The Better Business Bureau reports that older adults lose more than $36 billion to financial fraud every year. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, 105,301 cases of fraud against persons age 60 or older were reported in 2020. … Read More
It’s hard to think about the possibility of no longer being able to make financial decisions. Nobody wants to imagine they will become incapacitated. However, whether it’s because of old age, health or a combination of both, there is no … Read More
In the state of California, whether you have a written will or not, your estate will go through probate upon your death. If you have resided in California for any length of time and own real estate here, you may … Read More
Having a will in place is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family. A will can effectively define your wishes, establish contingency plans and direct others on what to do, especially when it is coupled with … Read More
Why might a conservatorship be needed? As people age, it gets more and more likely that they will face important medical decisions, sometimes involving life and death, which they will not be able to make for themselves. Moreover, even people … Read More
When a California resident dies, that person’s estate may need to go through probate. This ensures that the deceased individual’s will is valid, a person’s assets can be inventoried and that outstanding bills can be paid. At the time a … Read More
If your loved one’s estate plan included a will, it will need to go through probate court for its contents to disburse. Yet, they may have excluded certain assets that they held from their will. Some omissions may be accidental. … Read More
Writing a will is a crucial step in ensuring your assets are distributed according to your wishes after your passing. However, as highlighted in a recent Yahoo Finance article, “Cousin Left Estate to 6 Relatives: A Cautionary Tale,” mistakes in … Read More
Categorizing and paying a loved one’s debts during probate The majority of people accumulate some debts during their lifetimes. Ideally, individuals would pay off their outstanding balances and eventually reach a point where they no longer have debt. However, if … Read More
With all the talk recently in the news about age limits and competency testing of senators and representatives, the importance of durable powers of attorney, estate planning, and conservatorship have been highlighted. Without a durable power of attorney in place, … Read More
