While having a Will is essential to making sure your intentions are known and carried out after your death, merely having a Will does not avoid what is known as Probate. In California if your estate is worth more than $184,500 the Probate court process is required. And why is Probate to be avoided? It is because it is a … Read More
Dear friend, As we come to the end of 2023, here are some ideas for donating in a tax-wise way, and for looking ahead at ways to make your charitable giving more effective. The QCD! The Qualified Charitable Distribution This is a wonderful way of giving directly to a charity from your Traditional IRA that can help to satisfy your … Read More
A true story of a potentially large estate gift that did not happen! There was a man who lived alone in the northern part of California. For many years he lived an extremely simple and solitary life. He never married or had children, and very little was known about him or the life he had lived. Each day he saw … Read More
Almost half of the ultra rich haven’t figured out how to pass on their wealth! Can this really be true? This interesting headline recently caught my attention. It seems that having all the money you can imagine doesn’t mean you have been able to do your estate planning – making a Will, a Trust or assigning Beneficiaries to your retirement … Read More
Once a person dies their estate (whatever they own at the time of their death) has to be settled. Probate enters into the picture if the total value of their estate is over a certain amount, an amount that varies in each state. In California that amount is currently $166,250. So you can see that even if you simply own … Read More
