Should You Name Your Trust as the Beneficiary of Your Retirement Plan? When planning your estate, one important decision is determining who should inherit your retirement accounts. These accounts—IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and 457 plans—are tax-deferred vehicles designed to grow over time with pre-tax contributions. The choice of beneficiary can have significant tax and estate planning…
Should You Put Your Timeshare Into a Trust? Timeshares can be wonderful for making vacation memories, but when it comes to estate planning, they can also be one of the trickiest assets to deal with. Unlike a home or retirement account, a timeshare isn’t just about ownership—it comes with ongoing fees, limited availability, and, sometimes,…
Legal separation can introduce unique complexities to estate planning. While a separation does not terminate the legal rights of spouses to inherit from each other, it is essential to take additional steps to clarify the situation for your heirs. This blog post explores the implications of legal separation on estate planning in California and provides actionable steps to safeguard your assets and enforce your final wishes.
Your trust likely has an investment standard — a prudent person or a prudent investor standard. But what are the differences between the two? See below. Prudent Person Standard A prudent person standard means your successor trustee needs to invest your assets prudently. In other words, your successor trustee cannot invest in assets that are…
