Estate Planning in California: Top Attorneys

Estate planning should be approached in the same manner as you would approach any other important decision in your life, by considering hiring professional estate planning lawyers California. What follows is an estate planning attorneys California guide to the steps that should be followed with regard to establishing and maintaining an estate plan that works. A detailed description of each estate planning and California step can be found by following the links provided for each step.
1. DETERMINE YOUR NEED FOR ESTATE PLANNING LAW FIRMS: When considering an estate plan, the first step that you need to take is to determine if you actually need a plan and estate planning lawyers California. This can be done by assessing your current family situation and financial status to see if you fall into one or more of the groups in need of an estate plan and the services of estate planning attorneys California.
2. FIND QUALIFIED ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS CALIFORNIA: Once you've determined that you need an estate plan, the next step is to find and hire qualified estate planning lawyers California. This is absolutely one place in your life where you should not skimp on estate planning and California. In other words, this is no time for self help - go out and hire yourself a qualified estate planning law firm or estate planning law firms. Using the internet for a "do-it-yourself book" simply should not be considered because the legal ramifications of one wrong word or paragraph or one missing signature are too great. Only estate planning law firms can give you legal advice.
3. BUILD YOUR FOUNDATIONAL ESTATE PLAN THROUGH YOUR ESTATE PLANNING LAWYERS CALIFORNIA: Once you've located and hired qualified estate planning attorneys California, the next step is to work with your estate planning lawyers California to build your foundational estate planning and California. Depending upon your situation, the foundational estate planning and California will include four or five essential estate planning law firms documents and the funding of your Revocable Living Trust, if that is your choice of estate planning structure.
4. ASSESS YOUR NEED FOR ADVANCED ESTATE PLANNING AND CALIFORNIA: Once your foundational plan is up and running through your estate planning attorneys California, the next step is to work with your estate planning lawyers California to determine if you are in need of more advanced estate planning and California. Sometimes this step can be combined with building your foundational plan through an estate planning law firms, however, for some people putting together their foundational plan is so overwhelming that they will need to separate some of these steps with the counsel of their estate planning attorneys California.
5. MAINTAIN AND UPDATE YOUR ESTATE PLAN THROUGH YOUR ESTATE PLANNING LAWYERS CALIFORNIA: Once your foundational plan is up and running through your estate planning lawyers California and any advanced planning is in place, you shouldn't just shove your plan in a drawer or leave it with your estate planning attorneys California and forget about it. Instead, each year or every few years you should take a fresh look at your estate plan with your estate planning attorneys California to determine if it still meets your needs or requires changes related to estate planning and California Law changes (if any).
When considering if you need to hire estate planning attorneys California, remember this: estate planning is serious business. One wrong word or one missing signature can change the entire intent of an estate plan. The reasons listed below should be enough to convince you to find qualified estate planning lawyers California or estate planning law firms to draft your estate plan.
ESTATE PLANNING AND CALIFORNIA STATE LAWS RULE YOUR ESTATE PLAN: State laws are very specific and complex related to what can and cannot be in a will, who can and cannot serve as a personal representative, trustee, trust, or medical or financial power of attorney; health care surrogate or attorney in fact; who can and cannot be a witness to a will, trust, or medical or financial power of attorney; and what formalities must be observed when signing a will, trust, or medical or financial power of attorney. Only estate planning attorneys California can give you legal advice regarding these important issues.
For example, in some states, a personal representative must either be related to you by blood or marriage or, if not, then a resident of the state. Time and time again residents of those states designate a friend or inexperienced estate planning law firms from out of state as the personal representative. These non-residents, non-relatives simply cannot serve under state law. Working with qualified estate planning law firms will avoid this kind of simple and yet costly mistake. An estate planning and California attorney can assist with these types of issues personally, or refer you to an attorney in the state for which you require estate planning law firms.
BUYER BEWARES; ALL ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS CALIFORNIA ARE NOT THE SAME: The old Latin saying, "Caveat Emptor", or "Buyer Beware", applies to estate planning lawyers California. If you think that you will be saving a few dollars by using templates or forms found on the internet or a DIY Nolo type book to prepare your estate plan, your family will be in for a rude awakening when they learn that part or all of your will, trust, or medical or financial power of attorney is not legally valid. Thousands of dollars will then be spent working with qualified estate planning attorneys California to fix your DIY mistakes.
COMPLEX FAMILY OR FINANCIAL SITUATIONS: ESTATE PLANNING AND CALIFORNIA: Take a look at your life and your assets to see if you fit into one or more of the following "high risk" estate planning and California categories:
  • You were recently divorced.
  • You don't have any children.
  • You're in a second (or later) marriage.
  • You own a businesses or are self-employed.
  • You own real estate with equity or in more than one state.
  • You have a disabled family member.
  • You want to leave some or all of your estate to a charitable organization.
  • You have substantial assets a brokerage account or 401(k).
  • You face a taxable estate for federal and/or state estate tax purposes.
If one or more of these situations apply to you, then you will need the counseling and advice of an experienced estate planning attorneys California to create your estate planning and California plan.
WHILE THERE ARE A VARIETY OF REASONS WHY PEOPLE DECIDE TO MEET WITH ESTATE PLANNING LAWYERS CALIFORNIA, THE FOLLOWING REASONS ARE TYPICALLY THE TOP 5:
1. AVOIDING PROBATE FOR ESTATE PLANNING AND CALIFORNIA: This by far seems to be the most common reason why people seek out the advice of an estate planning attorneys California. While many have never even dealt with probate, they still know one thing: they want to avoid it at all costs. This is a good instinct. This stems from probate horror stories covered by the media or told by neighbors, friends or business associates surrounding heirs without estate planning lawyers California. Suffice it to say that for the vast majority of people, avoiding probate is a very good reason for creating a foundational estate plan and can be easily achieved with the help of estate planning law firms.
2. REDUCING ESTATE TAXES THROUGH ESTATE PLANNING LAW FIRMS: The significant loss of one's estate to the payment of state and/or federal taxes is a great motivator for hiring estate planning attorneys California. Through the most basic planning, married couples can reduce or even possibly eliminate estate taxes altogether by setting up AB Trusts as part of their foundational estate planning and California. In addition, a variety of advanced techniques can be used by both married couples and individuals to make the tax bill less burdensome or completely go away. Qualified estate planning lawyers California can assist you here.
3. AVOIDING A MESS CAUSED BY INEXPERIENCED ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS CALIFORNIA: Many clients seek the advice of estate planning lawyers California after personally experiencing, or seeing a close friend or business associate experience, a significant waste of time and money due to a loved one's failure to prepare estate planning and California plans. Choosing someone to supervise and administer after your death and deciding who will get what, and when they will get it, and how they will get it goes a long way towards avoiding family fights and costly court proceedings and actually diminishes the overall need for estate planning law firms; some planning today, will avoid problems and expenses later.
4. PROTECTING BENEFICIARIES; THE ROLE OF THE ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS CALIFORNIA: There are two main reasons why people put together estate planning and California in order to protect their ultimate beneficiaries: (a) protecting a minor beneficiary (children), and (b) protecting an adult beneficiary from bad decisions and outside influences (over 18, but far from a decision maker). If the beneficiary is a minor, all 50 states have laws that require someone to be appointed to oversee the minor's needs until the minor becomes a legal adult (at age 18 or 21, depending upon the laws of the state where the minor lives). Estate planning lawyers California can navigate these issues with you. You can prevent family discord and costly legal expenses, and even the further need for estate planning law firms, by taking the time to designate a guardian and trustee for your minor beneficiary. If the beneficiary is already an adult but has questionable money managing skills or has an overbearing spouse or partner who you fear will waste the beneficiary's inheritance or claim an interest in it upon divorce, then you can create estate planning and California that will protect the beneficiary from themselves and their own bad decisions as well as those of others. Our estate planning attorneys California can assist in protecting assets from these types of claims.
5. PROTECTING ASSETS FROM UNFORESEEN CREDITORS: ESTATE PLANNING LAWYERS CALIFORNIA: Lately asset protection has become a very important reason why people, including those who already have an estate plan, are revisiting with their estate planning attorneys California. As most estate planning law firms would advise you once you know or even just suspect that a lawsuit is on the horizon, it's too late to put a plan in place to protect your assets. Instead, you need to start with a sound estate planning and California financial plan and couple that with a comprehensive California estate plan that will in turn protect your assets through our estate planning attorneys California for the benefit of both you during your lifetime and your beneficiaries after your death. You can also provide estate planning and California asset protection for your spouse through the use of AB Trusts and your other beneficiaries through the use of lifetime trusts.
Obviously these estate planning and California issues are complex and can involve your life savings. It is critical to consult with estate planning law firms such as the estate planning lawyers California at McFarlin & Geurts, LLP. Our estate planning attorneys California offer a free confidential consultation.