Trusts

Looking for the best Living Trust attorneys in the Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, or Calabasas, California area? Please consider our CunninghamLegal office in Westlake Village, headed by two popular and proven estate attorneys, Jeff Rosen and Janice Lee Shen. Jeff and Janice work with people throughout the Conejo Valley as they create Living Trusts, Wills, Powers-of-Attorney,...

Fix Your Outdated Living Trust Now! By Tasha Jahn, Attorney-at-Law Remember that Living Trust you created five or ten years ago? I’m sorry to tell you it was just the beginning. Since then, your family probably changed, your assets certainly changed, and believe me, the tax laws changed a lot. That means the Estate Plan that’s been sitting quietly in your drawer all this time has likely...

Eight Steps for New Trustees by James L. Cunningham Jr., Attorney at Law I realize that you have just faced the difficult truth of a loved one passing away. Unfortunately, I must tell you that another difficult truth awaits: If you were named as the Trustee of an estate, it can be more than a little stressful going through a loved one’s things, finding their financials and deeds, paying their...

While it is important during this Coronavirus pandemic to make sure that each of us has our own estate plans in place, our office continues to receive many inquiries about Trust administration during COVID-19. Trust administration is necessary when a loved one is incapacitated, a spouse passes away or a Trust is terminated following the death of a single person or a surviving spouse. People...

On January 1, 2020, the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) went into effect. The bill is the most significant reform to retirement legislation in decades and dramatically changes how your IRA and retirement benefits are treated post-death. The most immediate impact of the bill will be felt by those nearing or in retirement.  For most people, a retirement account...

Recently lost a loved one? Please know that you’re not alone. We’re here to help you through this difficult time and guide you on the next steps to take. We also encourage you to reach out and ask for help from family and friends in making arrangements for what comes next. This network of support is often more than happy to prepare food, look after children, help with arrangements, or simply...

An executor of a Will and Trustee of a Trust have distinct legal responsibilities and there are major legal liabilities at stake when confusing these two different roles. Let’s explore the differences. What does an executor of a Will do? If your loved one passed away with a Will, then an executor is named within the document or appointed by the court. The executor of a Will carries out the...

When a loved one dies, their family members go through a lengthy process of taxes, financials, and legalities. While everyone’s situation is different, it is important to seek the help of a professional attorney for California trust administration and it’s crucial to do so as soon as possible! If you wait to seek out professional help before the administration process begins, you may find tax...

If you are a resident of Grass Valley, Nevada City, Lake Wildwood, Penn Valley or Alta Sierra, you now have more choices when selecting your Estate Planning attorney. The areas in and around Grass Valley and Nevada City already have living trust attorney’s in town, but just a short drive down Highway 49, in beautiful, historic Auburn, you will find CunninghamLegal. For those who are not...

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...