When news surfaced of conflict within the late Jimmy Buffett’s $275 million estate, we were already preparing a video. The story had all the markers of a high-stakes trust dispute: a surviving spouse raising concerns, a professional trustee under scrutiny, and adult children with major assets on the line. It’s exactly the kind of complex […]
Hiring your lawyer on a contingency basis sounds like a great idea. Instead of forking over tens of thousands of dollars for a retainer and refreshing that retainer month after month after month, you simply sign on the dotted line and pay nothing. Well, nothing up front any way. Contingency arrangements allow you to hire […]
If you settle or otherwise resolve a trust or will litigation case, the amount you receive may be drastically reduced by taxes. There are a number of taxes that apply to trust and will assets, such as: Federal estate tax Income tax Real property tax Business personal property tax A host of other taxes. All […]
Buying life insurance ensures that one or more people or institutions you name as beneficiaries of the insurance policy will receive a lump sum payment upon your death. Having life insurance ensures that your named beneficiaries receive tax-free money that may be applied to their own needs or to your estate’s final expenses, debt, or […]
There are several reasons a potential beneficiary might challenge a will, such as because the decedent lacked capacity and was manipulated to write the will a certain way. Sometimes, there are multiple wills, and evidence indicates that the court should recognize one instead of the others. Regardless, it is difficult to have a legally drafted […]
Estate planning is a necessary exercise for anyone who wants to avoid leaving their family with potential legal problems upon their death. With a valid estate plan, you legally document how your assets are to be managed and distributed if you become incapacitated or die. Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills are some […]
When children inherit assets from a Trust there are basically two ways for them to receive the assets. They can receive their assets “outright and free of trust,” which means their share of the Trust will be distributed into their name now with no further strings attached. Or their share of the Trust can remain […]
In California, married couples typically create a joint Trust—One Trust where both husband and wife are the settlors, beneficiaries, and trustees. They transfer all of their property into the joint Trust and the Trust is revocable during their lifetime. That means it can be changed or terminated while they both are alive. Nothing set in […]
Trusts Wouldn’t it be nice to combine the best features of joint tenancy with a Will? That’s where Trusts come into play. Trusts are now one of the most widely used devices to transfer assets from parent to child. Over the course of this series you are going to learn how Trusts are used, and […]
Some assets pass through beneficiary designation and that is the only way they can pass. For example, retirement plans like 401(k)’s or IRA’s pass by naming a beneficiary on those accounts. You could name a Trust to be a beneficiary, or you could name individuals, but either way the money will pass based on the […]
