Our Estate Planning Library Articles

Our legal library contains a variety of articles to help people understand the California estate planning process. Browse through our library to learn about the documents included in an estate plan, how to protect your future health and medical care, and how to ensure that your wealth will be appropriately passed down to your loved ones.

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Estate Planning for People Who Are Single Estate planning is not just for married couples. Single people need to plan for their future, as well. Learn why you need to create a plan if you’re not married
An Intestate Will Leaves Your Assets and Loved Ones in the Court’s Hands Sorting out an estate without a will can cause unexpected problems in California probate court. Learn more here.
Being a Guardian Is a Big Job With Big Obligations Choosing a guardian is one of the most important and difficult aspects of estate planning. Here, learn more about the responsibilities of a guardian.
The Importance of Having a Will and a Living Trust Wills and living trusts may seem like similar documents, but each has different functions. Learn more about both documents as part of a well-planned estate.
Protecting Your Estate When You’re Getting a Divorce Divorce changes a lot in your life, and you need to reconsider your will, estate, and assets. Here, learn more about protecting yourself after a divorce.
Planning Your Estate When You Have Children New parents who want to prepare for the future need to choose a guardian for their children, write a will, and establish a living trust.
January 2021 Newsletter - You May Need to Act NOW To Preserve Your Home’s Low Property Taxes for Your Children In November, California voters approved Proposition 19. This may dramatically reduce your children’s ability to retain your below market property assessment
How to Make Modifications to a Living Trust-Based Estate Plan Whenever there is a significant change in your life, you should review your estate plan to determine if you need to modify your living trust.
Setting Up a Living Trust-Centered Estate Plan A California living trust offers many benefits over a will-based estate plan, including the ability to control and gift assets during your lifetime.
Let Our Legal Team Help Modify or Reform Your Living Trust The Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis, Inc., can help you modify or reform a trust. Let us ensure your trust is effective and in line with your wishes.
The Questions You Should Ask When Choosing Your Estate Planner Use this list of questions to help you find a suitable estate planner to protect your assets and provide for your family after you are gone.
The Most Complete Living Trust Package The Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis, Inc., can help you establish or modify a living trust. Sign up for a seminar: 866-402-1805.
Fending Off False Claims Against an Estate: Inheritance Disputes From Beyond the Grave Someone may not be related to the deceased. However, that doesn't always stop an expense to the estate. Learn how an attorney can help protect your interests.
Understanding Why Estate Planning Is So Important The Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis, Inc., will educate you on the basics of estate planning. Learn why everyone, regardless of income or assets, needs a plan.
Let Our Team Help You Protect Your Retirement and Limit Your Tax Burden Our legal team can help you craft a financial plan to ensure that you are maximizing your assets during your lifetime while reaching your estate planning goals.
Advanced Level Planning Options for Larger or More Complex Estates The Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis, Inc., works with complicated and high-asset estates. We offer a variety of options to meet your unique needs.
Preparing for Elder Care Expenses: How Tax Breaks Can Help Family Caregivers As life expectancy grows, so does the expense for elders. Tax breaks can help, but planning ahead is essential.
Blended Family? We Can Help You Protect Your Assets for the Right People When you've remarried or your spouse has children from a previous marriage, estate planning needs to be done carefully to leave assets to the correct people.
Our Team Helps Seniors With Medi-Cal Crisis and Long-Term Care Planning The Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis, Inc., can help you understand how to use Medicaid and Medi-Cal benefits to pay for long-term care.
We Can Assist With Disability and Pre-Death Planning Needs So You Have Your Affairs in Order The Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis, Inc., helps our clients plan for disability needs and pre-death planning in the event of a terminal illness.
Let Us Help You Protect Your Assets From Lawsuits, Creditors, and Divorce The Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis, Inc., can help you protect your assets from creditors, lawsuits, and divorce.
Estate Planning To Protect Your Minor Children The Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis, Inc., will help you make a plan for your children in case of the loss of their parents. Call: 866-402-1805.
Tax Planning The Law Firm of Kavesh, Minor & Otis, Inc., will help you navigate tax law when planning for your estate. Sign up for a seminar: 866-402-1805.
Our Estate Tax Planning Services Benefit You and Your Heirs Our California estate planning law firm can help maximize your federal estate tax exemptions and pass the majority of your assets to your heirs.
Income Tax Planning Is a Key Part of Protecting Your Family’s Future Our Southern California estate planning law firm can find the right techniques to reduce taxable income for individuals, families, and businesses.
September 2020 Newsletter - The (Best) Toughest Decision I Ever Had to Make At the time that my Dad passed away suddenly from a heart attack, about eleven years ago, my parents had already moved their long-time residency from South Jersey to South Florida. They enjoyed a small condo near Miami Beach that overlooked a river with boats passing by their balcony all day long, which was within walking distance to stores and a beautiful beach. A wonderful, well-deserved retirement place. My Mom was 85 years old when my Dad passed away and was in perfectly good health. She didn’t take any medications and was physically active, doing all of the cooking, shopping, and cleaning pretty much on her own, as she had always done. She still drove her car, paid all of the household bills, and kept her checkbook meticulously balanced to the penny! But Something Seemed to Be Wrong... (Continue Reading)
July 2020 Newsletter - Guess What May Be Coming Back! The government may be trying to get their hands into your and your loved ones’ pockets again - - and in a VERY BIG way! I’m not going to predict which political party will win the November election and control the Presidency, Senate, and House. But I do need to let you know what may happen if Democrats wind up winning all three, which appears more and more likely according to the polls. (I’m not taking a political stand here, just stating facts, so please don’t shoot the messenger!)
June 2020 Newsletter - Our Fondest Memories of Dad! As we approach the celebration of Father’s Day, our firm’s members each take a moment to reflect upon our fondest memories of Dad.
May 2020 Newsletter - Kids Aged 18 to 26 Are Such a Problem! (Just not in the way you may think) Once a child (or grandchild) reaches age 18, in California and many other states he or she is considered an “adult” (at least for legal purposes). However, that young adult may still depend on his or her parents for financial support or for help in making important financial and health care decisions. Unfortunately, if a Young Adult Suffers a Major Accident or Becomes Seriously Ill, What Happens Then?
April 2020 Newsletter - Answers To The Common Questions We're Now Getting From Clients We recently sent you an e-mail regarding the current status of our office and our services. However, we still received a lot of follow-up questions. We figured that it might be helpful for us to answer them for everyone else who might have had the same question, but perhaps didn't raise their hand. If you have any other questions that we may not have answered here, we want you to know that we are happy to hear from you.
March 2020 Newsletter - What's Really "Fair"? When It Comes To Dividing Your Estate Between Your Children (or Other Beneficiaries), What's Really "Fair"?
February 2020 Newsletter - New "SECURE" Act Makes Your IRAs Less Secure! *IRA OWNERS BEWARE* New "SECURE" Act Makes Your IRAs Less Secure! If you have IRAs that in total (including your spouses') exceed $200,000, you must read on.
January 2020 Newsletter - It's Time for a New Year's Resolution That You'll Actually Keep! It's Time for a New Year's Resolution That You'll Actually Keep!

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Experience and Expertise. Estate planning and post-death administration are all we do. Our attorneys have over 70 years of combined expertise in the field, and three of our attorneys have passed an additional Bar examination and peer review process to become State Bar Certified Specialists in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. Two of our attorneys also have Master’s Degrees in Tax Law, giving us unique insight into how estate tax and income tax will affect your family’s inheritance.
Customization and Attention to Detail. Before we create or update your estate plan, we get to know you, your goals, and what matters to you most. We take the time to listen to your concerns and attend to each of your unique needs and desires as if they were our own. When we complete your plan, we perform a detailed quality control process to help ensure your objectives are met. We also provide you with a personalized Owner’s Manual containing all of your important documents, and your Successor Trustee with a Manual containing helpful, plain-English checklists and easy-to-follow procedures.
Lifetime Relationship. All of our estate plans include a free ongoing service package. We take phone calls any time you have questions, perform free estate planning checkups every three years, and keep you abreast of changes in the law and planning strategies with our complimentary newsletters and educational seminars. And, when the time comes, we will be there to help your trustee and loved ones.