Blog

Think of estate planning as top and bottom bedsheets. You and your assets are tucked comfortably in-between. By understanding estate planning in these metaphoric terms you can make an estate plane that gives you peace of mind . . . and a good night’s sleep. The top sheet can be thought of as covering what happens with your belongings after you pass away. You want a plan that makes certain that your intended heirs receive

In 2019 approximately 100,000 people moved from the Golden State to the Silver State. It’s little wonder that one of the most common questions we’re asked is whether a living trust, prepared in California, is valid in Nevada. A California trust is valid in Nevada if the trust was valid when created in California. The issues, arise, however, when a California trust references California law. Most, if not all trusts we see from California contain

Beneficiary designations are contractual pay-on-death clauses for certain kinds of assets like life insurance and qualified retirement accounts as well as some brokerage and bank accounts. When the owner of the account or policy passes away the asset passes directly to the person designated. Life insurance and individual retirement accounts are generally never transferred into the trust because their designed to go straight to the designated beneficiary. When the owner dies these types of accounts

If you hold title to real estate with a spouse or life partner, there’s a good chance the title will contain the words “joint tenants.”  When two or more people hold title to property jointly, the deceased owners interest in the property passes to the surviving joint owner(s) according to the “the right of survivorship.”  This type of joint ownership can be used for land, automobiles, bank accounts, and some other types of property. The

When you pass away your estate may be required to go through probate (with a will) or administration (without a will). These judicial processes are used to accomplish the legal transfer of your property to your beneficiaries and heirs. Many families position themselves to avoid the delay and expense of probate and administration. By far the most popular strategy used by estate planners to avoid probate involves the creation of a revocable living trust. There