AvoidEstate TaxExplosion

Will your estate be subject to estate taxes at the time of your death? That may not be so clear. After all, Congress seems intent to keep changing the estate tax laws. In recent years, the estate tax has been set to apply only to estates that exceed $5 million in value, with an

Can a Bad TrusteeLose it All?

The ever confusing Trust and Will no-contest clause is continually being used and abused in California Trust and Will lawsuits. The irony is that a beneficiary is rarely, if ever, disinherited under a no-contest clause any more because the law is favorably skewed to prevent forfeiture. In other words, no-contest clauses simply do

Is an oral promise to make a will or trust enforceable under California law? Contrary to what many believe, California law provides for the enforcement of oral promises to make a will or trust.

How does the promise to make a will or trust arise? Generally, a parent orally promises a child, a friend, or

There’s Trusts that run smoothly, there’s Trusts that have a few problems, and then there’s Trust where everything is a fight from start to finish.  Which Trust sounds most like yours?

  1. Smooth Sailing.  This is the way Trusts are supposed to work.  The successor Trustee takes over management of the Trust, the assets are