Silicon Valley Estate Planning Journal
News and Articles from the Law Offices of John C. Martin
John C. Martin, Esq. Earns Specialist Status
We are pleased to announce that as of August 1, 2014, the California Board of Legal Specialization has certified John C. Martin, Esq. as a legal specialist in Estate Planning, Trust, & Probate Law. This title is held by less than half of one percent (.5%) of...
BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court Ruling on Inherited IRAs
Today, the Supreme Court ruled in Clark v. Rameker that inherited IRAs cannot be excluded from the bankruptcy estate using the "retirement funds" exemption under 11 U.S.C. 522(b)(3)(C). The full text of the Supreme Court's opinion is available here. This has important...
How to Stop Worrying About Running Out of Money in Retirement
Many retirees today worry about having enough money for their retirement. Of special concern is if there will be enough money to provide for the surviving spouse. This is called “shortfall risk,” and it is a valid concern. People are living longer and health care...
Recovering Emotionally from Past Financial Errors
Most of us will admit to having made some financial mistakes we regret—running up credit card debt, impulse buying, or making a bad investment or business decision. While there can be significant devastation, the key is to move beyond regret into productive action....
Passion Investing as a Spark to Your Life
Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and over 50% of the Fortune 400’s The Richest People in America list have decided to give away their wealth for charitable pursuits. Of course, not many of us have that kind of money or are inclined to give away all we own. However, giving to...
Are You Wasting Money? Part Three: Taxes, Insurance, Not Bidding and/or Negotiating
So far in this series on wasting money, we have looked at how people may overpay for housing, interest, transportation, food, clothing and entertainment. In this last part, we will look at a few more areas in which we may pay more than necessary—taxes, insurance, not...
Are You Wasting Money? Part Two: Food, Clothing and Entertainment
In Part One of this series on wasting money, we looked at housing, interest and transportation—areas in which you or your loved ones may be wasting larger amounts of money. In Part Two, we will look at how money can be wasted in everyday areas of life—specifically...
Are You Wasting Money? Part One: Housing, Interest and Transportation
Most of us are guilty of wasting money in one way or another. Often we are so busy that we pay too much for convenience, and we don’t comparison shop or look for bargains. Sometimes we waste money because we just stay in the same routines—shopping at the same stores,...
Protecting Against Financial Fraud in Charitable Giving
Americans are very generous when it comes to charitable giving. In addition, lower earners give more proportionately than higher earners. Perhaps this is because lower earners understand how easily a family can slip into financial crisis through the loss of a job or...
Three Top Reasons to Update Your Estate Plan in 2014
Make this your top New Year’s resolution — update your estate plan this year. If you didn’t update your estate plan last year when the federal tax laws changed, 2014 is the year to make some important changes in it. Alterations to tax laws can definitely impact your...
John C. Martin
(650) 329-9500
Recent Posts
- Talking to Your Family About Your Estate Plan
- John Martin Speaks on Estate Planning : Protecting Your Legacy
- John Martin Speaks on Advanced Estate Planning
- Estate Planning with Real Estate after Proposition 19
- John Martin recently quoted in Charles Wallace’s article on Digital Wills and the importance of managing passwords
- KGO Radio Interview with John Martin
- Through Menlo Park Kiwanis, John Martin Helps Award $50,000 in College Scholarships
- Federal Tax Reform is Coming. Are you Ready?
- California Asset Protection Laws are Changing. Is Your Current Trust Adequate?
- Tune in on 7/19 at 7pm for a Live Radio Discussion on the Prevention of Financial Elder Abuse