What is Estate Planning?
Estate planning isn’t for death; it’s actually for life! It enables you to enrich the lives of those you love. It’s so important, in fact, that EVERYONE already has an estate plan. That’s right. Even if you fail to make a plan for yourself and your family, the state of California has a plan for you – it’s called probate. And probate is NOT something you want your family to have to endure. The only way to avoid probate, however, is through proper estate planning.
Do you know what your family would have to deal with if something unexpected happened to you? If you don’t, the first step is to get informed about exactly “what would happen,” legally and financially, so you can decide if that’s okay.
Revocable Living Trusts
The foundation of many estate plans often includes a revocable living trust. One of the benefits of a revocable living trust is that when prepared correctly and properly maintained, your estate plan will help your family to avoid the cost and delay of probate and minimize or eliminate estate taxes.
A revocable living trust can and should be tailored to your specific family situation and may include additional estate planning elements such as a Kids Protection Plan, Irrevocable Trust, Gun Trust, or the like.
Unfortunately, many plans don’t work because much of what passes for estate planning is really little more than very expensive word processing. You are asked a few questions and then told which “plan” is right for you. A drafter puts your name into a template, has you sign it, and send you on your way. This is not estate planning!
How We’re Different
With the protection of your children, well-being of your family, and preservation of your legacy at stake, the foundation of your estate planning should be much more than form documents. You deserve more and so do your loved ones.
That’s why we take the time to get to know you, understand your family needs and goals, address your concerns, answer your questions, and educate you about your options. Our focus is two-fold: to help you determine the estate plan that is exactly right for you and your family; and to ensure that it works precisely as you intend it to when that time comes.
We are interested in forming a relationship with you and your family, for life. We are NOT in the business of merely creating documents for you to sign and sending you on your way. The only “sure” thing in life is change, which means your assets, family size, and even your goals will grow in different ways throughout the course of your life. This means you must have a plan that grows with you.
The fact is, if your plan is not consistently updated over time, your family may not be taken care of in the proper manner. This is why each of our Estate Plans includes a complimentary review every three years.