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LLCs – great for asset protection during life; but beware of pitfalls at your passing

Pretty much all California real estate owners are aware of Proposition 13, the benefit granted to existing real estate owners, restricting property tax increases to a maximum of 2% per year.  Many real estate owners are also aware of Proposition 58, which provides a “parent-child exclusion” from the normal rule that eliminates Proposition 13 protection from any change in ownership.  Proposition

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Warning: Don’t Let Creditors Inherit from You

Shocking to most people, the retirement account you leave for your spouse can be seized in a divorce, lawsuit, or bankruptcy. 3 Options Available To Surviving Spouses When your surviving spouse inherits your IRA, he or she generally has three options: Cash out the inherited IRA and pay the income tax. WARNING! The cashed-out IRA will not have creditor protection and accelerates

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5 Reasons to Protect Your Retirement Accounts Now

During your lifetime, your retirement account has good asset protection, but as soon as you pass that account to a loved one, that protection evaporates. This means one lawsuit and POOF! Your life long, hard earned savings could be gone. Your heirs could be left penniless. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem.  A special trust called a “Standalone Retirement

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How to Make Your Inheritance Last

A 2012 study by Ohio State researcher Jay Zagorsky found that about one-third of Americans who receive an inheritance have negative savings within two years of getting their money, and of those who receive $100,000 or more, nearly one in five spend, donate or simply lose it all.  If you are about to receive an inheritance, there are several steps you

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Hope to See You at Our First-Ever Coffee Chat, 3-6p.m. Monday, November 19th

On Monday, November 19th, we’ll be hosting our first-ever Kaiser Law Group Coffee Chat from 3-6 p.m. It’s an “open office hours”-style event. We just ask that you let us know that you are planning to come by so we can expect you. I’m not a coffee drinker – more of a hot chocolate guy (no whipped cream, no marshmallows), so

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Retirement Planning for Business Owners

For many employees, saving for retirement is usually a matter of simply participating in their employer’s 401(k) plan and perhaps opening an IRA for some extra savings. But, when you’re the owner of a business, planning for retirement requires proactivity and strategy. It’s not just the dizzying array of choices for retirement accounts, there’s also planning for the business itself. Who

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5 Reasons to Embrace the Emotional Side of Estate Planning

When you hear the phrase “estate plan,” you might first think about paperwork. Or your mind might land on some of the uncomfortable topics that estate planning confronts head-on: end-of-life decisions, incapacity, and your family’s legacy from generation to generation. Those subjects hit home for everyone. But while that could feel like a reason to avoid estate planning, the emotional nature

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3 Things You Must Do Once Your Divorce Is Final

The divorce process can be long and expensive.  However, the work does not end once the divorce decree is signed. In order to ensure that your assets and estate planning wishes are carried out in light of this major life change, there are three things you must do as soon as possible. Change Beneficiary Designation On Life Insurance A life insurance

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How to Leave Your Life Insurance and Retirement Plan to Your Minor Children

Your children are your pride and joy. It is no surprise that at some point or another, every parent likely becomes concerned about who will care for a minor child or children if one or both parents die or are incapacitated. From a financial perspective, many parents turn to life insurance in an effort to take care of their family in

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