Living Trust Primary Purpose of a Living Trust – Assets titled in the name of the trust avoid probate and provide privacy from the public in regards to your assets. In addition, a named trustee may serve to avoid having a guardian or conservator appointed for you by the state as you age or become…
Do You Want to Pay Estate Taxes? No? Using of Trusts for Estate Tax Savings – Well, if you haven’t planned, you might be paying them anyway. When you made your Will, did you leave any money to the government? No way, right? You might be wrong about that. Most of us don’t want to…
HOA Board All too often, boards spend large amounts of time focused on relatively unimportant matters, so as a result, weightier matters get ignored. It can be easy to get caught arguing about an endless number of minor issues and lose sight of their responsibilities. They might skimp on items like reserves or insurance to…
AB5 A new and controversial law governing “gig work” (a fancy term for independent contractors) in California went into effect on January 1, 2020. Several groups, including freelance writers and Uber drivers, are fighting the regulation that was signed in September 2019 by Governor Gavin Newsom. The law is popularly known as AB5. The law…
Homeowner Association Serving on your homeowner association (HOA) board can be a thankless, challenging, and lonely job. It might seem like no one wanted it, and somehow I got stuck with it kind of a position. Usually, the job description comes with late-night maintenance phone calls, long-winded alcohol-induced suggestions, and the expectations that it is…
Guardianship in Estate Planning Our clients typically wonder what’s going to happen to their children if either or both parents pass away. Now what? The term “Guardianship” is used to appoint or name an individual(s) to take care of your minor children if either parent or both, have passed away or become incapacitated. In the…
What is a Contract or Agreement? A contract is an agreement that is binding and legally enforceable when adequately formed. This kind of arrangement is the most frequently used for legal dealings. It happens in nearly every case where something is sold or purchased. Some examples include contracts for the sale of goods, sale of…
Health Information Rights The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, HIPAA privacy rule provides you with health information privacy rights. Your health information rights include the right to access your health information, an accounting of disclosures of your health information, and to correct or amend your health information — the right to notice…
Ask Yourself These Benefit and Restriction Questions Before Moving Into an HOA This HOA Benefit and Restriction Questions list will allow you to do questioning as needed more quickly. HOA Benefits: What services will I receive in return for my monthly HOA assessment? How are our streets kept free of cars, trucks, and recreational vehicles?…
Understand That Hoas May Vary Significantly in the Services They Provide Considering an HOA Before Purchasing a New Home – The original developer initially establishes the scope of the association by setting out the services and expenses in the association’s budget; the declaration offers how the association can enforce the members’ obligations. The by-laws set…