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 moreOne of the many benefits of planning your estate in advance is the flexibility inherent in the documents, particularly in trusts. You can change the character of property ownership, transfer property during life and after death, and have your assets managed seamlessly through incapacity and after death. However, sometimes the amount of flexibility allowed in … Read more
There are several newly minted millionaires as a result of Wednesday’s Powerball drawing who now have a number of new estate planning considerations on their plate that may not have been relevant before, including estate tax. For married individuals with high net worths, the A-B trust has long been a staple of their overall estate … 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
In the era of digital assets, digital record keeping, and, apparently, rampant NSA surveillance, many clients are understandably concerned about privacy when executing their estate plans. Depending on the plan itself, more or less information may be publicly available. If your family’s privacy is a concern for you, proper estate planning can achieve that end. … Read more
Deciding how to dole out property after your death is neither an easy nor particularly fun task. As a result, many estate planners create their initial documents and then leave them alone, unchanged, for their remaining lives. However, all the documents in your estate plan should be reviewed regularly in order to avoid unfavorable consequences … Read more
You’ve heard the expression, “He who pays the piper calls the tune.” Other similar iterations are “He who rents the flat chooses the curtains,” or simply, “The money talks.” Regardless of your choice of expression, they boil down to one thing: when money is involved, the person holding it makes the determination of how to … Read more
Upon the death of a person, an administration of their assets occurs to ensure that the proper individuals receive their due shares. Depending on the amount of assets and the type of administration, the process may be more or less complex. In cases where an individual died with relatively few assets (under $150,000), abbreviated procedures … Read more
You know the old saying, “You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Unfortunately, this adage rings true for many surviving spouses, who are simply not up for the stress of administering an estate or trust after their spouse dies. Unfortunately, failing to begin or complete administration can cause even … Read more
Even when beneficiaries want to agree to a certain allocation of assets, it is often very difficult to actually put the agreement into effect. This is especially true when the agreement is contrary to the rules of intestate succession (i.e. who inherits when there is no Will or Trust) or terms of the decedent’s Will … Read more
Although the first thought you have when you find that a loved one is deceased is probably not to call your attorney, it is among the first steps in an estate or trust administration. Taking care of the remembrances, such as a memorial service or funeral, and some time for mourning is certainly warranted and … 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...
