As a Santa Clara County probate lawyer, I am well aware of the hassles and headaches that families face when a loved one’s estate goes into probate. The process can drag out, eating up not just time but also resources that would have otherwise gone to beneficiaries. Appointed executors find themselves with burdensome responsibilities that […]

The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, which was created by Congress in 2014, allows people with disabilities and their families to save up to $100,000 in accounts for the benefit of a disabled person. The funds can be saved without jeopardizing the individual’s eligibility for Medi-Cal, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and other government […]

As a Silicon Valley will and trust lawyer, I have the important job of helping clients create a legacy that is compliant with a number of different laws. For the most part, these laws will vary from state to state. Some differences are minor, while others can affect an estate plan significantly. Someone who already […]

Longer lives are among the greatest achievements of our modern era. Advances in healthcare and other progress related to human safety have resulted in what the United Nations says is one of the most significant social transformations of the 21st century. However, with the success of longer lives come problems that catch most of us […]

Millions of individuals are affected by dementia in their lifetime. Unfortunately, it is usually after a medical crisis like dementia hits that many families begin to think about estate planning. What people don’t realize, however, is that it may be “too late” under the law to make a plan after dementia strikes. This is usually […]

Blended families are becoming more and more common in modern society, yet estate laws remain largely unchanged and still geared toward a “traditional” family structure. This poses an issue when it comes to leaving an inheritance for step-children in an estate plan. Step-children are often not legally adopted by the new spouse, which means they […]

This tragic hurricane season and other disasters have taken a toll on many parts of the United States and the Caribbean. They have also taken a toll on the charitable organizations that step in when a crisis hits. As a will and trust lawyer in the San Francisco Bay Area, it is gratifying to meet […]

Often, when we think of someone having property overseas, we think of George Clooney and his Italian villa or Richard Branson and his private island. However, plenty of everyday Americans own property or assets in other countries, and it may become part of their estates when they pass on. There are special considerations to keep […]

As a Santa Clara elder law attorney, I get this question quite a bit. Should I invest in long-term care insurance? The answer is… maybe. Let me explain. First, you should consider the fact that the Department of Health and Human Services estimates that anyone reaching the age of 65 has a 40% chance of […]

It’s entirely possible for someone to have an estate and no one to inherit it when they die. It could be due to not having children of one’s own and no other family. It could also be due to outliving all of one’s relatives, or not having relatives who live in the United States. Whatever […]