Serious health diagnoses can impact your life in huge ways and may bring concerns you haven’t thought of up to the forefront. One of those concerns, which is often pushed off when everything is going well, is estate planning and/or elder law planning. Planning can give you the peace of mind knowing that your family […]

As a Silicon Valley estate planning attorney, I have seen many unfortunate circumstances where a person goes through the time and expense of having an estate plan created only to fail to update their beneficiaries on their financial or retirement accounts before they pass away. An example of this would be Mary naming her brother […]

When it comes to asset protection planning for retirement and leaving legacies to your loved ones, there are several different trusts available that can help accomplish your goals. One type of trust I recommend as a Bay Area trust attorney, called an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT), ensures that the benefits of your life insurance […]

Santa Clara Special Needs Lawyer: Use Your IRA to Benefit a Special Needs Charity or Non-Profit You Care About If you are over 70 ½ years old, you can donate some or all over your IRA to an eligible charity or non-profit of your choice. Using a Qualified Charitable Distribution, you can donate directly from […]

It’s no secret that the elderly are a favorite target of scam artists. Criminals will troll the internet and phone lists looking for seniors who are easy to prey upon due to an illness, disability, or cognitive impairment. Another reason scam artists love to attack seniors is the expectation that they have accumulated wealth over […]

In a rare instance of bipartisan cooperation, Congress recently passed a law that will expand benefits to individuals enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans who have chronic illnesses. The Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act will cover certain supplies and services not previously covered such as telehealth services, at-home visits […]

Ask a Santa Clara County Estate Planning Lawyer: “I Just Discovered a Long-Lost Sister. Can She Inherit Dad’s Estate?” This may sound like a situation from a movie, but it happens more frequently than you might imagine: a long-lost child appears after the death of their parent. This is an alarming situation for many reasons, […]

  A Power of Attorney is a document which names an agent to handle your financial affairs if you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to, while also explaining any limitations you wish to place on your agent while they act in your stead. There are many types to choose from, so it’s important to know […]

If you are reading our blog, you’ve probably already decided that you want to create a living trust with a Silicon Valley will and trust lawyer to avoid probate and put a quick end to the estate administration process. You might also have decided that you want your estate and the decisions you made about […]

Legal competency concerns can lead to issues for senior citizens, both during life and after death. This is especially true for financial affairs and disputed inheritances. Santa Clara Elder law and guardianship attorneys must be able to determine a senior’s legal competency in both physical and mental areas because of the serious consequences it can […]