A: If your pets are like family to you, a pet trust can be an ideal way to ensure their well-being after you’re gone. Here’s how a pet trust works and why it’s particularly suitable for pet owners who consider their animals as their “fur babies”: 1. Setting Aside...
A: Nope! Your trust can be created to include any children you have now and any children that you may have in the future. Amending your trust is always an option, but is not needed for this purpose if it is executed correctly!
A: In California, you’re not legally required to hire an attorney to handle probate, but having one can make the process much easier. Probate involves many legal requirements, deadlines, and tasks that can quickly become complex and time-consuming. An experienced...
A: It depends! If you feel confident that your children won't feel negatively about the contents of your estate plan, it can be helpful to share your current documents with them so that they know what to do after you've passed. Alternatively, if the distributions to...
A: Absolutely! In fact, it may be more imperative that you have an estate plan in place! The law does not grant unmarried couples who are not legally registered domestic partners the right to inherit from their partner's estate or priority in being appointed as a...
A: Yes! Estate planning is not only about wealth, but also about control, protection, and reducing headaches for the people you love. You should seriously consider a plan if any of these are true: 1. You have minor children. 2. You own a home or other real estate. 3....
A: A pour-over will is an important piece of your estate plan that acts as a fail-safe. It helps ensure that any assets that are unaccounted for are transferred to your trust after your death without the time and expense of a formal probate.
A: A fiduciary is a person or entity who is trusted to act on behalf of others, and who has a legal responsibility to act in the best interest of the beneficiaries. This includes managing finances, making decisions, and carefully overseeing responsibilities with...
A: Undue Influence or Coercion: Beneficiaries may contest a will or trust if they believe the decedent was manipulated into favoring someone unfairly. Lack of Testamentary Capacity: A will or trust might be contested if there’s doubt that the decedent had the...
A: No, not at all! Since the settlors (the name given to the person that creates the trust) are able to exercise absolute control, dominion and discretion as to all the assets of the trust, no separate EIN will be required, and you will not have to file any separate...
