Emailing your “will” is unlikely to be valid in California; there are other ways to make your wishes known.

There is no time by which you must have created an estate plan, but there are several factors that usually lead someone to create one.

Five ways to cope with grief, particularly when navigating the death of a loved one.

What are the stages of grief? This guest post by Dr. Corey Hirsch discusses some of the realities of grief that many people face when a loved one dies.

How you administer a trust depends on exactly what the trust says at the time it needs to be carried out.

Pets are a part of your family, and there are different ways to ensure they are cared for in your estate plan.

It’s vital that blended families have an estate plan to ensure that BOTH spouses and ALL kids are cared for in a way that the couple imagines.

Charitable gifts are very common in estate plans; there are several ways to structure these gifts depending on your goals.

How you disinherit someone depends on who it is and what documents you have in place/are drafting.

Your trustee has to make decisions during your incapacity and at the time you die; make sure it’s someone you trust! (No pun intended)

Why should you use an attorney to create your estate plan? Because your family are people; don’t let a machine tell you what’s best for your family!

If you only have a will - or do not have a will at all - your estate goes through probate court: a lengthy, costly, public court proceeding. The trust helps avoid that!

If you have signed your trust, you must be sure to put your assets into the trust before you are actually “done.”

In theory you can name your trust anything you want; however, there are practical considerations that you should discuss with your lawyer.

When creating an estate plan, you get to decide who takes care of your child on a daily basis AND who manages money for your child. It doesn’t have to be the same person.

If you have a living trust, then it’s likely that your trust uses your social security number as your TAX ID number and you file taxes just as you always have done so.

How much does an estate plan cost? It depends on the attorney and what you actually need in your plan. Contact me for a free consultation and to discuss costs.

What are the rules for common law marriage in California?

3 reasons to avoid probate in California: cost, time, and publicity.

Retirement plans and estate plans are often conflated; please join this presentation via Zoom to learn the what, when, and why of both!