Bay Area estate planning attorneys answer, “Can I name more than one person as my Power of Attorney?” Granting someone power of attorney means that you are giving them the authority to make important decisions on your behalf should you be incapable of making them yourself. The scope, duration, and other specifics are up to […]

Joint ownership in layman’s terms is synonymous with co-ownership. If a property is owned by more than one individual, it is referred to as being held in joint ownership. What is the Advantage of Joint Ownership as an Estate Planning Method? One of the major advantages of joint ownership of an asset is that it […]

One of my greatest passions as a Silicon Valley estate planning lawyer is teaching parents how to wisely prepare for death. I realize the possibility of dying while your children are still young can be difficult to accept and that’s why many parents choose to not think about it. Unfortunately, this fear can prevent parents […]

As a Bay Area trust attorney, I know that a family home or vacation property is often the most valuable asset in a person’s estate. While the homeowner may want to leave their cherished property to children or other beneficiaries as an inheritance, taxes can quickly thwart well-meaning plans. The sad truth is that, without […]

Help! I Inherited a Timeshare. Now what?! I know many people who love timeshares. That is, the option to be a part owner of a property which is used for getaways and vacations. Even though a deeded timeshare is an interest in real property, it is usually more of a luxury than an asset. Even […]

Unless you were living under a rock, you most likely heard about the tax reform bill that was passed by Congress and signed by the President over the holidays. One big change that came out of it was the doubling of the exemption amount for federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. Beginning in 2018, […]

One of the many questions Bay Area estate planning lawyers get asked is how long is a Power of Attorney in effect. The answer to that question is complicated in the beginning, but very simple at the end: depending on what type of Power of Attorney you have, it may be in effect as soon […]

You have probably seen so-called “standard” (aka cheap) living trusts advertised all over the Bay Area. Seminars, direct mail, and telemarketing are all common marketing techniques for the companies that sell “Do-It-Yourself” legal plans. But buyer beware! These one-size-fits-all estate plans are NOT created to deal with your unique situation or handle your unique assets. […]

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 […]

A lot of people complain about high taxes. Looking at what the government takes from your weekly paycheck can be frustrating. But it could be worse. Even people who don’t complain about taxes (there are a few) and understand it takes money to run the government would complain if they understood that it is possible […]