protecting youre assets
Once we assess the type of assets you own through our Family Wealth Worksheet questionnaire, we will better understand your specific risk factors and the level of protection you desire.
We assist our clients in determining the appropriate level of asset protection planning for their particular circumstances.
We consider:
- Insurance
- Prenuptial Agreements
- Asset Segregation
- Choice of Jurisdiction
- Gifting
- LLCs, partnerships, corporations, and asset protection trusts
If you have a business, it is necessary to review how it is set up. Our Small Business Legal Audit is a key first step.
Customized combinations are layered depending on your needs. There are many different strategies to accomplish the protection of your assets while you are alive and after you are gone.
Contact us at (650) 761-0992 for a Family Wealth Planning Session™ or book an appointment online now to find out which strategies may be right for you.
Tips for Keeping it all Safe
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False Security: Is Your Will Legally Valid?
A last will and testament can ensure your wishes are respected when you die.
But if your will isn’t legally valid, those wishes might not actually be carried out, and instead the laws of “intestate succession” would apply, meaning that the state decides who gets your stuff, and it’s very likely not to be who you would choose.
If you’ve created a will online, we congratulate you for doing SOMETHING, but we strongly recommend that you have it reviewed and make sure it does what you want, and is actually legally valid. We’ve seen it far too many times: someone THINKS they’ve created a will because they did something, but the SOMETHING was the WRONG THING, and their family is left to deal with the fallout, confusion, and complications that result.
The validity of a will depends on where you live when you die, as last will and testament laws vary from state to state. Most states, however, require wills to meet the following criteria in order to be legally binding:
The Basics Of Disability Insurance And How It Can Help During COVID
With the risks still posed by COVID-19, we all need to face the possibility that we could get sick, even if we take great care of ourselves through good nutrition, sleep, and exercise.
And even if you don’t need to be hospitalized, if you do experience symptoms and test positive, you might have to stay quarantined for enough time that you’d lose income. These risks highlight the need for everyone, regardless of their age or current state of health, to have some form of disability insurance coverage.
You might think you don’t need disability insurance, especially if you’re young and in good health. Hopefully, you’re right. Unfortunately, though, becoming disabled can happen to anyone at any time. This isn’t specific to coronavirus either; it has always been true.
The Americans with Disabilities Act has detailed specifics on what a disability is, but the most basic definition is that an individual has “A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual.” That can apply to a car accident or other injury, or a debilitating illness documented by a doctor, including mental illness.
The sad fact is that, according to the US government’s statistics, one in four 20-year-olds become disabled before reaching retirement age. That makes it all the more important that you consider how to protect yourself with insurance.
How to Reopen Your Business After COVID-19
Despite the uncertainty that has accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic and that still lies ahead, one thing remains certain: Most businesses will eventually reopen. On April 16, 2020, President Trump set forth guidelines for the reopening of businesses in the United States.
Additionally, governors from various states continue to roll back statewide stay-home orders in the hopes of restarting economies that have been crippled by this pandemic.
Business owners navigating this new landscape must figure out how to restart their operations while keeping their staff and customers as healthy as possible. Specific plans of action must be put in place for the safe and effective reopening of businesses. These plans require careful deliberation as well as strong leadership to implement.
If your business is starting on the path to economic recovery and attempting to regain some normalcy, the following are some important objectives to keep in mind.
Maintain a Hygienic Environment. The nature of this global pandemic necessitates maintaining a clean and healthy environment. For brick-and-mortar businesses, this may mean hiring cleaners for the physical premises more often and requiring more stringent disinfecting practices. In addition to increased cleanings, high-traffic common areas should be closed off to the extent possible in order to comply with social distancing measures. For employees who cannot work from home, masks and gloves should be required and provided.
Who Would Care For Your Children If You Get Sick With COVID-19?
The pandemic is causing us to consider a lot of things that we may not have before, even if maybe we should have.
It brings to mind something a colleague of mine shared recently. One unremarkable weekend, she left her small children with a babysitter and headed out to enjoy dinner at a restaurant with her husband. But as she sat there, a thought crept into her head that she couldn’t let go.
What would happen to her kids, she thought, if she and her husband got into a car accident on the way home?
And even though my colleague is an estate planning lawyer herself, and she had a will at home naming guardians for her kids, she didn’t have a definite and clear answer that provided the comfort she wanted. Her will was in a vault, and her named legal guardians lived thousands of miles away. It was that thought that spurred her to take action, not only for her own family, but to create tools and resources for others as well.
If you’d like to read the book she wrote as a result of her own discoveries, it’s called “Wear Clean Underwear: A Fast, Fun, Friendly—and Essential—Guide to Legal Planning for Busy Parents” and it’s the best-selling book on legal planning for families. We’d love to send it to you as our gift. Simply email us at info@skyunlimited.law or call us at (650) 761 0992 and ask for your copy, and we’ll send it your way, free.
How to Choose the Right Business Attorney
A skilled attorney is a critical part of any business owner’s advisory team.
Business attorneys are equipped to assist you in handling a variety of tasks that can protect you from potential legal and business pitfalls, in addition to solving existing legal issues. As important as they are to your team, finding the right business attorney may be challenging if you do not know what to look for. Keeping in mind the following tips can help you find and choose the right business attorney.
1. Assess Your Needs. When you start looking for a business attorney, it is important to consider your specific legal needs. Attorneys experienced in certain niches may be better suited for the ongoing services your business requires. Consider the following types of legal assistance you may need: