Probate is oftentimes a long, costly process, especially when bequeathing a house. The best way to avoid your home being placed in probate is to setup a living trust. However, some believe the best way to transfer a home to their child without probate is to add them to the title of their home. The […]

Tags: gift, home taxes, home title, legal rights, litigation, parent/child exclusion, Probate, tax, tax burden, title, transfer, trust, trust of survivorship
Posted in Estate Planning - Wills, Trusts, and Probate, Probate Code | No Comments »

Planning for one’s death is important to avoid time consuming and often costly probate. However, creating a will or trust can be easily subject to undue influence. The client may not even know they are being manipulated. When the drafting of an estate plan begins, an ethical estate planning attorney will always be on the […]

Tags: cognitive impairment, Estate Planning, ethical, joint tenancy, lawyer, legal document, Probate, red flags, signing, trust, undue influence, Wills
Posted in Estate Planning - Wills, Trusts, and Probate, Lawyer, Litigation, Undue Influence | 2 Comments »

  Performing due diligence when it comes to setting up an inheritance is highly recommended for anyone with a family. Having a living trust in place when your time on Earth has expired helps protect family members from lengthy and costly probate or contentious legal battles while they are still grieving your loss. However, no […]

Tags: California, Estate, Estate Planning, Heggstad Petition, intent, living trust, Probate, schedule of assets, trust, Trustee
Posted in California Law, Estate Planning - Wills, Trusts, and Probate, Legal Codes, Legal Documents, Probate Code | No Comments »

I’ll take care of it tomorrow. How many times have you said this in the past year? It seems innocuous enough, especially when something is as trivial as mailing a letter or taking out the garbage. But there are some things, such as going to the doctor or planning your retirement, that could have major […]

Tags: common-law, couples, death, intestacy, intestate, joint tenancy, leaglly married, living together, Marriage, Probate, tenants-in-common, trust, unwed, Wills
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