It makes sense for California business owners to find ways to cut costs, keeping their profits in-house. One way some business owners and executives look to do this is to draft their own contracts. After all, you know what the contract needs to say and what both parties are agreeing to, right? The challenge is that while it may save you money upfront, it could be costing you significantly down the line. In Read More

Properly planning your estate includes knowing the real, taxable value of your estate’s entirety. Some people underestimate the value of their estate, leaving their children with a heavier tax burden that must be satisfied by assets and accounts they were set to inherit, while others overestimate it and end up with unaccounted for assets and wealth to be distributed through intestacy laws. In reality, the process of Read More

When income taxes eat away at your investment returns, smart tax strategy becomes non-negotiable. Owning numerous short-term rental properties in California can be a fruitful endeavor, but to prolong growth, you need a strategy that reduces your tax burden. Whether you're running a vacation property in Lake Tahoe or leasing a furnished unit in San Diego for a week at a time, California’s market offers the perfect Read More

When you’re planning for your family’s future, every detail matters. The choices you make today will shape the way your children and loved ones carry on your legacy. These decisions become even more crucial when you have a special needs child who will need lifelong assistance. Without the right structure for your estate and retirement accounts, those decisions can unintentionally create bigger, more expensive Read More

Whether you’re investing in valuable California real estate for personal or professional reasons, it’s important to take the right approach to structuring and holding these assets. One option we rarely recommend is holding real estate in a corporation. While corporations offer some legal protections, putting real estate inside a C or S corporation can create tax problems that are difficult—or even impossible—to Read More

California real estate investors and property owners have their reasons for keeping ownership private or ensuring that assets transfer outside of probate. A land trust can meet these goals, but it’s important to understand what it does—and what it doesn’t do. While land trusts may provide limited anonymity, they do not offer true asset protection unless they’re structured in conjunction with other legal tools that do Read More

Staking has become a popular way for cryptocurrency investors to earn passive income while diversifying investments through the blockchain. However, the tax treatment of stake rewards remains a complex issue with continuously evolving guidance from the IRS. Investors need a tax strategy that accounts for tax obligations on stake rewards to avoid facing unexpected tax penalties and liabilities. Understanding how these Read More

Cryptocurrency gives savvy investors another way to diversify their investments and increase the value of their hard-earned money. The rapid rise of these decentralized currencies also creates new challenges for estate and legacy considerations. Relying on creative, forward-thinking legal strategies allows you to ensure these investments aren’t lost to time, especially considering the unique ways these are Read More

Owning a professional corporation in California provides business owners with important legal and financial benefits, but strict regulations govern who can hold certain roles within these organizations. If you're looking for ways to involve a spouse or other family member in your business for tax strategy purposes, you may run into complications due to the licenses and qualifications required to do so. Thankfully, Read More

Building a successful business takes time, effort, and strategic planning. When it comes to protecting that business for the future, many owners overlook how the actual valuation of those business interests impacts estate planning and the continuation of their legacy. If you plan to transfer business interests—whether to family members, trusts, or other individuals or entities—understanding how your business is Read More