June 2017 – TrustStefanie Blog

Month: June 2017

2 Posts

Estate Planning As Explained In Pictures: “No, mommy – it’s MY ice cream!” He’s still just two, so it’s still impossible not to laugh when Ben declares “hands off” and pushes me away. A few weeks ago, we took Ben on his first train ride to Old Sacramento. He loved looking at the world from a train window. Once we got to Sacramento, we visited the train museum, saw many horse drawn carriages, ate soft serve ice cream, and heard one too many Harley motorcycles!

Estate Planning As Explained In Pictures: Ben and his best buddy, PJ, hang out with their dads and watch planes, trains and automobiles on television in bed on a Saturday night. Friendships are wonderful (and important) at any age! Nowadays, many of us maintain our friendships through social media, such as Facebook. Photos and memories are “digital assets,” and are part of your estate planning, too.

SAMSUNG

Estate Planning As Explained In Pictures: Gramma Joan and Benny put together their first gingerbread house over the holidays. They were a great team! Gramma was the foreman (mixing, designing, building), and Ben the candy designer, masterfully placing the candies on the frosting. Working together is wonderful when you are on the same page, but in estate planning, sharing the job can be messy…

Estate Planning as told in Pictures: A client asked me if she could be buried in a pet cemetary. She would enjoy eternity in the company of animals more than humans! I got a good chuckle (it’s illegal) but I could see her point. Pets give us great joy. Here, Penny gives me her “don’t forget to pet me —- I am your first-born child” look, which works every time.

Estate Planning As Explained In Pictures: We recently took a flight to visit Grandma BB and Popsi. It would have been tragic to lose Curious George at the airport. So, George was strapped to Benny’s backpack. It was practical, easy, and gave all of the TSA agents something to chuckle about. Unfortunately, without proper planning, things we care about most (whether sapphires or stuffed monkeys) can be lost forever.

Estate Planning As Explained In Pictures: “Caught in the act!” Biggie the Bichon loves cans. He pulls them from the trash and rolls them down the hallway to his bed. However, “kicking the can down the road” is not one of Biggie’s issues. I leave THAT “art” to some of my estate planning clients!

Estate Planning As Explained In Pictures: Access denied! I recently took Biggie to the vet, who prescribed the dreaded cone. Overnight, he could no longer access things he did effortlessly before. He couldn’t do simple things like drink from his bowl or fit through the doggie door. That same feeling of being suddenly restricted happens when you don’t have passwords for others’ accounts, even if you are a spouse!

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TrustStefanie Blog

Attorney Stefanie West writes about Estate Planning

Month: June 2017

July 2017 – Keep Property Taxes Low

June 2017 – Do I Have To Pay Taxes On Gifts?