Goodman Estate Law

Divorce reorders your life, and your estate plan needs to keep up. In the rush of dividing property and settling the details of a separation, updating estate planning documents is easy to put off. Yet those documents may still name your former spouse to inherit your assets, manage your finances, or make your medical decisions. … Read more

When you create an estate plan, one decision can often get less attention than it deserves: who will actually carry out your wishes. You can have a beautifully drafted will and trust, but those documents do not run themselves. A real person has to step in, take charge of your affairs, and see the plan … Read more

Most people assume their will or trust is the final word on who inherits what. You sign it, you store it safely, and you trust that it controls everything you own. For a large and often valuable share of your assets, that assumption may simply be wrong. Quick Answer Yes, beneficiary designations usually override your … Read more

Signing a living trust feels like the finish line. The binder is impressive, the signatures are notarized, and it is natural to file it away and consider your estate planning done. But there is a quiet, critical step that gets skipped more often than any other, and skipping it can undo everything the trust was … Read more

There is a common misconception that estate planning is something only wealthy families need. Headlines about the federal estate tax reinforce that idea, and the latest news seems to make the case even stronger: the exemption is now $15 million per person, or $30 million for a married couple, and it was made permanent under … Read more

Most conversations about estate taxes focus on a number most California families will never reach. With the federal estate tax exemption now set at $30 million per couple, the vast majority of estates owe no federal estate tax at all. Yet there is a different tax that touches far more families when a spouse passes … Read more

Before you leave on summer travel, review six core estate planning items: your living trust, last will and testament, durable financial power of attorney, advance health care directive, beneficiary designations, and a document location memo for someone you trust. For families with minor children, also confirm short-term guardianship arrangements while you are away. A brief … Read more

California Proposition 19, effective February 16, 2021, narrowed the parent-child exclusion from property tax reassessment. To keep a parent’s low Prop 13 tax base when inheriting a home, the child must move into the property as their primary residence within one year of the transfer and file specific forms with the county assessor. The exclusion … Read more

When a child turns 18 in California, parents lose automatic legal access to their medical records, financial accounts, and decision-making authority. Two estate planning documents close that gap: an Advance Health Care Directive (which includes HIPAA authorization) and a Durable Financial Power of Attorney. With both in place, parents can step in if a young … Read more

The federal estate and gift tax exemption rose to $15 million per individual (—$30 million for married couples) —on January 1, 2026, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed in July 2025. The new exemption is permanent, with annual inflation adjustments beginning in 2027. California has no state estate tax or inheritance tax, so … Read more