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Guardianship Papers

Guardianship Papers

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Here at Field Law, family is one of our core values. Building your family is a joy, but it does require immense amounts of hard work to make sure your children are well taken care of. One of the more difficult parts about raising children is making a contingency plan in the event of your untimely demise. Making provisions like appointing a guardian and conservator for your child are a necessity to ensure that your child will be with someone you trust. Thankfully, this is one area where a Living Will is necessary and extremely helpful. Having either a will or guardianship papers will allow you to personally name a family member or close friend to be your child’s guardian. The person you choose will be tasked with making decisions for…
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Advanced Healthcare Directive

Advanced Healthcare Directive

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We are in the middle of a global pandemic that is currently testing the quality of the health care systems of every nation. According to a press release in 2018 by the American Psychological Association, stress about medical issues and health care affects approximately 60% of all Americans, without a global crisis (Bethune and Lewan, 2018). One important way to combat this  stress is to make sure you have a Legacy Wealth Plan that includes a comprehensive Medical Power of Attorney. This document is also known as an Advanced Health Care Directive, and it protects you and your estate in case of illness and incapacitation. It accomplishes this by outlining your specific decisions and appointing a representative to make choices on your behalf. According to HIPAA guidelines, your successor trustee needs…
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3 Legal Documents Every Graduating Senior Needs To Ensure Parents Can Act On Their Behalf in Case of An Emergency

3 Legal Documents Every Graduating Senior Needs To Ensure Parents Can Act On Their Behalf in Case of An Emergency

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It’s graduation time! Even though the ceremony looked quite different this year because of COVID-19, it still means your “baby” is all grown up and preparing to head out into the real world. But, before your child (or grandchild!) plans to head off for college or pursues other endeavors, it’s important to think about a few life changes now that he or she is an “adult” in the eyes of the law. Blocked By HIPAA Laws From a legal standpoint, you may be surprised to learn that you now need written permission to make any important medical or financial decisions on your adult child’s behalf because of HIPAA regulations. For example, if your child needs medical records for college or an internship, you won’t be able to reach out to…
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Do you have an Emergency Go Bag?

Do you have an Emergency Go Bag?

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I am sure that images of doomsday preppers just flashed through your mind as you thought of trying to plan for something that seems irrelevant and a little out there. While having an emergency kit may seem absurd, there are countless reasons why you should have a contingency plan.   For starters, our nation is still in a pandemic. This crisis may have gone to the back of your mind as more chaos and trauma enters the world, but the virus has not disappeared. While not highly probable, it is still possible to contract COVID-19 and spend a few days in the hospital. Across the nation, COVID patients are in isolated wings where they are unable to have visits from their friends and family. In this scenario, having a bag with…
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CA Proposition 19 – Property Tax Increase and Your Legacy

CA Proposition 19 – Property Tax Increase and Your Legacy

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The 2020 Election Cycle did not come as a surprise to the millions of voting Americans. However, with everyone’s eyes fixed on who would be the Commander in Chief for the next four years, lawmakers and state governments attempted to catch citizens off guard with propositions that raised taxes while eliminating important processes that have benefited families.  In California, one such example is Proposition 19 which deals with Property Tax Transfers, Exemptions, and Revenue for Wildfire Agencies and Counties Amendment (2020). This piece of legislation is designed to raise taxes on inherited homes by eliminating the parent-child exclusion from reassessment under California Proposition 58.  Under the current law (as stated in California Propositions 13, 58, and 193), property tax rates on residential real property are calculated at a rate of…
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Emma Lazarus: Poet, Activist, Jewish Icon

Emma Lazarus: Poet, Activist, Jewish Icon

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This women’s history month, we want to take some time each week to share with you the story of an important women in U.S. History. Over the four weeks, the women we talk about may be familiar figures with unfamiliar stories and others may be people you’ve never heard of before! We hope that through sharing their story you will gain a new perspective on the women who have made significant contributions to the formation of this county.` First up, we have the poet Emma Lazarus who lived in the 1800’s. If her name sounds familiar, you might recognize her for her most famous work, “The New Colossus” a poem written in 1883 inspired by the Statue of Liberty. Her work was so moving that several lines are inscribed on…
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Is an LLC Right of You?

Is an LLC Right of You?

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So you've decided to start a business and you've heard you need to choose a business structure. You've also heard a lot about LLC's being relatively easy to establish and maintain with advantages over a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation. A Limited Liability Company or "LLC" is a business structure permitted under state law. A major advantage of an LLC is evidenced by it's name: Limited Liability, which limits your personal liability for the activities and debts of the LLC. An LLC is fairly easy to set-up. For most states you file Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State. It also a very good idea to draft an Operating Agreement which simply establishes a framework for how the LLC will be run, authority of the members, requirements of members, how…
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Warren Buffett, GOP Debate and President Obama’s Joint Session Speech, Oh MY!!

Warren Buffett, GOP Debate and President Obama’s Joint Session Speech, Oh MY!!

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Warren Buffett is calling for higher taxes on the rich and recently told Congress to raise taxes. The GOP debate will undoubtedly argue against raising taxes, period. While the President may very well make a case for higher taxes and closing loop holes for the rich, but tax cuts for the middle class. The only thing these people can agree on is to continue to disagree and fight about it, just as they did over the debt ceiling. They're all out of control. And the simple truth is, "Taxes will go up in 2013!" However, if you're a business owner, self-employed professional such as a doctor, chiropractor or dentist, real estate professional or real estate investor you don't have to be subject to the ever changing wind of politics. You…
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Tax Planning for my Business

Tax Planning for my Business

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"There is nothing wrong with a strategy to avoid the payment of taxes. The Internal Revenue Code doesn't prevent that." The late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. Most business owners don't have a strategy or a plan for savings taxes. They think they do or actually they think their tax preparer does and that their tax preparer is implementing that "plan." But the reality is the tax preparer is just making sure you're in compliance and compliance is simply putting numbers in the right boxes on the right form and sending it to the IRS at the right time. Some plan!! Are you satisfied with the amount of taxes you pay? Are you absolutely confident that you're taking advantage of every legally available tax break? Is your tax advisor giving…
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Becoming a Trustee

Becoming a Trustee

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I’ve become a trustee of family member’s trust, now what? The job of being a trustee of a trust can be daunting and leave you feeling afraid of the dark, even if you never were before. There are several things you should do that will help you feel more in control. Get a Copy of the Trust and Read It. One of the first things to do is obtain a copy of the trust, if you haven't already, and read it. Even if you don't understand it in its entirety become familiar with the contents, the specific gifts, provisions, powers, and other terms. Make a list of people named in the trust and any assets listed, normally assets are listed on a schedule attached to the end of the trust.…
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