Category: Inheritance

californias marital rights

Marital rights involving gifts of trust assets or gifts of marital assets can get a bit tricky. California is a community property state. By definition, anything you acquire during your marriage – meaning if you and your spouse buy a house— the presumption is that that house is community property. Each spouse has the right […]

how to qualify as a beneficiary

What does it take to qualify as a beneficiary? If you have been named as a beneficiary in a trust or will in California, and you’re supposed to receive a gift out of that trust or will, it really doesn’t take much to qualify to be a beneficiary. Once you are named as a beneficiary, […]

bags of money stacked to represent how assets pass down to multiple generations

Generally speaking, there are two different ways that assets can pass down to your kids and grandkids. It depends on the distribution formula selected—whether the assets are going to pass Per Stirpes or Per Capita. These are very old-fashioned terms, but we still use these concepts, even today. Per Stirpes Distribution Per Stirpes is a way of transferring assets […]

which way to my money?

How do you get your inheritance in California? That can be a confusing question because it really depends on the type of assets you are inheriting. You may be receiving assets from a Trust, Will, life insurance, paid-on-death account, joint tenancy account, or others. Each asset has its own set of rules for how it […]