid U.S. Gift and Estate Taxes When Becoming a U.S. Resident Alien or U.S. Citizen
If you intend on becoming a U.S. Resident Alien or U.S. Citizen in the future, it is important to consider the need to avoid U.S. gift and estate taxes now. Once you become a U.S. Resident Alien or U.S. Citizen for gift and estate tax purposes, many of your estate planning opportunities will be… Read More »
Medi-Cal Planning: Avoiding Medi-Cal Recovery
Medi-Cal planning is essential for anyone receiving, or likely to receive, Medi-Cal benefits. A major concern for anyone on Medi-Cal is California’s Medi-Cal Estate Recovery Program. Even if you or a loved one is not currently on Medi-Cal, due to the high costs of nursing home care, you may qualify for Medi-Cal in the… Read More »
Estate Planning for Expecting Parents
So you’ve gone from bachelor(ette), to the perfect (or not-so-perfect) married couple, and now the perfectly prepared expecting parents. You’ve read all the baby books you could find, and after hours of research, you have purchased the perfect stroller, crib and car seat. You’re ready! Or are you? Expecting parents often overlook the need… Read More »
Estate Planning for California Community Property
When we meet with married couples, one of the many important topics we discuss is estate planning for California community property and separate property. As many of us know, California, unlike most states, is considered a community property state. Most people assume, incorrectly, if you are married, then all of your property is community… Read More »
Adding Your Child to Title on Your House to Avoid Probate – Good Idea?
Should You Add Your Child to Title or House Deed to Avoid Probate? The simple answer is no. First, let’s discuss why many of you are considering adding your child to title. Someone, perhaps an estate planning attorney, has told you that when you die, your assets go through probate. There are certain assets… Read More »
Estate Planning for Millennials
When people find out that I’m an orange county estate planning attorney, most people’s eyes glaze over immediately. At best, they respond with something to the effect of “you work with rich people.” I agree, there is nothing sexy about estate planning. However, estate planning is not just for old rich people. In fact,… Read More »
Changes to Estate Planning in 2016: What Orange County Residents Need to Know
2016 Estate Tax Rates What are the changes to estate planning in 2016? The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (the “Act”) made the following permanent: (1) the reunification of the estate and gift tax regimes, (2) the $5 million estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (“GST”) tax exemptions, as increased for inflation (as discussed… Read More »
Taiwan Estate Tax and Gift Tax
Taiwan Estate Tax Taiwan estate tax is based on all property transferred at death. Taiwan estate tax covers the following: Property left by the deceased who was a Taiwanese citizen and regularly resided in Taiwan, regardless of whether the location of the property is within or outside Taiwan. Property left by the deceased who… Read More »
Trust or Bust? 8 Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes
8 Biggest Estate Planning Mistakes Not all estate plans are created equal. Here are the 8 biggest estate planning mistakes as identified by a recent article on CNBC.com. I often see these mistakes from clients who attempted to draft their own trust or used a legal preparation company (We The People or LegalZoom.com). However,… Read More »
