CunninghamLegal

With a combined 68 years of experience, CunninghamLegal’s attorneys are experts in the areas of estate planning, trust administration, Medi-Cal and VA Benefits planning, Business Law, probate, disability/special needs planning, asset protection, and much more. CunninghamLegal 5950 Canoga Ave Suite 240 Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (818) 594-0500 trust attorney california Our Social Pages: facebook twitter linkedin

  CunninghamLegal 5950 Canoga Ave Suite 240 Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (818) 594-0500 You’ve worked hard to build a nest egg: cash, investments, properties, and more. But all these assets could be lost in an instant through a lawsuit—even when the lawsuit isn’t your fault. After you’re gone, similar threats could devastate the assets you leave to your loved ones—often through no fault of their own. For example, many people, after inheriting and turning (“transmuting”) their separate property inheritance to community property, find that they lose half when the other spouse decides to divorce the person inheriting. Let’s look at some key legal strategies you can implement now, before the threat arrives. Indeed, in general these strategies only work if put in place well in advance of trouble.       Asset Protection While You’re Alive: Private Retirement Plans We’ll start with protecting your assets while you’re still alive. California offers its citizens plenty of legal challenges, but we

Perhaps you have just faced the pain of losing a loved one, and you are beginning to look at the steps you must take following a death in California. If you were named as the Trustee of your loved one’s Estate, it can be more than a little stressful going through their things, finding their financials and deeds, paying their debts, paying their taxes, administering the Will and Living Trust they left behind, canceling subscriptions, closing bank accounts, and distributing assets to all their beneficiaries in a fair and legal way. It’s often a long process, requiring a year or more—so brace yourself and try to relax. This is going to take time and it’s going to take patience. You should also immediately consider getting professional help with Trust Administration in California through an estate legal firm like ours. CunninghamLegal provides complete Trust Administration Services in California, regardless of where you as a Trustee are located–and we often work with people located out of

CunninghamLegal 5950 Canoga Ave Suite 240 Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (818) 594-0500 At CunninghamLegal, we offer unparalleled expertise in the creation of California Living Trusts, at affordable rates. Why Do I Need a Living Trust? A Living Trust lies at the heart of a modern Estate Plan, and you need to understand why. Without a Living Trust created by a competent and expert Estate attorney, your loved ones face a complex, expensive, public, and often messy legal process known as probate. Probate in California typically takes a year or more and requires many thousands of dollars. In larger estates, probate may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Far too often, probate creates conflict among family members as they stand in front of a judge and argue their rights to your assets. Can’t I Just Make Out a Will? If you leave no document at all, not even a Will, you will be creating a disaster for your family. But even a properly written Last Will & Testament is not enough to move your

  CunninghamLegal 5950 Canoga Ave Suite 240 Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (818) 594-0500 Everyone has an estate, and literally every adult should have an Estate Plan, usually including a Living Trust. No plan? Chaos. For starters, please understand that an Estate Plan is not just about who gets your condo when you die. The right Estate Plan matters just as much when you get sick or are otherwise incapacitated. And it’s absolutely vital for anyone who depends on you. Right now, if you got hit by a car and lay unconscious in the hospital, who would legally be empowered to manage your finances? Pay your bills? Take care of your young children? Run your business? Make critical decisions about your healthcare? Think it’s your spouse? Maybe. But what if he or she is out of action, too? Not quite sure? You need an Estate Plan. Estate Planning Prevents Sibling Battles If you left the world tomorrow, what would happen to that house you’re renting to your grandson and his family? Would your three