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2012
January
Joint Guardianship Limitations
Joint Guardianship Legal Process
Joint Guardian - Your Role and Responsibilities
Why Terminally Ill Parents May Consider A Joint Guardianship
Changes To California Probate Law - 2012
Making A Valid Inheritance Disclaimer
Can I Disclaim An Inheritance?
Benefits of Family Limited Partnerships
Types of Family Limited Partnerships
Family Limited Partnership
New Year. New Assets?
2011
December
Trying To Avoid Gift Taxes? The IRS May Be Coming For You!
DIY Estate Planning Is No Substitute for The Real Thing
Custodial Accounts vs. Trusts
Inheritance To Minors - Restricted Accounts
Inheritance To Minors - Lifetime Trust
Inheritance To Minors - Staggering A Trust
Unlimited Gift Exclusion for Medical Expenses
Unlimited Gift Exclusion for Education
Annual Exclusion Gift for Year End Estate Planning
Do Not Hesitate To Call Your Estate Planning Attorney
Are Trustees Protected from Fiduciary Breaches by No Contest Clauses?
November
When A No-Contest Clause is Not Applicable
Protecting Assets Gifted to Your Children
World's 2nd Richest Woman Placed Under Guardianship
Has Your Estate Changed With The Leaves?
Simple Advice for Durable Power of Attorney Agents
Estate Abuses By Gov. Officials
California Small Estates
Divorce Renders Power of Attorney Null
Powers of Attorney Cease When You Become Deceased
Are Will or Trust Details Being Witheld From You?
October
What Will Happen to Steve Jobs' Slice of Apple?
Generation Skipping Transfer Tax - What Is It?
Has Your Child Become A Legal Adult?
Online Reporting for Elder Abuse - Coming Soon!
Pitfalls of Joint Ownership with Your Children
September
Creating a List of Key Estate Contacts
Can I Put Life Insurance in a Trust?
Collecting Decedent's Employee Benefits
Homestead Declaration as Part of Estate Planning
Amy Winehouse Estate Value Revealed
August
Tax Benefits of Passing Property to Your Child in California
James Brown Estate Battle Still Wages On
California: An Anti-Lapse State
Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples
Back To School: Estate Planning
Do Not Miss Probate Deadlines
Diversify Stocks Held in Trust
Can I Leave Money To Charity When I Die?
Foreclosure in Probate
What Happens to Life Insurance Proceeds Without a Designated Beneficiary?
What Happens to Life Insurance Proceeds With a Designated Beneficiary?
What is an Insolvent Estate?
What is a Solvent Estate?
What is an Ancillary Probate?
Did Amy Winehouse Have Good Estate Planning?
What Are Some of the Costs of Court Appointed Guardianships/Conservatorships?
Mickey Rooney - Elder Abuse Awareness
Relieving a Trustee of Liability - Voluntary vs. Conditional
July
Michael Jackson Estate Saga Continues
Preventing Will Contests
Farrah Fawcett - An Important Lesson in Trust Funding
Protecting Assets Through Estate Planning
Decedent's Tenants in Common Property
Family Allowance While Estate in Probate
Locate and List - Hidden Assets
Locate and List - Household and Personal Items
Locate and List - Business Relationships
Locate and List - Large Assets
Funding The Trust
Automatic Asset Transfers to Beneficiaries
Using Beneficiary Designations Wisely
Must Know - Trust Principal vs. Trust Income
Appraising Your Trust Assets
The Case of Mr. Gary Harvey
What Is A Holographic Will?
Revoking vs. Restating a Trust
Amending A Trust
Updating Your Estate Plan - Checklist
June
Don't Put Off Until Tomorrow What You Can Do Today
The Gravy Boat That Sank The Ship
Relocating?
Executor Reimbursement From An Estate
Executor Duties and Responsibilities
Losing Your Capacity, Should Not Mean Losing Your Power
Things To Consider When Choosing An Executor
Maintain Your Estate
Living Trust vs. Will
Does Having a Will Eliminate The Possibility of Probate?
The Strange Case of Huguette Clark
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
2010
December
Guardianship Basics
More Reasons to Consider Setting Up a Living Trust
Why Most People Consider Setting up a Living Trust
When is a Testamentary Trust Right?
The California Supreme Court Rules on an LPS Conservatorship
A conservatee is Allowed to Re-established a Conservatorship without a Formal Hearing
A Beneficiary's Petition for Modification of a Trust did not violate teh No Contest Clause
The Supreme Court Rules on an LPS Conservatorship
A Surviving Spouse Unsuccessfully claims ERISA Protections
The Octo-Mom Case continues on Appeal
Disinheritance Cluase may not avoid Anti Lapse statute
Reasonable Attorneys' Fees may be Paid out of a Trust
Capacity in California
Dealing with Fraud or Mistake in Estate Planning
Questioning the Validity of a Will because of Fraud?
Pick the Estate Plan that Works Best for YOU
Single Mother Fights to Serve as Personal Representative in High Profile Case
California Guardianship Standards
Avoiding a Formal Probate
November
The Season for Charitable Trusts
How Your Estate Plan can take care of Dependent Parents
Estate Planning is a Family Affair
Should YOU Consider a Living Trust?
Make a List of YOUR Assets to Plan Ahead
How do YOU define Issue?
Draft your Trust to Include ALL Intended Beneficiaries
Consider Charity
Capacity in California Continued
Capacity in California Continued
Determining Capacity
Capacity in California
October
Reserve the Right to Change your Mind: Revocable Living Trusts
Testamentary Intent is Flexible
What to do if You have a Problem with a Loved One's Will
Can a Will be invalidated because of Fraud alone?
Standard to Appoint a Guardian
Are you ready to be a Guardian?
Legal Consequences for Interference with Inheritance
Who did YOU hire to draft your Will?
Plan out Your Trust
The Estate Tax RETURNS IN 2011
How California Courts View Conservatorships
The California Court of Appeals rules on Non-Probate Transfers
Non Probate Transfer Disputes
The Right to Parent your Child
Donative Transfers to Care Custodians of Depending Adults
Trust Drafting and Conflict of Interests
Changing Beneficiaries in Totten Trusts
How to Change the Terms of a Totten Trust
California Weighs in on Totten Trusts
Beware: Property you CANNOT include in a Trust
September
What Type of Property is Transferable in Trust?
Caring for Your Parents: Special Needs Trusts
Should you Consider a Family Pot Trust?
Should you Appoint Co-Trustees to your Trust?
Using a Trust to Avoid Probate
Trusts Can Assist You to Manage Your Finances
Fact or Myth: Will Setting up a Trust Help you to Avoid Probate?
You may Create a Trust to Manage Your Property
Irrevocable v. Revocable Trusts
What's the Difference between an Inter Vivos Trust and a Testamentary Trust?
Donate to Charity through a Charitable Remainder Trust
Totten Trust Accounts
What is all this "Trust Talk"?
As Executor, Whose Attorney do You Chose?
Can YOU handle being appointed a Guardian?
Unmarried Mother Appeals to be named Administrator of 10 Million dollar Estate
Do YOU have What it takes to Serve as a Personal Representative?
Property Not Subject to Probate
Make sure your Loved Ones are Provided for: A Case Study
August
My Estate Planning Documents LOOK Good but are they Valid?
What is a California Statutory Will?
Who still uses Holographic Wills?
Witnessing a Will in California
Requirements to Witnessing a Will in California
How dangerous is a Mistake in your Will: It Depends...
Contesting a Will based on Fraud
Requirements for a will contest
Trust Mills: Have you been a Victim?
California establishes a test for Probable Cause in a Will Contest
Legislative Changes Definition of Will "contests"
Spotting Undue Influence
Requirements of Wills Drafting: Testamentary Intent
How a Conservatorship affects Estate Planning
How Mental Illness affects Estate Planning
The Difference between a Will and a Trust
July
How do you prove someone lacks capacity to sign a Will in California?
Do YOU have the capacity to draft a Will in California?
Understanding Life Insurance Trusts
Are you worried about Estate Creditors?
Why put your Property in a Trust?
You don't have to go through Probate to collect Life Insurance Benefits
You can avoid probate if you have Property held as Community Property with Right of Survivorship
How does holding Property in Joint Tenancy affect Estate Distribution?
Your Estate is not subject to the Probate process IF....Property Passes to a Surviving Spouse
How to Determine if You are entitled to Inherit from a Loved One's Will
How to Nominate an Executor
Many uses for a Will in California
California Law Protects Seniors from Undue Influence
How to Contest a Trustee's Accounting in California
California Defines "other person on behalf of the Minor" for Guardianship cases
Undue Influence in Hollywood
The Right to Raise your Children
June
What is Tortious Interference with Inheritance Expectancy
Tortious Interference with Inheritance Expectancy not recognized in California
Probate Guardianships: what is in the child's best interests?
Chihuahua Inherits Millions: How can this be?
The After Effect of having no Estate Tax for 2011
Insolvent Estates in California: Who gets Paid?
Battle for Control of Gary Coleman's Estate
Standard to Establish the Parent/Child Relationship when someone dies Intestate in California
Children inherit billions and pay no Estate Taxes
Estate Planning for Blended Families in CA
The Termination of Parental Rights in California
Conservatorship to Continue for Spears
Gary Coleman's Advanced Health Care Directive Examined
The Michael Jackson Family Trust: setting up his children for life.
Estate Planning for "Bo," "Socks" and all your Family Pets
May
Case Study: Michael Jackson's Pour Over Will
Celebrity Conservatorships
Petition for Guardianship: Rights of the Parent
How the Probate Court Construes The Meaning of YOUR will
The Impact of a Survivorship Requirement on a Holographic Will
The Basics: Guardianship of a minor in California
Excluding Heirs—Not enough to operate the Anti Lapse statute
Protecting the Disabled: Special Needs Trusts
The California Appellate Court Reverses Order Naming Administrator of Charles “the Mask” Davis Jr.’s Estate
Are you Required to set up a Coogen Trust for your Child?
Standing and Sufficiency of a Petition for Guardianship: What Test applies in California?
CASE STUDY ON A PETITION FOR GUARDIANSHIP: THE “OCTO-MOM” APPEAL
April
Probate Code Revisions for Donative Transfer Restrictions
Disqualified Persons and Independent Reviews
Private Letter Rulings
March
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