If you are on Medicare, the sign-up window is open to change your health insurance plan. What should you choose? It is an important decision. Let me tell you about George. In March, George had multiple health problems: dizziness, a stiff neck, aches all over and weakness in his arms. He was unable to drive…
DetailsThere is a new book, Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande. The author is a physician concerned about improving lives as people age. As we get older we fall apart. This is normal. “Our functional lung capacity decreases, our bowels slow down. Our glands stop functioning. Even our brains shrink. … The earliest portions to…
DetailsIt depends. If a deed to the home or other real property is titled “George and Sally, Husband and Wife” it will be necessary to “probate” George’s estate to remove his name and put the deed in just Sally’s name. Probate is a process where Sally, the surviving spouse, files a variety of papers at…
DetailsIdaho Law Change for Married Persons’ Estate Plan To Save Taxes [1] Do you and your spouse hold a joint brokerage account that is titled “Jack and Jill Hill, Joint Tenants With Rights of Survivorship (JTWROS)”? You may want to change the title to be “Jack and Jill Hill, Community Property, With Rights of Survivorship…
DetailsThe legal rights for married same-sex couples shifted in lots of ways with the June 26, 2015 United States Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges. Starting with estate planning, married individuals will be able to inherit property from a spouse without paying any death taxes. The surviving spouse will have priority over other family members…
DetailsWill California Tax Your Trust?[1] California takes the position that any trusts that (1) have income from California sources, (2) the trustee of the trust is a California resident or (3) a beneficiary of the trust is a resident of California, then the income may be taxable in the state of California. Why is this…
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