Pensions, Retirement Plans and Divorce

Without a doubt, going through a divorce can take a strenuous emotional toll on your personal life. It is important to also consider, that divorce can also have a long lasting financial impact on your life. Detaching your personal assets from those of your husband or wife can be problematic when your pension plan or retirement account is included in this division. Generally, a pension or retirement funds accumulated during a marriage earned by one partner is considered a community asset in California, meaning, it belongs to both parties. Get legal advice for further understanding if needed. This is important […]

By |Pension/Retirement Divisions (QDRO), Property Division, Property Transfers|
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What is an Inventory and Appraisal?

The State of California has hundreds of “Judicial Council” forms (forms that are adopted for universal use in courts within all 58 counties in California). These forms are broken into many major groups such as family law, civil, small claims, probate, criminal and more. An Inventory and Appraisal is both a process of listing estate assets for a formal valuation and a group of forms used typically in Probate, Conservatorship, and Guardianship cases within California.
Inventory and Appraisal – The Process
In Probate proceedings the Inventory and Appraisal is used to determine the value of an estate as to the date of […]

By |Probate, Property Transfers|
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Homeowners Beware

These so-called “foreclosure rescue companies”; claim they will help save your home, but in reality are out to make a profit — at your expense. If you are at risk of or in foreclosure, you should be on the lookout for foreclosure scams.
Red Flags for Foreclosure Rescue Scams
Asks for money upfront before providing any service
Instructs you not to contact your lender, lawyer, housing counselor, family, friends or others.
Asks for mortgage payments to be made directly to his or her company or a bank account set up by that person, rather than your lender.
Requires payment only in the form of cash, […]

By |Misc, Property Transfers|
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Transferring Real Estate – A Simple Deed or a Costly Mistake?

There are so many reasons to get professional tax advice before adding someone to a deed or transferring real property outright. There can be serious and costly consequences. Yet so many people just won’t take the time to seek the information or get the advice. When someone comes in to our office to have a deed prepared, we’d like to be sure that they know what they’re doing. Because we prepare legal documents under our client’s specific direction and are not tax professionals, we can’t counsel on these matters, except to encourage them to get advice on legal and financial […]

By |Deeds, Estate Planning, Property Transfers, Wills|
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Things to Note if You Need a Living Trust

The following article published by the Federal Trade Commission says that generally an attorney is required to be used for the preparation of your living trust. Fortunately because California is consumer friendly, an attorney DOES NOT have to be used to prepare Living Trusts in California. California legitimized the legal document preparation profession over 0 years ago with SB1418. A legal document assistant must be bonded and registered with the county clerk to prepare legal documents for the consumer. However consumers still need to make sure they are informed and with all the excellent resources and information on the internet, […]

By |Death & Property, Estate Planning, Living Trusts, Probate, Property Transfers|
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