What is the Difference Between a POLST and an Advance Healthcare Directive?

by Snyder Law PC | Sep 22, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

Both an advance healthcare directive (also called a living will or healthcare proxy) and a POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form are important documents to prepare ahead of time as they provide information about treatment wishes. However, they...

Estate Planning Is About More Than Planning for Death

by Snyder Law PC | Sep 1, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

One of the main reasons estate planning is often placed on the back burner is that death is an easy topic to avoid. Thinking positive thoughts and hoping for a long and happy life makes us feel better in the moment. Of course, the uncomfortable truth is that we cannot...

Living Will or POLST? What You Need to Know

by Snyder Law | Aug 23, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

A document called a Living Will can also bring peace of mind to both you and your loved ones because it provides instructions about your end-of-life medical care decisions. However, more comprehensive advance care planning is recommended. For example, if you were...

Why You Need a Pour-Over With Your Living Trust

by Snyder Law | Aug 18, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

I get asked this question a lot: “If I have a trust, do I need a will?” The short answer is: “Yes, you do.” Of course, the next natural question is “why?” To understand the why, it’s helpful to first see the probate problem...

Can Real Estate in Another State Be Put in My California Trust?

by Snyder Law PC | Aug 3, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

Many Californians own real estate in other states, whether it’s because they used to live elsewhere, they own vacation homes, rental investments, or received it as an inheritance. These properties provide a lot of benefit during life, but what problems might be...

What’s the Difference Between a Revocable and an Irrevocable Trust?

by Snyder Law | Jul 22, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

If you were to search the word “trusts” in your internet browser right now, you would find what we call the alphabet soup of trusts: a list of acronyms representing a number of trusts that might be helpful to you. But what do they mean? Which one works...

Does a Power of Attorney Ever Expire?

by Snyder Law | Jul 13, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

A Durable Power of Attorney is one of the essential legal documents that should be a part of everyone’s estate planning in order to best prepare for when life happens. Outside of how to create one, we often get asked the question of whether a Power of Attorney...

The Difference Between a Will and a Living Trust in California

by Snyder Law | Apr 13, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

We get asked this question quit frequently and for good reason. The law can be confusing and the law is different in many states. In addition, the experiences your friends, family, or neighbors have had in the past might be the product of older laws or legal planning...

Know the Truth: Trusts Do Not Avoid Probate!

by Snyder Law | Mar 30, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

One of the biggest myths and most understood concepts that we come across when we talk to people about estate planning is that a trust will avoid probate. That is only partially true, but it’s not the whole story. Trusts by themselves cannot and do not avoid...

Beware of This Costly Mistake When Refinancing Your Home

by Snyder Law | Mar 24, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

When it comes to refinancing a mortgage there are a lot of things to think about as well as documentation to organize for you lender and then sign. Most often everyone is in a rush – the lender to process the loan and you to just get the process over and done so...

Common Mistakes to Avoid When It Comes to Property Tax Reassessments in California

by Snyder Law | Mar 16, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos, Tax Planning

When a California home or other real estate is sold or transferred to another person, with the exception of some limited circumstances, property taxes will increase due to triggering a reassessment of the Prop. 13 tax base. The good news is that these exemptions...

What to Know When Serving as a Trustee or Executor After Your Spouse Dies

by Snyder Law | Mar 10, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

Dealing with the loss of a spouse is one of the most difficult situations a person can face. The grief alone can be crippling and adding to the stress is the need to deal with funeral arrangements and any other tasks that may have arisen during your spouse’s final...

The Secure Act (Part 3): The Big Problem Explained

by Snyder Law | Mar 8, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

The SECURE Act has a lot of benefits, but now for the bad news. Under the SECURE Act, younger beneficiaries can no longer “stretch” the IRA they inherit. This was a process by which a beneficiary would take small required minimum distributions over his or her...

The SECURE Act (Part 2): What It Means for You and Your Family

by Snyder Law | Mar 1, 2020 | Estate Planning FAQ Videos

Have you heard about the new SECURE Act (effective January 1, 2020). Do you know how it will affect your retirement accounts and impact your beneficiaries? Let us explain. In this short video, you learn important highlights about: What the law changed – both the...

The SECURE Act (Part 1): What It Means – the Basics

by Snyder Law | Feb 23, 2020 | Estate Planning, Estate Planning FAQ Videos

This is the first in a series of videos on the SECURE Act and its impact on your retirement accounts and what that means for you and your family. The “Secure Act” was part of a larger law that passed with (rare) bipartisan support in late-December 2019 and...