Estate Planning

2020 is a major election year. While it’s too early to tell what that means in terms of which side of the aisle will have the majority, it’s not too early to start planning for estate tax law changes that could happen. Proposed Estate Tax Law Changes Depending on the outcome of the November elections,  there’s a strong chance that estate tax reforms will pass and be applied to assets...

Charitable giving is an incredible way to positively impact organizations, foundations, and causes near and dear to your heart. Whether philanthropy and charitable giving is a regular part of your life or whether you are considering it as an integral component of your Estate Plan after you pass away, charitable giving can be a wonderful way to leave a lasting legacy. When trying to decide how...

When we take vows with our spouse, the future and an inevitable loss of your loved one seems lightyears away. Years of marriage can entwine two people so that daily life becomes inconceivable without one another. From large decisions like building a home and raising a family, down to who holds the Netflix password or reminds the other to take their daily vitamin – spouses depend on each...

If you have a living trust, you probably think that you will avoid probate. Well, that may be true, but having a stack of documents you call a trust is not enough to do the job, you have to now put assets in your trust. Imagine your living trust is a bucket. Once you sign your trust, you have an empty bucket, but you can now start filling it with your stuff. How do you fill your bucket? Let’s...

Welcome to CunninghamLegal – The Living Trust Lawyers On September 1st, 2017, The Sydney Law Firm, P.C. was acquired by CunninghamLegal. Jeff Sydney and his wife, Alicia, decided it was the the right time for them to retire and pass the baton to our firm to serve his clients. We are honored that Jeff Sydney has entrusted his successful, long-standing practice to us at CunninghamLegal....

CunninghamLegal – The Living Trust Lawyers “Estate Planning” is a general phrase that most people associate with planning for the end of one’s life. While that basic definition is a good place to start, estate planning goes far beyond just planning for the distribution of assets upon death. It also includes planning for periods of incapacity, healthcare decision making, Medi-Cal...

CunninghamLegal – The Living Trust Lawyers Incapacity is generally defined as lacking the ability to make decisions for oneself. This can occur due to a mental impairment or a physical disability or illness, which prevents a person from having the ability to communicate their reasonable decisions to others. Like most people, Snow White did not know that she would become incapacitated....

CunninghamLegal – The Living Trust Lawyers This is an informative article from California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) on how your home and other assets impact Medi-Cal eligibility. CANHR Website Medi-Cal eligibility requires that an applicant (and his/her spouse) have a limited amount of assets. Your home is exempt from consideration as a resource when you or your spouse...