San Mateo, California Estate Planning Law Blog
How do judges determine child support?
While you know you must pay child support as part, you do not know how much. How do judges even determine a fair amount of child support that one parent must pay? Forbes offers insight on the matter. Understand the factors that determine child support amount. Earned...
Mediation: what to expect and how to succeed
Mediation is a means of dispute resolution available as an alternative to litigating the matter in court. It has a wide range of applications, from probate disputes to. Mediation is not appropriate for every case. However, many parties prefer to use mediation to...
Using a special needs trust to help your disabled adult child
Individuals with mental, physical and developmental disabilities often lack the financial ability to care for themselves. If your adult son or daughter cannot work because of a disability, he or she may struggle to pay basic living expenses and medical costs....
When should you write or revise your will?
As long as you are a legal adult, it is never too early to early to write a will. However, there may come a time when it is too late. You could die unexpectedly or lose the mental competence to write a valid will due to an injury or illness. According to U.S. News and...
Does your estate plan include advance care planning?
Whether due to old age, progressive disease or a sudden injury, when an individual is no longer able to communicate his or her medical wishes, advance care planning helps provide loved ones and health care workers with crucial guidance. If your estate plan does not...
Estate planning statistics that might shock you
While the common thinking is that you should develop your estate plan regardless of age, health or wealth, not everyone follows this mantra. In fact, it’s easy for most people to ignore the need for an estate plan and continue to push it off to some nebulous future...
Should you include your digital footprint in estate planning documents?
In recent years, people have moved much of their personal interactions to digital space. From sharing vacation pictures on Facebook or Twitter to uploading a video of a grandchild’s first steps to YouTube, more and more people find themselves occupying digital real...
Will I have to pay an estate tax or gift tax in California?
Taxes can be one of life’s most obtrusive burdens. It’s only natural for that worry to carry over to estate planning. For many people, an estate plan is about preserving their legacy by providing support to loved ones. This might include prized heirlooms, the...
The benefits of probate mediation in California
There are many disputes regarding trusts and estates that can occur following someone's passing. Unfortunately, families do not always agree on how to divide their assets. In cases like this, mediation may be a preferred solution instead of going to court. We have a...
What differentiates wills and estate planning?
Although you may use these two terms interchangeably, their processes are entirely different. However, they do have some similarities. A will guides your kin on how to manage your property once you are dead. On the other hand, estate planning gives them instructions...