The Flexibility of the California Uniform Directed Trust Act

The need to identify an individual or group of individuals to step in down the road as your successor trustee can be a daunting exercise. Some clients prefer to name a private fiduciary or corporate trustee in the place of a family member or friend for these reasons:  • Appointing a corporate trustee alleviates family … Continued

Don’t Miss the Boat on Gifting and Estate Tax Exemptions

July 20, 2020 In December 2017, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), creating a significant but temporary opportunity for high-net-worth individuals to transfer a portion of their wealth to heirs free of gift and estate tax. The act included a provision to increase the federal gift and estate tax exclusion from $5.45M … Continued

Can You Trust Your Trustee?

In the simplest of terms, a trust is a financial arrangement that allows another person, known as the trustee, to hold assets for the well-being of a beneficiary. There are many benefits to creating a trust: privacy, control, legacy protection and tax savings. Once the trust has been created and funded, it is the trustee’s … Continued

Domestic Asset Protection Trusts – A Shield Against Litigation

Silicon Valley is home to countless individuals who have created significant wealth through grit and ingenuity; but it is also located in California, a notoriously litigious state. Diversifying one’s concentrated wealth in a single company stock into a well-allocated portfolio can help alleviate market risk, but how does one shield hard-earned money against the various … Continued