How should a couple take title to their home if they intend to keep it? How is the asset to be taxed after both spouses pass? Many couples keep the asset in "Joint Tenancy" which allows the asset to avoid probate upon the death of one of the spouses. Upon...
Haven’t Updated Your Estate Plan in a While – Reasons Not to Wait
The Wall Street Journal recently wrote a warning in case you haven't updated your estate plan in a while and reasons not to wait. We've seen the same scenarios in our decades of services as estate planning, trust and tax attorneys here in San Diego and throughout the Southwest. Usually...
Protecting Your Home from a Medi-Cal Lien
Protecting your home from a Medi-Cal lien is possible based upon a new California law which took effect January 1 of this year. Previously, California's Medi-Cal program was able to recover money from people who were 55 years or older who received medical services under agency programs. If the family...
A Trust Protects Your Beneficiaries
A trust protects your beneficiaries and ensures they receive your gifts in the best way for their unique circumstances. Your children, extended family and friends, causes and institutions receive your gift directly or "in trust." Many beneficiaries receive the assets you've assigned to them free and clear from all oversight...
Trust Litigation Representation for Trustees and Beneficiaries
Allen Barron has decades of experience with trust litigation representation for trustees and beneficiaries alike. Trust litigation is not only legally quite complex, it requires a team with legal, tax and accounting expertise to protect your interests. Trust litigation often involves family members, close family friends and substantial sums of...
San Diego Executors and Trustees are Personally Liable
San Diego executors and trustees are personally liable for their actions during the administration of an estate or trust. When you are asked by a friend or family member to serve as the executor of their will or as a trustee it is perhaps one of the greatest compliments one...
Why is an Estate Plan Important for All San Diegans?
What is estate planning and why is an estate plan important for all San Diegans? The answers in the end are quite simple: time and money. Do you own your home? Do you own a business or an interest in a local company? If so, an estate plan will save...
Every San Diego Homeowner Should Have a Trust
We have often written that every San Diego homeowner should have a trust due to the high costs of probate and the time involved. Yet most San Diegans don't even have a will, let alone an estate plan which includes a trust. What should a homeowner know and why should...
How can a Trust Help a San Diego Home Owner
A revocable trust is most often the most advantageous way to take title to real estate. How can a trust help a San Diego home owner or a married couple? The estate planning and trust attorneys at Allen Barron can help you to establish a revocable trust in an efficient...