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 moreFirst, this office’s hearts and (thoughts/prayers) go out to the City of Boston, the victims of the horrific marathon bombings, and to runners everywhere who have seen their sport forever changed. As more information is revealed about the suspects implicated in this horrible tragedy, we have learned that the suspects are young: 19 and 26 … Read more
For those unfamiliar with the lingo, a “Baby Mama” refers to the mother of an unwed man’s children and “Baby Daddy” refers to the father of an unwed woman’s children. Estate planning can be difficult in second marriages, particularly when spouses have children from prior relationships. Once the planners determine how their assets should be … Read more
The estate tax applicable exclusion amount has been a constant uncertainty the last few years. First, the estate tax was entirely repealed in 2010. At the end of the year, Congress retroactively created a $5 million applicable exclusion, set to expire at the beginning of this year. Then, on the brink of returning the applicable … Read more
The federal government uses a number of mechanisms for paying claims and benefits in its various programs. It may come as no surprise, but many agencies duplicate each other’s’ efforts by providing the same services, sometimes even to the same people, using different systems. Additionally, due to the laws Congress passed relating to various agencies, … Read more
When you are completing your estate plans, there are certain assets that will need special consideration. Some assets that require special consideration, like a primary residence, are covered in most estate plans. Careful consideration of how to treat the home may promote future eligibility for Medi-Cal or VA Aid & Attendance Non Service Connected Disability … Read more
During the last several years, the estate tax applicable exclusion amount has been on a steady, upward march. It is now $5.25 million per person ($10.5 million for married couple with proper planning) and is indexed for inflation. With such a generous exclusion amount, the Obama administration is seeking to close “tax loopholes,” including certain … Read more
One of the top reasons many people put off estate planning is because they do not believe they are old enough to begin worrying about what will happen upon their deaths. People who are relatively young, healthy, and in good shape would rather not concern themselves with who will take care of their children upon … Read more
In recent years, aging individuals have more and more options for how to live, depending on their healthcare needs, social desires, financial health, and other factors. However, when communities are targeting the older population to become residents, should the community be obligated to provide emergency care to its residents? The question was raised by a … Read more
March is perhaps best known for the college sports frenzy known as March Madness (the NCAA basketball tournament). However, every year March also features another kind of “rebound.” The spring real estate selling season begins as winter doldrums come to an end. Combined with the general upward trend of real estate pricing, increasing numbers of … Read more
Income and wealth disparities in married couples are not uncommon. However, in some cases the disparity can keep growing throughout the marriage and impact estate and Medi-Cal planning. For example, in cases where one spouse works while the other is retired or inherited money, the wages are community assets while the other income is not. … 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...
