As you start your estate planning, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is who will be the executor. Sometimes referred to as the personal representative, this is the person who will be in charge of carrying out everything you’ve detailed in your estate...
Estate Planning
3 questions to ask when succession planning
Today you are fine, but later today you might not be. You could suffer severe injuries in a car crash, be shot dead by a stranger or suffer another unexpected event that means someone else needs to run your business. Consider what that would mean for others. Even if...
2 things to know about business succession
Starting and growing a business is a good thing. However, keeping it in good standing for years to the point of passing it down to your family is incredible. The chances are you want your company and family legacy to continue for years. Business succession can help...
Why estate planning is crucial for those without close relatives
People with no close family still living and no children or spouse often give little thought to estate planning. If you’re this group, however, as increasingly more Californians are, estate planning is especially important. If you die without a will (intestate), your...
2 reasons to add a healthcare directive to your estate plan
Oftentimes, adults who reside in California procrastinate about estate planning. They tell themselves that they can wait for a few more years before they put together a will. Even when they do sit down to draft crucial estate planning documents, they may rush through...
Conversations you should have when you’re someone’s medical POA
You love your mom or dad very much, and the thought of losing them breaks your heart – but you know that it’s important to have practical conversations about their end-of-life wishes long before the situation happens. This is especially true when you’ve been asked to...
What is a good estate planning checklist?
What you need from your estate plan may be very different from what your siblings or neighbors require from their documents. Everyone's wishes regarding their legacies will be different, and your personal relationships, as well as your resources, are naturally...
Can a power of attorney help keep my family away?
Some people want nothing more than to have their closest family members present when they experience some kind of medical emergency. Others loathe the idea that their estranged parents or the spouse that abandoned them might show up at the hospital when there is some...
2 ways to keep real property out of California probate court
When someone dies in California, their personal property becomes their estate. Even if they tell their loved ones ahead of time who should get what, the recipients will likely need to wait. Those assets will end up going through probate court. Creditors will be able...
2 options for medical decision making
If you're doing your estate planning, you're probably considering how you want your future medical decisions to be made. Perhaps you've already had some sort of a medical emergency, such as a stroke, or maybe you're just thinking about what could happen in the future....