PB Law Blog... Trusts and Stuff

Estate planning is dead. Gone are the days of creating legal structures to hold your assets, pass your fortune on to the next generation and, of course, avoid paying estate taxes. Gone are the days of planning for your death. It’s time to plan for your life. 

Link to Original Article by Daniel Scott, Forbes, July 26, 2018

Understanding the Probate process emphasizes that proper estate planning is vital!  This week, we give you an introduction to Probate, what it is and what it entails.  

Aretha Franklin's recent passing brought to light another celebrity estate lacking the proper protection planning to avoid probate.  We have provided a reminder checklist to prevent this from happening to you and your family...

by Kathleen Pender, San Francisco Chronicle, August 25, 2018 

People who own just one or two rental properties might not qualify for the new 20 percent federal deduction that big-time real estate investors and other pass-through entities will get starting this year.

The federal tax law passed in December lets many pass-through entities such as partnerships and sole proprietorships deduct 20 percent of their “qualified business income,” with some limits. 

Link to Original Article

PLEASE NOTE- THIS INFORMATION IS AGED- PLEASE REFERENCE UPDATES TO THE LAW NECESSITATED BY CA PROP 19, WHICH BECAME EFFECTIVE ON FEBRUARY 16, 2021, AND SEVERELY LIMITS THE PARENT / CHILD EXCLUSION.

WASHINGTON — Architects and engineers are still in. Accountants, doctors and lawyers remain out — mostly. New rules floated by the Trump administration lay out what kinds of businesses can take a 20 percent deduction against income taxes under the new tax law. 

by Marcy Gordon, Associated Press | August 10, 2018, USA Today

This week marks the first week of school for many families.  While the kids are at school, we continue to discuss financial planning  in Part 2 of our Back-to-School Checklist.  Keep your preparation-game strong by using these planning tools!

Back-to-school season is all about fresh starts!  Inspired by the importance of preparation in starting a new school year, we have provided a two-part checklist that will help you and your family prepare for the future!

Read more for Part 1!

As a soon-to-be college freshman many years ago, I was preoccupied with selecting roommates, finding bacteria-resistant shower shoes, and dreaming about the incredible freedom my 18-year-old adult self would have. Of course, it never occurred to me that it would have been prudent to have certain legal documents in place to make sure my parents could intervene on my behalf if I were injured, ill or incapacitated while I was away at school. This never occurred to my parents either! In fact, my mother and father did not fully appreciate that when I turned 18, at least in the eyes of the law, they no longer had any dominion over me.

Beverly Nelson with StandUpForCaregivers.org, discusses the conversations in life that are just plain difficult - talking with your loved one about end-of-life arrangements. It’s a topic you’d rather put off until later, but you don’t know what the future holds. You can, however, make sure your loved one has a plan in place for when their Golden Years quietly come to a close. 

For this week, we are diving into the realm of entertainment, sharing some celebrity estate planning horror stories!