Palo Alto Estate Planning Lawyer - Los Altos Probate Attorney

Birth, old age, sickness and death are part of every human life, yet most of us avoid planning for it. And that's too bad. At its core, estate planning is about giving to the people and organizations that you love most. When done right, estate planning can be life affirming, positive and even… interesting.

The intersection of life/death/law and love is part of every estate plan that I create with my clients, every book, newsletter, and blog post that I write, and every podcast that I record.

Refinancing a house held in a living trust You can refinance your house if it is in a living trust, but you need to pay attention and make sure your house stays in the trust before and after…
Single? No Estate Plan? Bad Idea A few months ago, the New York Times published an article entitled, "Single? No Children? No Will? Big Mistake." I've been meaning to write about it…
An Old Friend and California's End Of Life Option Act The End of Life Option Act allows Californians to request drugs to end their lives if certain condition are met. In March of 2017, Tom Negrino used…

We refinanced. Did our house get taken out of the trust? Dear Liza: We are a married couple in our 40s with 2 kids with a living trust. Our primary residence is a part of the trust. We refinanced our primary…
Why Does Met Life Need to Transfer an Annuity to the Estate? Dear Liza: My father recently died. My dad had a trust set up naming me as the trustee and my brother, sister, and I are to split my dad's assets…
My Aunt Left Me a House, is Probate Required? Dear Liza: My relative passed away and I am the only surviving close relative. She left a will that listed me as the beneficiary of her real property.…

Estate planning does not have to be boring.