Online resource center to help you explore these key issues, and others, regarding your estate.
Mr. Miller has many years of experience in designing and implementing a comprehensive variety of Trusts, Wills, and other estate planning documents, as well as settling estates in the most expedient and appropriate method. Further, he counsels and assists clients on becoming eligible for VA benefits and Medi-Cal.
Learn moreMr. Miller has been active in the area of VA Pension and Medi-Cal for well over a decade. He uses various specialized types of Trusts as well as non-trust strategies to gain eligibility for his clients and save the family money.
Learn moreMr. Miller has been settling estates (both simple and complex) for well over 40 years. The starting point is always to create a strategy to settle the estate in the most efficient manner possible with a minimum of taxes. Often times the strategy created allows the family to bypass Probate Court proceedings.
Learn moreGifts may come in a lot of different forms: you may be helping someone out with a bill payment, putting property into someone else’s name in order to avoid probate, or giving a no-strings attached offer to someone. Regardless of the nature of the gift, if you are providing someone with something of value without … Read more
Surviving spouses are eligible for a number of benefits after the death of their spouse. There are estate tax benefits, such as the marital deduction allowing estate tax-free transfers to the surviving spouse, a simplified probate procedure (the spousal petition), and the list goes on. Most benefits are available only to surviving spouses who are … Read more
Following the death of a loved one, there are a large number of tasks that must be completed. Among the first is to determine whether there is a will or trust and to locate it. If the decedent has engaged in preplanning, there may even be instructions regarding burial or cremation in the documents. Depending … Read more
Although the Revolutionary War rid Americans of the requirement to care about the British monarchy, the news media has been abuzz with the happy news of a prince. Prince William and Kate Middleton have had their first child, who is third in line to the throne after Prince Charles and Prince William. So far, the … Read more
Family dynamics are unique to each family unit. Particularly in the last few years, family members are living together more often and adult children are staying or returning home more frequently. Additionally, more and more people are choosing home health care options over long-term nursing home care during their elderly years, sometimes employing a family … Read more
A few weekends ago an airplane tragically crashed at the San Francisco airport, killing two young Chinese students and injuring over 160 others. The effects of the tragedy reverberated throughout the country as many airports suffered delays and cancelled flights. Of course, the inconvenience of delays may have racked up travel expenses for tourists and … Read more
For the vast majority of property owners in California, the revocable living trust is the preferred estate planning method. It offers flexibility throughout life because it is freely amendable during life and does not require that specific assets be separated and subject to certain terms and conditions for withdrawal. Additionally, the revocable living trust is … Read more
The Supreme Court has officially struck down Article 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which affects same sex married couples who were legally married during the brief time the state allowed same sex marriages. Additionally, the Court determined that proponents of the controversial Proposition 8 do not have standing to defend the voter-approved … Read more
For those who require assistance with daily activities, such as eating, bathing, and moving around, some of the cost of care can be covered through the VA Aid & Attendance Non-Service connected disability pension. Although the benefit can be very helpful, topping out at over $24,000 per year in assistance, it can also be difficult … Read more
For those who watch late-night television, you are probably already familiar with the fact that the Daily Show and Colbert Report typically run new episodes at the same time and take breaks at the same time. For that reason, it may have seemed odd that this week, the Daily Show was airing current episodes while … Read more
About Living Trusts is hosted by the Law Offices of Merwyn J. Miller, as your online resource center to help you explore these key issues, and others, regarding your estate.
Dear Mr. Miller: My mother is 82 and still lives alone. Over the last year, she has become noticeably more forgetful. She repeats stories, sometimes f...
Dear Mr. Miller: My mother passed away recently, and I have been named the Successor Trustee of her trust. I expected to be sad after losing her, but ...
Dear Mr. Miller: About ten years ago, my husband and I paid an attorney to create a Living Trust. We signed all the documents and put them in a safe p...
