Identity theft is the fastest rising crime in America today. Criminal syndicates located overseas are gaining access to your personal information through a variety of tactics and using that information to open credit cards and bank accounts to buy products that they are then selling for profit. Due to complex international laws most of these […]

Estate planning lawyers in Santa Clara are typically asked to help clients determine what to do with their assets after death.  There are other important aspects to estate planning, however, and one that can be overlooked is the need for disability insurance.  Those who are in good health and looking forward to retirement in the […]

When most people put together their estate plan, they want it to be a complete and comprehensive plan to handle their affairs after they are gone. But there is one critical part of an estate plan that gets overlooked more often than any other, and that is beneficiary designations. Beneficiary designations control many of the […]

When clients come to see a Bay Area estate planning lawyer, they generally have multiple goals in mind. Interestingly, they don’t always realize this fact, thinking that they “just” need to put together a will that stipulates who gets what after they have passed away. While this is obviously a very important part of what […]

If you are over 70 ½ years old, you can donate some or all of your IRA to an eligible charity of your choice. Using a Qualified Charitable Distribution, you can donate directly from you IRA to the charity. Not only is this a great way to support your favorite charities, there are also some […]

Last month, we talked about California’s new Revocable Transfer on Death Deed, which will become available on January 1, 2016. This is a new law, so many of the details have yet to be determined, but based on what we know now here are a few reasons you might not want to use one: 1. No Medi-Cal Protection. […]

Most people recognize that San Francisco Peninsula estate planning lawyers work hard to protect their clients’ assets to maximize an estate after the individual’s death, but this is really only one aspect of the job. Estate planning lawyers help families and individuals to plan for their own futures with retirement planning, help with investment strategies […]

An unexpectedly common problem that Santa Clara estate planning lawyers encounter is how the proceeds of an estate are handled when the beneficiary gets divorced. We don’t want to think of our children dealing with the pain of a divorce, but losing the inheritance you left behind would certainly pour salt in the wound. That’s […]

When setting up an estate plan, most people are concerned with what will happen to their belongings: money, jewelry, house, etc. But usually little thought is given to what will happen to their debts when they pass away, notably their mortgage. For years, many people expected to pay off their mortgage long before they died, […]

As you work with a trust attorney in Santa Clara, you will likely end up making a list of your assets. Some of these are tangible, such as property and heirloom jewelry. Others are not so obvious and could include important documents related to marital status or military service. Each of these items is an […]