Don’t Make These Blunders When It Comes to Estate Planning

Procrastination is common, especially when what we have to accomplish seems like a giant we need to slay. That can happen when it comes to estate planning. It may seem like a monumental task that is best left for another day. Or you may simply not want to think about your own mortality. However, you don’t want to make one of the three classic blunders regarding this crucial task. Here are three things to avoid:

• Waiting until it is too late – From car accidents to illnesses, there are so many things that could result in a healthy person being tragically taken or incapacitated. You need to have your estate plan in place now, just in case.
• Failing to review your plan after life changes – From a wedding or birth to a divorce or death, you need to review your plan every time you experience a major change in life circumstances. Moving to a new state also counts since your plan with have to reflect state legislation.
• Using a DIY will off the Internet – When you are planning for the future of your family, you don’t want to leave anything to chance. A professional can help ensure that your estate goes to your heirs instead of the government.

Estate Planning Professionals in Southern California

Don’t delay. Get help with your estate plan now. The pros at Petrov Law Firm can help you develop an estate plan from scratch or review and amend an existing plan. Call 619.344.0360 to get started today!

How Having Children Should Impact Your Estate Plan

Having a child is a momentous occasion in the life of a family. Whether this is your first or you have several little ones running around the family home, you have reasons for joy. You also have reasons to revisit your estate plan. Here are some things you may need to change now that you have children in the household.

• Legal guardian planning – No parent wants to think about their child having to go through the loss of a parent at a young age. However, accidents can happen, and the loving thing to do is to be prepared. That means assigning guardianship of your minor children should anything cause you and your spouse both to pass away at the same time.
• Putting a trust in place for each child – A trust is a great way to ensure that your child will be well taken care of, even if you die before they reach legal age. The money will be protected in the trust, and a loyal successor trustee can ensure that the funds are used to care for your child until he or she is old enough to accept the assets themselves.

Don’t Wait to Begin Estate Planning if You Have Children

Now is the time to get your estate planning squared away, and don’t forget to review your plan every time you add a new member to the family. Petrov Law Firm is here to help. Just call 619.344.0360 to ensure your family is protected.

Three Ways to Prepare Your Trust for a Beneficiary with Health Problems

When your beneficiaries have preexisting health conditions, this can have an effect on your estate planning. In what ways may the plan be affected? Here are a few tips when it comes to leaving behind assets in trust for an ill family member. Keep in mind that these suggestions apply for family members with all sorts of chronic ailments, including mental illnesses.

• Your successor trustee will play a crucial role – Choose someone who you trust to be able to handle the delicate situations that may arise when carrying out your instructions regarding the dispensation of the trust.
• Your instructions need to be crystal clear – If your instructions are clear, this empowers your successor trustee to handle matters with the proper compassion, while also protecting the estate for your loved one. When it comes to financial matters, sentimentality can often be a detriment, whereas logical thinking can result in the best fiduciary decisions.
• Include disbursements for medical care – Make sure your loved one can get the medical care that he or she needs by allowing early disbursement of funds. This is especially vital if your beneficiary is a minor who may not otherwise have access to the money.

Compassionate Estate Planning in Southern California

For all of your estate planning needs, especially if your family faces a delicate situation, contact Petrov Law Firm. Call 619.344.0360 today to learn how our estate planning attorneys can help you to craft a plan that meets the unique needs of your family.

Estate Plan Considerations if You Are at High-Risk for COVID-19

While California is taking rapid action to combat the spread of COVID-19, it is still vital for each of us to do what we can to protect our own family. One thing to consider is your estate plan, either developing one or reviewing your existing plan. Here are a few things to think about for those who are at high-risk.

• Is your advance medical directive in order? – If you end up on a ventilator, you want your medical wishes down in writing in advance, and you need to select an agent to help ensure those decisions are enforced.
• Do you have a will, trusts, or joint accounts set up for a clear transition of assets? – If something should happen to you suddenly, you won’t have time to scramble and get documents together. These decisions need to be made in advance.
• Do you have a contingency if you and your primary beneficiary both die? – Sadly, this disease has, at times, simultaneously claimed the lives of multiple members of a family. You need to be sure that there are secondary beneficiaries in place.
• Is your existing plan up to date? – If you already have an estate plan, it wouldn’t hurt to go over it, Make sure that your current beneficiaries are the ones that you want in place and make any changes that you need to right away.

Estate Planning Professionals in San Diego

If you live in the San Diego area, contact Petrov Law Firm for all of your estate planning needs. Just call 619.344.0360 to schedule a consultation with an experienced estate planning lawyer.

Don’t Take Chances With Who Gets Your Estate

Many people put off estate planning because no one likes to consider their own mortality. It can also be a little confusing if you try to do your own planning without the help of a professional. However, if you want to be sure that your assets go to your loved ones, then you need to be prepared. Here are two of the most important things to do regarding estate planning.

• Don’t wait any longer – If you haven’t done any estate planning or you haven’t received help from an attorney, now is the time to get your affairs in order. While California has laws regarding succession, you don’t want to rely on the state to be certain that your beneficiaries receive what you want them to get. Good estate planning will ensure your heirs get what they deserve in an efficient way without the expense and time of the court system.
• Review your documents regularly – Even if you already have an estate plan in place, you need to go over your documents annually. Every state has its own laws regarding estates, so if you move across state lines, that means going over your plan. Also, make sure that your named beneficiaries on insurance, retirement, and bank accounts and policies are accurate and up to date.

Estate Planning Experts in Southern California

Petrov Law Firm in San Diego has the estate planning attorneys to help you set your family up for the future. Contact us today at 619.344.0360 to learn more.

Three Important Things to Remember About Estate Planning in California

Estate planning is an important part of thinking ahead for the future of your family. What are some things that you need to remember when preparing your estate? Here are three important tips.

• Estate planning laws vary from state to state – That means you have to update your plan any time you move between states. It also means that you need to work with an estate planning attorney from the state you are a resident of when setting up your plan.
• Review your estate plan regularly – You should look over your estate plan each year. However, if you have a major lifechanging event occur, this calls for reviewing the plan immediately. Such events can include adding a family member (marriage, birth, adoption, etc.) or losing a family member (divorce, death, disowning, etc.).
• Don’t forget planning for your health needs – Preparing your medical wishes in advance is a crucial part of estate planning. You also have the opportunity to appoint a healthcare agent who can speak for you and advocate for your wishes should you become incapacitated for a time. Therefore, you don’t want to forget your advance medical directive when preparing your estate.

Estate Planning Attorneys in San Diego

Petrov Law Firm has southern California’s premier estate planning attorneys. Give us a call at 619.344.0360 to discuss your options. We’re here to help you prepare for the future so that your family and your own needs will be well cared for.

Succession in the State of California

If you were to die in the state of California with no last will and testament in place, what would happen to your belongings? California, like other states, sets its own line of succession in regard to inheritance. Here is the initial line of succession, depending on family members who survive you.

• Spouse – Remember that this only applies to those who are legally married. If you have been cohabiting with the same person for many years, it may not be something you think about.
• Children – Things can get complicated if you have children with multiple people, so blended families shouldn’t rely on natural succession.
• Parents – If you are survived by your parents but do not have a legal spouse or children, they will be the next of kin.
• Siblings – If there are no closer relatives, your siblings should be contacted next.

Keep in mind that this line of succession depends on a court-appointed individual being able to identify and contact your next of kin. To ensure the line of succession or to change the order, you will have to perform your own estate planning. Also, planning ahead and executing the right documents will speed up the process and result in fewer assets going to the courts or state.

Planning Ahead for Succession in California

To ensure that your family receives what they deserve as soon as possible or to add charitable donations to your estate planning, you want the help of experienced estate planning attorneys. Call 619.344.0360 to contact the professionals at Petrov Law Firm.

Tips Regarding Life Insurance Policy Beneficiaries

A life insurance policy can help your family to financially navigate the difficult time they will experience when you pass away. From covering burial costs to helping the family get by until the rest of the estate becomes available, life insurance can play a vital role in your estate planning. Here are a few tips regarding life insurance policies.

• Keep your beneficiary up to date – Your life insurance policy will pass directly to the named beneficiary without going through probate, so be sure to keep your named beneficiary up to date because this cannot be contested after you die.
• There may be situations where it makes sense to make your trust the beneficiary – This is especially true if you have children under the age of 18. Sending the money directly to the trust will ensure that the funds are accessible and handled properly by your successor trustee.
• Consider whether you and your trustee are at risk of dying at the same time – Since marriage mates usually travel together, this is the most common situation. Again, you may choose to make a trust the beneficiary, or you will want to appoint a secondary beneficiary to the life insurance policy.

Estate Planning Experts in Southern California

If you are planning for the future of your estate in the San Diego area, contact Petrov Law Firm today at 619.344.0360. Our experienced estate planning attorneys can help you to choose the best way to structure your estate so that it meets the needs of your family.

When You Have a Beneficiary with a Mental Illness

Mental illness is increasingly common in the world today. If a relative has an illness, it doesn’t make you love them any less or want to take care of them any less. Therefore, your estate plan needs to be able to help you provide the support you want your loved one to have while compensating for the fact that he or she may not be able to manage the money alone. Here are a few tips to help guide you.

• A loyal and compassionate trustee. By appointing the right trustee over any trust that you leave to your loved one, you can ensure that the funds will be used for your loved one at the right times and in the proper amount.
• Controlling what funds can be dispensed for. Perhaps your loved one doesn’t need someone to care for him or her, but is still concerned about things like impulse spending or squandering the inheritance in other ways? Structuring the inheritance so that funds are only released for certain types of expenses is a good way to protect your loved one.
• Covering voluntary treatment costs. You can structure the trust so that your loved one receives a dispensation when he or she seeks medical care relating to the condition. This may move your loved one to see the high value of proper treatment and may provide the funds necessary to get the right care without the guilt of how expensive medical treatment can be in the US.

Discretionary Trusts and Other Estate Planning Methods in California

At Petrov Law Firm in San Diego, our estate planning attorneys will be happy to help you plan for the future needs of your loved ones. To see what types of estate planning are best for your family, contact us today at 619-344-0360.

The Big “What Ifs” to Consider When Estate Planning

Usually, people are encouraged not to waste their time worrying about things that may never happen, but when you are working on an estate plan, you do have to think about certain scenarios that may be unlikely but that would seriously affect your plans. Here are three “what ifs” that your estate plan should account for.

• What if there is a family conflict after I die? A big inheritance can bring out the worst, even in families that are very close-knit. The best way to protect your loved ones is to be very explicit about who gets what. You may even choose a non-family member as your executor.
• What if my mate and I die together? If a tragedy should occur such as an accident or a disaster, this is a possible scenario. Plan ahead by outlining succession in your estate plan and be certain to include plans for the care of minor children should they lose both parents at once.
• What if I die in another country? If you regularly travel or live in another country for part of the year, be sure that dying in another country will not affect your estate plan. You may need the assistance of a lawyer from the country you spend a lot of time in along with your local estate planning attorney.

Crossing the T’s and Dotting the I’s in California

For California estate planning, contact the attorneys at Petrov Law Firm. Our experienced and compassionate lawyers can help you to plan ahead for all of the “what ifs” so that you can have the peace of mind you deserve. Call 619-344-0360 to get started today.