Article Summary California Postnuptial Agreements may help business owners separate certain assets from community property. This planning can support asset protection for business owners and high-liability professionals. A Postnuptial Agreement can also affect divorce rights, tax treatment, succession planning, and enforceability. The agreement should be coordinated with legal, tax, estate, and business planning Read More

Article Summary California close corporations are a unique statutory entity for small groups of shareholders. They allow more flexible management than conventional corporations.  The same flexibility can create shareholder disputes, liability concerns, and succession challenges.  Minority shareholders may have significant leverage through dissolution rights. Many business owners ultimately prefer LLCs or Read More

Article Summary A 529 plan can generally be used for qualified room-and-board expenses, including certain off-campus housing costs. Tax-free treatment is usually limited to the school’s published room-and-board allowance.   Parents may own a property and collect rent from a student, but the arrangement must be legitimate. Rental income is generally taxable, even when rent is paid using 529 distributions. Real estate Read More

Article Summary California estate planning fees range from a few hundred dollars to more than $10,000, depending on complexity. Low-cost plans focus primarily on document preparation. Higher pricing tiers include tax strategy, trust funding, business succession, and implementation guidance. Business owners often need more than basic trust documents. The value of a plan depends on what problems it solves. If Read More

Article Summary California law may allow multiple individuals to create a trust together, but legality does not guarantee good planning. Property tax reassessment and gift tax consequences can arise when unrelated individuals share trust ownership. Community property rules can create complications for married individuals considering these arrangements. Trusts are made for estate planning, not shared business Read More

Article Summary A 2026 federal case held that a Nevada DAPT did not protect California real estate from creditor claims. Applying California conflict-of-laws rules, the court treated California law as controlling and allowed foreclosure to proceed. The structure failed because it combined an out-of-state trust, California-situs property, and continued settlor control. The ruling shows that self-settled DAPTs are Read More

Article Summary Oil and gas investments often advertise large first-year write-offs, but that headline leaves out the California tax treatment. Federal law still offers strong tax benefits for oil and gas investment, especially through the IRC §263(c) IDC deduction. Federal treatment may also allow bonus depreciation on qualifying TDCs. California does not conform to federal bonus depreciation and now disallows the Read More

Article Summary If you use AI for legal, tax, or board-level advice without counsel, you may create records a court can compel you to produce. A 2026 federal ruling warned business owners that AI-generated legal analysis is not privileged when no attorney directs the work. You reduce that risk when counsel oversees the work, access stays limited, & confidentiality controls are in place from the start. If you use Read More

Article Summary: A trust can be named as the beneficiary of an IRA to provide structure, oversight, and protection for heirs. This option is especially valuable for families with young children or beneficiaries who need financial guidance. When the trust is drafted correctly and the IRA paperwork is updated, the arrangement preserves tax benefits and integrates retirement savings into an estate plan. Planning Read More