As we head towards the end of the year, we’re fast approaching the deadline to implement your family’s tax strategies for 2019. The Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) completely overhauled the tax code, and if you’ve yet to take full advantage of the benefits offered by the new tax law, now is the time to do so. To qualify for some TCJA tax benefits, you’ll need to act by December 31, so don’t wait to get started. The Read More
Lifetime Asset Protection Trusts: Asset Protection for Your Child’s Inheritance—Part 1
As a parent, you’re likely hoping to leave your children an inheritance. In fact, doing so may be one of the motivating factors driving your life’s work. But without taking the proper precautions, the wealth you pass on is at serious risk of being lost or squandered. In some instances, an inheritance can even wind up harming your children more than benefiting them. Creating a Revocable Living Trust offers some Read More
To Trademark or Not to Trademark – What Should You Do?
When running a business, you have a lot to think about and you need to make sure everything is handled properly in order to succeed. One thing that many businesses don’t fully understand or take advantage of is trademark law. While everyone knows that the basic idea behind a trademark is to protect a logo, word, phrase, picture, or other item related to your business, most people don’t know when they should or Read More
Estate Planning for Business Owners: 4 Ways You Can Incorporate Your Business Interests Into Your Estate Plan
Estate planning, as a process, offers a wide range of flexible tools that you can use to plan for your personalized needs. For example, if you own a business, you can use your estate plan to specify what will happen to your business should you become incapacitated or pass away. This minimizes the amount of work and tough decisions for your beneficiaries, and may even help you keep your business out of probate. Read More
California Estate Planning: Who Gets Your Business If It’s Not In Your Estate Plan?
Estate planning can be overwhelming, and it gets even more complex if you own a business that needs to be distributed amongst loved ones and family members. Your estate plan should specifically include what you wish to happen to your business and what provisions should be made for beneficiaries who want to sell their portion of the business. If your business is not included in the estate plan, or your business does Read More
Filing For a Trademark in the United States? How This New Trademark Rule Affects You
In early August of 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark Office passed a new rule restricting applications for US trademarks by foreign applicants and registrants. If your trademark application was submitted prior to August 3, 2019 and is approved, this law does not affect you. If your application requires further action or is filed after August 3, 2019, you will need a US-licensed attorney. New Read More
Business Owners: Evenly Distribute Your Assets in Your Trust After You Pass
As a business owner, you need an estate plan that addresses the management and distribution of your business after you pass. Depending on the other assets you have, there are several ways you may choose to structure your estate to ensure that your children are treated equally during estate administration if you own a business. Planning for Your Largest Asset It’s essential to work with an estate planning lawyer Read More
A Brief Overview of Business Succession Planning
As a business owner, you have put a lot into your company. Beyond the obvious financial investments and sacrifices you’ve made, you’re poured your ideas, time, and energy into building your business to its current state. That’s why it’s so important to include business succession planning in your estate planning efforts. Figure Out When You Want to Leave Perhaps one of the most important questions to answer as Read More
Understanding the Difference Between an LLC and a Corporation
When you’re starting a business in California, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is what form it will take. Two of the most common types are LLCs and corporations, and understanding the differences between the two can help you decide which structure will work best for you. An Overview of Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) LLCs are a flexible business structure, which makes them the entity of choice Read More
It’s Never Too Early to Start: 5 Important Reasons to Begin Building Your Estate Plan Today
Estate planning is an essential part of preparing for the future, but it seems like people put more thought into which car they want to buy or where they want to spend their 25th anniversary than who receives all of their assets after they pass away. Sometimes this failure to consider the future is unintentional. When you’re growing a family or building a business, you’re focused more on present needs and decisions. Read More
