If you die in San Diego without a will or a trust, you are deemed to have died “intestate”. To die “intestate” means to die without a “testament” (a will) or a trust and your estate will have to go through the probate process where the Probate Court will determine…
Even when a person dies with a will or a trust, there can be disputes that result in a will contest or trust litigation. An individual may feel he or she should have been a beneficiary under a will or a trust. Sometimes a will has been changed and beneficiaries…
More and more families in San Diego county are “blended families” (families that include children from previous marriages or relationships). It is estimated that 50% of first marriages end in divorce and that there are now more “blended families” in the county than traditional families. Blended families face a number…
San Diego is a multi-cultural city with people of various ethnic backgrounds and religions. Our community has such religious faiths as Catholics, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Christian Scientists, Jehovah’s Witnesses as well as many other faiths. A person’s religious or spiritual beliefs can have importance for their estate planning, and in…
Once you create a revocable living trust your job as the creator (often called the Trustor or Settlor of the trust) is to properly fund the trust initially and thereafter see that all the assets that should be placed in your trust are properly titled. Once you pass away, the…
The movie The Bucket List recently came out in San Diego on DVD. This movie shows an unlikely pair of cancer patients (Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson) who compose a list of things they want to do before they die (places to visit, things they want to accomplish before they…
In the South Bay communities of Chula Vista, National City, and San Ysidro, as well as elsewhere in San Diego County, there are many individuals who have spouses that are not U.S. citizens. Such couples have different estate planning concerns than those where both spouses are citizens. In California when…
Recently the San Diego Union reported the story of a cat named Teila living out her days on the grounds of the National Cat Protection Society in Spring Valley. This shelter opened in Spring Valley in 1975 but in 2000 a “retirement center” was built complete with a playroom, bedroom…
Now that the California Supreme Court has validated same sex marriages in California, we may see an increase in such couples having children or adopting them. The Gay Lesbian Times reports that more than half of gay men and 41 percent of lesbians want to have children and an estimated…
Many individuals in San Diego are considering purchasing life insurance. Most people do not know that a properly drafted irrevocable life insurance trust, known as an ILIT, can be used to reduce estate taxes or to provide substantial money for your heirs. They also bypass the probate process. For some,…