The IRS has three years from your tax return filing date to audit your return, if it suspects good faith errors. (For example, your 2013 taxes were due by April 15, 2014. The IRS has until April 15, 2017 to audit your return for good faith errors). However, the IRS has six years to challenge … Read More
When planning your estate, you must consider how you hold title to your real and personal property The title and your designated beneficiaries will control how your real estate, bank accounts, retirement accounts, vehicles and investments are distributed upon your death, regardless of whether there is a will or trust in place and potentially with … Read More
California gives parents the statutory right to name a guardian for their children. If no guardian is named in your will or other estate planning documents, and tragedy strikes, it will be up to the Court to decide who will raise your children. The Court may appoint someone that you would not have chosen yourself. This issue … Read More
For most people, finally establishing an estate plan is a big step that they have undertaken after years of delay. A second step is making decisions regarding the executor, trustees, beneficiaries, funeral costs and debt, and a third step is actually completing the will. There is, however, a fourth step that is often skipped: placing … Read More
In planning your estate, you most likely have concerned yourself with “big picture” issues. Who inherits what? Do I need a living trust? However, there are numerous details that are often overlooked, and which can drastically impact the distribution of your estate to your intended beneficiaries. Listed below are some of the most common overlooked … Read More
The recent proliferation of online estate planning document services has attracted many do-it-yourselfers who are lured in by what appears to be a low-cost solution. However, this focus on price over value could mean your wishes will not be carried out and, unfortunately, nobody will know there is a problem until it is too late … Read More
Establishing a Life Estate is a relatively simple process in which you transfer your property to your children, while retaining your right to use and live in the property. Life Estates are used to avoid probate, maximize tax benefits and protect the real property from potential long-term care expenses you may incur in your later … Read More
Creating a Will is not a one-time event. You should review your will periodically, to ensure it is up to date, and make necessary changes if your personal situation, or that of your executor or beneficiaries, has changed. There are a number of life-changing events that require your Will to be revised, including: Change in … Read More
When most hear the word estate, they think of the wealthy few with numerous large houses, expensive cars, and other substantial assets. However, believe it or not, everyone has an estate. An estate consists of everything you own, including your home, motor vehicle, checking and savings accounts, life insurance, investments, and even your furniture. Yet, … Read More
There are benefit programs (“Aid and Attendance”) through the Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) that can help wartime veterans and their spouses pay for care, including assisted living, memory care and nursing homes. Here are some little-known facts about these benefits: 1. The veteran does not need to have been involved in actual combat, … Read More