Silicon Valley Estate Planning Journal
News and Articles from the Law Offices of John C. Martin
Young Adults Need Estate Planning, Too
Once a child turns 18, parents lose the legal ability to make decisions for their child or even to find out basic information. Learning you cannot see your college student’s grades without his/her permission can be mildly frustrating. But a medical emergency can take...
Planning For Incapacity and Long-Term Care
Planning For Incapacity and Long-Term Care With people living longer due to advances in medicine and changes in lifestyle, odds are that most of us will become disabled for some time before we die and may need long-term care. Unfortunately, too few plan for an event...
Time is Running Out to Save Unprecedented Amounts in Taxes
Time is Running Out to Save Unprecedented Amounts in Taxes For the rest of 2012, every American can transfer up to $5.12 million free of federal gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer tax—and estate planners are doing everything they can to motivate their...
Naming a Guardian for Your Minor Child(ren)
Naming a Guardian for Your Minor Child(ren) Parents with minor children need to name someone to raise them (a guardian) in the event both parents should die before the child becomes an adult. While the likelihood of that actually happening is slim, the consequences of...
Life Insurance: How Much and What Kind?
Life Insurance: How Much and What Kind? Life insurance can be an affordable way to provide for our children, spouse, a sibling, aging parents and others if we should die while they are depending on us. Life insurance proceeds can provide extra income to help pay...
Estate Planning for Women
Estate Planning for Women While estate planning is important for everyone, women especially need to understand estate planning and have a plan of their own in place. Here are some issues that are of particular interest to women and their estate planning....
Using an Advisory Team
The Advisory Team Approach to Estate Planning Estate planning is not simply the documents prepared by an attorney, nor is it the insurance and financial plan recommended by a financial advisor. Properly done, estate planning encompasses at least the legal and...
Take Advantage of the Gift Tax Exemption
Take Advantage of the $5.12 Million Dollar Gift Tax Exemption . . . Before it’s too late. There has been a lot of media coverage about the Bush tax cuts that are set to expire on December 31, 2012 and whether they will be extended for all taxpayers or if they...
Four More Common Estate Planning Mistakes
Here are four more common mistakes in estate planning. If your plan is in place and current, this will serve as more validation that you are on the right track. Feel free to share this information with friends and family members, especially those who may not have a...
Treating Children Fairly Does Not Necessarily Mean Equally
Most parents want to treat their children fairly in their estate planning, and many assume that means having their children inherit equally. But fair does not necessarily mean equal. There may be special circumstances to consider. For example, parents may want...
Recent Posts
- What Every Family Needs to Know About Estate Planning
- 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?