ESTATE PLANNING

An Estate Plan is an arrangement for the conservation, investment, use, management, and transfer of your property, both during your lifetime and after your death.  Designed by an attorney in conjunction with other professionals to gain the maximum benefits from pertinent laws, an Estate Plan carries out your wishes for lifetime management and eventual transfer of your property. 

Common Estate Planning documents include the following:

Living Trust   A Living Trust avoids the high costs and long delays associated with probate, maximizes privacy, and in some instances minimizes or eliminates taxes.  Click here for more information about the advantages of Living Trusts.

Will   A Will nominates your executor and, if necessary, a guardian for minor children.  A Will instructs the court on your desires regarding the distribution of your estate.  However, with a Will, a California estate with a gross value in excess of $100,000 generally requires Probate, a costly and time consuming court process.  Accordingly, most California estates over $100,000 are better served with a Living Trust.  Please note that with your Living Trust you will always prepare a Pour-Over Will, which acts as a "backup" to your Living Trust and nominates guardians for minor children.

Durable Powers of Attorney for Property Management   A Durable Power of Attorney for Property Management appoints someone to make your financial and business decisions for you in the event you are incapacitated and unable to act on you own behalf.  It avoids expensive and potentially humiliating court conservatorship proceedings.

Advanced Health Care Directive   An Advanced Health Care Directive appoints an agent to make your health care decisions in case of incapacity, and tells your doctors and caregivers in precise legal form your desires regarding life prolonging treatment, pain management, organ donation, and personal care. 

Advanced Estate Planning.  Click here.