These days, many singles are planning to marry and have children much later in life. This doesn’t mean that estate planning can be delayed. It is just as important for singles with no children to get started with estate planning early. Here’s why –

What Happens If I Die Intestate?

But If you’re single and suddenly die without leaving a will, the court will distribute your assets and property to your nearest relative. They may be people you don’t know or don’t intend to leave your estate to.

Who Will Inherit My Estate?

1. Your parents
2. Your siblings, or if they have passed away, your nieces/nephews
3. Your grandparents, and if they have passed away, your aunts and/or uncles
4. Any children of your deceased spouse
5. Any relatives of your deceased spouse
6. Your state of legal residence

Whom Do I Want To Inherit My Estate Instead?

• Your romantic partner
• Your business partner
• Your sibling
• Your close friend
• Your trusted employee
• A charity or other organization
• A scholarship or educational institution
• In a trust to care for a minor or a pet

How Do I Get Started With Estate Planning?

1. Identify the Executor of your Last Will and Testament

This person is at the top of the list because they will be responsible for enforcing your plans and your wishes once you have passed away. These plans include finalizing arrangements for the funeral service, up to the distribution and closing of your estate.

2. Identify Your Medical Power of Attorney

In case you have become incapacitated and can’t voice your wishes in a medical crisis, this person will execute your personal health care decisions, or make decisions on your behalf.

3. Identify Your Beneficiaries

These are the people or organizations that you want to bequeath your assets and property after your death

4. Identify a Guardian For Your Pets

It is also important to consider naming a guardian for your beloved pets who will be responsible for their care if you pass away.

5. Identify a Successor Trustee

If you’re setting up a trust, your Successor Trustee will manage your finances and the stewardship of your estate on behalf of a minor beneficiary until they come of age.

What’s Next?

After choosing the various parties in your estate plan, and informing them of your decisions, the next phase of Estate Planning is to draft the legal documents and get your affairs in order.

Our highly experienced team at Crider Law will help you prepare your Last Will and Testament, Power of Attorney, Health Care Directive, Living Trust and End-of-Life Plan and ensure that these guidelines are mapped out for the successful execution of your Estate Plan.

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You have been assigned as a conservator of a person or estate – now what? How is the role defined? What does it do? What are the expectations? These are some of the basic questions that will be covered in this article.

This is not meant to be a do-it-yourself guide to conservatorship. Just a quick introduction to one of the most serious and complex roles that you will undertake. You will most likely be needing the help of a lawyer in order to navigate the legal process which is critical to becoming a successful Conservator.

First, what does Conservatorship mean?

Under U.S. law, conservatorship is the appointment of a guardian or a protector by a judge to manage the financial affairs and/or daily life of another person due to old age or physical or mental limitations. A person under conservatorship is a “conservatee”, a term that can refer to an adult.

Who Needs Conservatorship?

Many elderly people (and some younger people) who are mentally or physically disabled, whether permanently or temporarily – need some form of conservatorship to live the best life possible.

 Some conservatees can no longer shop for food or cook; others need help bathing and dressing. Some need medical care or help cleaning the house. Others can’t drive and need help getting around. Some conservatees are isolated and need social activities and contact with other people.

 Other conservatees can’t keep track of their money or remember to pay their bills. Some give away large sums of money to their relatives, people they think are friends, or even strangers; others need help managing their investments.

What are the types of Conservatorship?

1. General Conservatorships are for adults who can’t handle their own finances or care for themselves. These conservatees are often older people with limitations caused by aging, but they also may be younger people who have been seriously impaired—as the result of an auto accident, for example.

2. Limited Conservatorships are for adults with developmental disabilities who cannot fully care for themselves or their property, but who do not need the higher level of care or help given under a general conservatorship. Developmental disabilities include mental retardation, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and autism that began before age 18. They also include conditions that are similar to mental retardation or that require similar treatment. For someone with more extensive developmental disabilities, the court may decide to appoint a general conservator.

3. Temporary Conservatorships may be necessary when a person needs immediate help, usually during the time between the filing of a petition for appointment of a general or limited conservator and the court hearing on that petition. A judge may appoint a temporary conservator of the person or of the estate, or both, for a specific period until a general or limited conservator can be appointed. A temporary conservator arranges for temporary care, protection, and support of the conservatee, and protection of the conservatee’s property from loss or damage, during the limited period of his or her appointment.

What is a Conservator?

A conservator is an individual or organization, chosen through a legal process, to protect and manage the personal care or finances—or both—of a person who has been found by a judge or a jury to be unable to manage his or her own affairs. That person is called the conservatee.

Who can be appointed as a Conservator?

A conservator might be the conservatee’s wife, husband, domestic partner, daughter, son, mother, father, brother, sister, other relative, or friend. If there is no suitable relative or friend who is willing or able to serve, the conservator might be a professional fiduciary or a county agency called a public guardian or public conservator.

How Do You Work with the Conservatee?

Let the conservatee have as much independence as he or she can handle. You should involve the conservatee as much as possible in your decisions. When you must decide for the conservatee, try to make choices that respect the conservatee’s stated preferences, personal independence, dignity, and lifestyle.

Remember, though, that in the end, you are the decision maker, and the court will hold you responsible.

What is the core responsibility of a Conservator?

The court and the conservatee are trusting you as a conservator, to follow the law and to act in the conservatee’s best interests. You should make choices that align with the conservatee’s capabilities and wishes; that support, encourage, and assist the conservatee.

 As a conservator, you are authorized to make many decisions for the conservatee, but there are situations that may require you to ask the court for instructions or for approval before you act. Your lawyer will help you prepare and file a petition whenever you need or want to ask for court approval for a specific action.

What are your duties as Conservator of the Estate?

• You manage the conservatee’s finances.
• You locate and take control of the conservatee’s assets.
• You collect income due the conservatee.
• You make a budget to show what the conservatee can afford.
• You pay the conservatee’s bills.
• You invest the conservatee’s money.
• You protect the conservatee’s assets.
• You account to the court and to the conservatee for your manage- ment of the conservatee’s assets.

What are your duties as Conservator of a Person’s Assets?

• Locate and take control of the assets and make sure they are adequately protected against loss.
• Make an inventory of the assets for the court.
• Collect all of the conservatee’s income and other money due and
  apply for government benefits to which the conservatee is entitled.
• Make a budget for the conservatee, working with the conservator of the person, or if there isn’t one, working with the conservatee or his or her caregiver.
• Pay the conservatee’s bills and expenses on time and in line with the budget you have made.
• Keep track of how a trustee, spouse or domestic partner, or other party is managing any of the conservatee’s assets in his or her control.
• Invest the estate assets and income in safe investments that will meet the conservatee’s needs and the court’s requirements. You should consult with your lawyer concerning any investments of the conservatorship estate. Some investments require prior court approval or may not be authorized under any circumstances.
• Periodically account to the court and to other interested persons about income coming into the estate, expenditures, and the remaining conservatorship property.
• Prepare a final report and accounting of the estate when the conservatorship ends.
• Distribute the conservatee’s property remaining in your hands to the conservatee, if he or she has been restored to capacity; to a successor conservator appointed by the court if you resign or are removed as conservator; or to the personal representative of the conservatee’s decedent estate or other successor in interest, if he or she has died.

What are the Rights of the Conservatee?

1. The Right to Question – The conservatee has the right to ask questions, to express concerns and complaints about the conservatorship and your actions as conservator.

2. The Right to Take Court Action – The conservatee may ask the court to review your handling of the conservatorship if disputes can’t be worked out between you.

Even if the conservatee does not take direct action, the court will periodically send a court investigator to see the conservatee, to inquire about his or her circumstances and desires, and to advise the conservatee of his or her rights. The court may also appoint a lawyer to represent the conservatee.

3. The Right to Personal Freedoms – The conservatee keeps the right to exercise “personal rights,” including—but not limited to—the right to receive visitors, telephone calls, and personal mail (unless these rights are specifically limited by court order).

4. The Right to Enforce Rights – The conservatee can grant you the power to enforce their rights against others—for example, the administrators of a care facility where the conservatee resides.

How do you apply as a Conservator?

Before you may begin to handle the conservatee’s affairs, you must take certain steps to qualify as a conservator

1. Completing a Letter of Conservatorship, a document stating the terms and conditions of the conservatorship

2. Signing an acknowledgment that you received a statement describing the duties and liabilities of the office of conservator,

3. Obtaining a bond, when one is required (a bond is required in most cases to guarantee proper performance of the duties of the conservator of the estate)

4. Signing an oath, or affirmation, that you will perform your duties as conservator according to the law (this affirmation is part of the Letters of Conservatorship); and

filing these papers with the court clerk

5. Securing a hearing date with a judge who must approve and sign the documents in order to make your appointment as Conservator official.

What’s Next?

We understand that your decision to become a Conservator is not an easy one to make. We at Crider Law can hold your hand through this process by first giving you the right tools and information. Book your free consultation meeting and we’ll help you apply for conservatorship as timely and as efficiently as possible.

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Heirs vs Beneficiaries – What’s the difference?

If we go by the above definitions, it is correct to say that “not all heirs are beneficiaries” as in the case of a decedent’s children who are intentionally left out of a will. The statement “not all beneficiaries are heirs” is also true. For example, a friend or a non-relative may be entitled to receive property as specified in the decedent’s will.

But if a person dies intestate, friends and non-relatives are not entitled to the decedent’s property because they are not “heirs”.

What are the types of heirs?

1. Heirs-at-Law

Surviving spouses and children are first to qualify as direct heirs-at-law in California’s Intestate Succession which orders the priority of heirs on how closely they are related to the decedent. Grandchildren would qualify as direct heirs only if their parents are deceased.

2. Collateral Heirs

The decedent’s parents, siblings, grandparents, and other relatives are next in line from the heirs-at-law to inherit property in case there are no surviving spouses, children, or grandchildren. They are considered “collateral heirs” because they could only claim inheritance if there were no living direct descendants.

3. Unknown Heirs

In cases where a decedent has no known heirs-at-law, California requires that a special notice be run in the newspaper so that individuals who believe that they are related to the deceased can come forward and be recognized. They will undergo a court process to establish heirship which would then entitle them to inherit the decedent’s property. If no heirs are identified, the decedent’s assets and property would go to the state.

Breaking Down Heirship in Children

The simple term “children” can mean different things in establishing legal heirs especially now that blended families are the norm. Below is a quick breakdown of how children are recognized as heirs-at-laws in California in the absence of a legal will.

1. Natural Children

In California intestate law, the biological children of a deceased person, regardless of the marital status of their parents, have the strongest rights to inheritance because they are direct bloodline descendants.

2. Adopted Children

Legally adopted children have the same inheritance rights as biological children do in the absence of a will or estate plan.

3. Step-Children

In California, stepchildren can inherit from an estate if there is no will provided that there are no other close relatives alive, e.g. children, parents, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.

4. Children Adopted by Another Family

A child given up for adoption severs the legal ties with its birth parents and can no longer qualify for inheritance under intestate succession laws.

5. Children Adopted by a Stepparent

In California, children adopted by a stepparent may still inherit property from their birth parents.

6. Foster Children

In the absence of a will, foster children don’t inherit property from foster parents as “children”.

Beneficiaries and Estate Planning

These guidelines on legal heirs only apply to persons who pass away without a will. Laying these out, hopefully gives you an idea of how the court would decide on your behalf. You can, however, purposely distribute your assets and property to your intended beneficiaries by doing some estate planning.

Start taking action with your estate planning by booking your free consultation with our team at Crider Law.

But there are also important reasons for insuring your children. And if you’re well covered yourself as a parent and provider and can spare the cost, investing in life insurance for your child could be a smart move.

Before you decide if children’s life insurance is right for your family, consider these points below —

5 Reasons to Invest in Child Insurance

1. It secures coverage for health risks due to COVID-19

2. It locks in low premium rates

3. It guarantees insurability

4. It will accumulate cash value

5. It provides financial support in case of death

Final Thoughts –

Insuring children is a long-term financial commitment that could be better spent on supporting their well-being or establishing a family emergency fund. For high-income parents, investing in kids’ life insurance and placing them in a family trust is a strategy worth considering for estate planning.

Is Child Insurance the best option for your family? Consult our team at Crider Law and map out your family’s financial future through smart estate planning.

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An estate plan also helps with maximizing the actual value of the estate you’ll bequeath to your heirs and beneficiaries. And allows you the opportunity to make informed decisions concerning how your assets should be handled while you are still alive.

Below are ten common mistakes in California estate planning and how to avoid them:

1. Failing to make a plan

2. Failing to update your will

3. Failing to plan in case of sudden disability

4. Failing to donate or send gifts

5. Putting your child’s name on the deed

6. Failing to appoint the right trustee

7. Failing to transfer your life insurance policies to a life insurance trust

8. Failing to take advantage of federal exemptions

9. Being lazy

10. Doing it yourself

Final thought…

It’s best to work with an estate planning professional to make sure that all bases are covered. Talk to an attorney to learn more about avoiding the pitfalls that you may encounter in the complicated business of estate planning. Click the button below and schedule a call with our team to get started.

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Knowing this is the first step to ensuring that a surviving spouse receives the property that is entitled to them by law. Here are 5 basic things you need to know about the inheritance rights of a surviving spouse.

In California, the surviving spouse is first in the line of succession

It’s worth noting that in California, the protections for legally married couples also apply to registered domestic partners.

California is a communal property state

Community vs Separate Property

The surviving spouse will inherit half of the Community Property

The size of their share of the Separate Property will largely depend on whether or not there are living parents, children, siblings, nieces or nephews. In which case, the surviving spouse will have to share the deceased’s separate property.

Legally separated but not yet divorced

Learn more about California Estate Planning and Inheritance

California has specific guidelines for passing property to loved ones. Consult our team at Crider Law to understand Intestate Succession Laws in California and how they will play into your estate planning.

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