It is not unusual for an estate planning attorney to come across an estate plan that clients drafted themselves. Drafting your own estate plan, although possible and cost-effective, is something estate planning practitioners advise against. There are numerous reasons to seek legal
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The Uniform Prudent Investor Act of the California Probate Code sets forth specific rules regarding the duties and responsibilities of a trustee when managing and investing trust assets. Under the Act, a trustee has a duty to diversify the investment of trust
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The Federal Estate Tax law provides every person a credit against payment of the estate tax. At present, that credit allows a person to transfer up to $11,400,000 without paying any estate taxes. If married, both spouses have the same credit. The
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When planning your estate, the question of who to appoint as your trustee can be a difficult one. After all, this is the person that will administer your estate at your death, which includes marshaling your assets and property, paying any bills,
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A Special Needs Trust (SNT) is a trust designed to preserve government benefits for disabled individuals. There are two types of SNTs: (1) a first-person special needs trust which shelters an individual in possession of funds received either through a settlement or
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It is not uncommon for estate planning and probate attorneys to encounter cases where an individual dies without a Will because they believed that everything they have will go to their beloved cousin- the only family they ever knew or that is
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It’s graduation season and an exciting time for grads and their parents. Soon they will be off to college and embarking on new adventures and have new responsibilities. They will pick classes, decide how late to stay up since mom or dad
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If you are a homeowner, it is likely that at some point you will think of downsizing. This may occur when the kids are grown or when you no longer need to live in a large home with a backyard. However, before
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At Chauvel & Glatt, we encounter clients that are halfway through the administration of an estate and realized they made the mistake of representing themselves. For every single one of these cases, the administrator starts off with the best intentions thinking that
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In the current real estate market, it is difficult if not impossible for young individuals to purchase a home on their own. Often times, parents will step in to help by selling or gifting one of their homes to their child. This is a
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