When you think about what your heirs will receive, your focus might be on wills, trusts, and dividing assets fairly. But you should also consider what kind of tax consequences those assets could trigger after you’re gone. One question that often comes up is whether heirs will have to pay capital gains taxes on what […]
Estate Planning
How to Avoid Family Disputes Over Your Estate
Many families experience conflict after the loss of a loved one, especially when there is uncertainty or disagreement about the estate. In Petaluma and across California, estate disputes are more common than you might think. But with the right planning, you can reduce the chances of family disputes over your estate and help create a […]
What Can an Estate Planning Lawyer Do for Me?
You might think estate planning is something you can handle with a few online forms. Maybe you have a will, or you’ve told your family what you want to do verbally. But when you start thinking about taxes, healthcare decisions, probate, and property transfers, it quickly becomes clear that estate planning involves more than paperwork. […]
Why a Will May Not Be Enough
A will has no legal power until it is admitted to probate and a personal representative is appointed by the court. But courts don’t act on their own after your death; someone must file the necessary paperwork. This is a built-in delay that can slow down the process significantly. Further, probate is a public […]
Estate Planning for LGBTQIA+ Families
Even for people with straightforward finances, estate planning can be confusing. For LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples, it’s often more complicated, especially if you entered a domestic partnership or civil union before same-sex marriage became legal nationwide. In some states, those unions may still carry legal weight, while they don’t in others. It’s worth reviewing […]
Managing RMDs and Taxes
Required minimum distributions are mandated (as the name implies) and taxed as ordinary income based on your current tax rate — the higher your income for the year, the higher your tax rate. However, you can have some control over the timing and size of your withdrawals, which can help you reduce your tax […]
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