Protect What Matters Most – Your Loved Ones and Your Legacy
At Life and Legacy Estate Planning, we focus solely on creating customized estate plans to protect your loved ones, your wishes, and your legacy.
About Us
What is Estate Planning?
Estate planning is a process by which a person can:
- Provide care for themselves and their loved ones during a period of disability or incapacity
Leave what they want, to whom they want, how they want
Minimize taxes and avoid unnecessary fees and court costs
Share hopes and aspirations
Support the causes they value most
OUR SERVICES
Our Estate Planning Services
01.
Will
Specifies how your assets will be distributed and who will care for your minor children. A will ensures your voice is heard even after you’re gone.
02.
Trust
Allows you to manage and transfer assets privately, efficiently, and often without going through probate court. Trusts are a powerful tool for both simplicity and control.
03.
Durable Power of Attorney
A durable power of attorney designates a trusted individual to handle your financial and legal matters if you become incapacitated, ensuring that your affairs continue to be managed according to your preferences.
Why is Estate Planning Important ?
In the context of estate planning, an estate refers to everything a person owns, including their financial assets, personal property, and real estate, at the time of their death.
Estate planning is important for many reasons including:
Avoiding Probate
- In California, if you die and your assets are not protected in a trust (acrucial document in any estate plan) your estate will generally go through probate.
- Probate is a legal process where the court oversees the administration and distribution of a deceased person’s assets according to state intestacy law.
- In California, probate is expensive and time consuming, Typically, the probate process takes between 1.5 – 2 years and costs an average minimum of $40,000
- If a person dies intestate, (without a valid trust) they have no control over how their assets are distributed and when.
Avoiding Conflict
- A well-drafted estate plan is one of the most effective tools for preserving family harmony and avoiding conflict after a persons death.
- A clear estate plan leaves little room for ambiguity or misinterpretation.
- An estate plan outlines how assets are to be distributed, which reduces the chances of disputes among heirs/beneficiaries.
- Instructions for care or guardianship of minor children or dependents help to avoid emotional disagreements.
Eliminating or Minimizing Estate Taxes
- Estate Taxes are also called a “death tax.” In California, when someone dies and the value of their estate exceeds the annual exclusion amount, the federal government levies an estate tax on the transfer of the deceased person’s property.
- The estate itself pays the estate tax, meaning the tax is deducted from the total value of the deceased persons assets before distribution to heirs/beneficiaries.
- In 2025, the basic exclusion amount is $13.99 million. In 2026, the basic exclusion amount is anticipated to be significantly less, about $7 million.
- The federal estate tax ranges from approximately 18% to 40%.
- This means that without a well-crafted estate plan, 40% of your estate could end up going to the federal government instead of going to your loved ones after you pass away.
Caring for Your Loved Ones
- An estate plan allows you to specify who inherits your assets, in what proportions, and when.
- Estate planning helps manage complex family dynamics such as blended families, second marriages, special-needs dependents, beneficiaries who suffer from addiction, estranged children, etc.
- Proper planning ensures your loved one’s financial well-being after your death, including their living expenses, education, and future security.
- An estate plan can include designation of legal guardians for your minor children.
- An estate plan can include care for your beloved pets.
- A well-structured estate plan avoids unnecessary legal battles and ensures a faster and smoother transfer of assets to your beneficiaries.
Planning for Incapacity
- An estate plan doesn’t just address what happens after death—it also plans for incapacity, ensuring that your medical and financial affairs are handled according to your wishes if you become unable to manage them yourself.
- This aspect of estate planning is essential for maintaining control, avoiding court intervention, and reducing family stress during a crisis.
- An estate plan not only helps to ensure that you are cared for should you become incapacitated, but it also can ensure that your loved ones continue to receive care and support when you can no longer care for them yourself.
- An estate plan can also include your preferences for medical treatment if youre terminally ill or permanently unconscious.
Creating Peace of Mind
- Estate planning isn’t about dying – it’s about living with the confidence that your affairs are in order, your loved ones are protected, your values are honored, and your legacy is preserved.
OUR EASY THREE STEP PROCESS
At Life and Legacy Estate Planning, we make the process of estate planning as simple and easy as possible.
Step 1 – Complete and Return the Client Questionnaire
- What you need to do: Download and fill out the appropriate questionnaire (for singles or couples) from the website.
- How to submit it: Email the completed form to the provided office email: d.johnson@lifeandlegacyestateplanning.com
- Next action: Schedule your design meeting with an estate planning attorney.
Step 2: Design Meeting
- Meet with your estate planning attorney either in person in the comfort of your home, in our office by the Long Beach airport, or online via Zoom, to map out the structure and details of your estate plan.
- The design meeting is a collaborative process where your goals, values, and unique circumstances are translated into specific legal strategies and documents.
Step 3: Review and Signing Meeting
- The review and signing meeting is the final and formal step in the estate planning process. This is when you review, approve, and legally sign all of your estate planning documents, making them valid and enforceable.
- This meeting can also be done in person or virtually, although an in person signing meeting is the fastest way to obtain your fully executed estate plan in hard copy form.
- Your estate planning attorney will walk you through each document to make sure you understand what each document does, who is named in key roles, how your assets will be distributed, and any protections or restrictions that you have included.
- A notary public will also attend the signing meeting to ensure that the proper documents are correctly signed and notarized.
- Your estate planning attorney will explain any necessary next steps including how to store your estate planning documents and how to fund any remaining assets to your trust.
Why Choose Us
At Life and Legacy Estate Planning, we are compassionate, personable, knowledgeable, and straightforward.
Unlike other estate planning law firms, we provide our competitive prices upfront to avoid any confusion and surprises.
We offer the flexibility of meeting with your estate planning attorney in the comfort of your own home, in our office by the Long Beach airport, virtually via Zoom, or a hybrid approach.
You will work directly with your estate planning attorney who will craft and customize your estate plan. No handoffs to other attorneys or paralegals. No cookie cutter, “one size fits all” templates.
TESTIMONIAL
What people say about us
I always thought estate planning would be stressful and complicated, but Life and Legacy made it incredibly easy and comforting. They explained everything clearly, answered all my questions, and helped me create a plan that gives me total peace of mind. I finally feel confident that my family is protected.
Jenny Wilson
CONTACT US
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(562)-708-3079
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Your Legacy, Your Way — Start Designing Your Estate Plan Today
Meet at home, in our Long Beach office, or via Zoom — we’ll help you create a personalized estate plan that protects your family and honors your wishes.