Trust Me
Conversations brought to you by the Trusts and Estates Section of the California Lawyers Association..
Episodes
45 episodes since 2020
Haggerty vs. Thornton: Revocations and Modifications
Haggerty vs. Thornton is a case that made its way to the California Supreme Court with an eagerly anticipated decision. This case concerns an area of law that is of great interest to planners, administrators, and litigators: the method of amend...
September 05, 2024
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37:12
Gift Tax Consequences of Changing Irrevocable Trusts
When does a trust beneficiary’s cooperation with a trustee to modify, reform, or decant a trust become a taxable gift by that trust beneficiary? In late 2023, the IRS Office of Chief Counsel answered that question in CCA202352018. In this episo...
July 30, 2024
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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36:09
Risk Mitigation Strategies for the Successor Trustee
There are many things to consider when choosing a trustee or successor trustee for a trust. The trustee will face a number of challenges over the course of their service and will need to plan ahead to avoid the inevitable pitfalls. In thi...
June 24, 2024
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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37:47
From Death to Distribution – A General Overview of Federal Tax Requirements
When a client passes away, one of the most important items on our to-do list is to file certain tax returns. In this episode of Trust Me!, we will be discussing an overview of things to consider during the period of post-death administrat...
May 28, 2024
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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40:52
The Magic of the Trust and Estate Mediation Process
In this episode of Trust Me!, Bette Epstein discusses the magic of the trust and estate mediation process to informally resolve disputes, which includes party engagement, active listening, patience and problem solving. About Our ...
April 29, 2024
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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33:27
Let’s Get Direct about CA Directed Trusts!
California just passed a directed trust statute! In this episode of Trust Me!, Michael Rosen-Prinz and David Khanjyan will go over the basic structure of a directed trust, along with the specifics of California’s new directed trust statute....
March 25, 2024
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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31:22
Protect Your Law License – Ethical Considerations Every Trust and Estate Lawyer Must Know
In this episode of Trust Me!, Kristin Yokomoto discusses ethical considerations in the estate planning world. She covers issues relating to engagement letters, conflicts, communication, capacity and more.About Our Guest:...
February 26, 2024
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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38:52
Charitable Planning 101: ABCs of CRUTs, CRATs, and CLATs
Clients have grown to be more charitably inclined and want to incorporate charitable giving as part of their estate plan. In this episode, we discuss the basics of charitable planning, as we review the ABCs of those great acronyms: the CRUTs, C...
January 29, 2024
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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25:25
What to Count on in an Accounting
What must be, and what should be included, by the trustee of a trust in an accounting? And, who is entitled to receive what kind of information? In this episode, our guest Denise Riley discusses the details of what is required in an accounting....
December 21, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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29:51
The Rise of the Revocable Trust in California
A revocable trust is an essential part of an estate plan in California. And when clients ask why they need a revocable trust, our answer is always: to avoid probate! We know that probate is time consuming and costly, but have you ever wondered ...
November 27, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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34:23
Corporate Transparency Act
Join estate-planning attorney Elizabeth Bawden and trust-and-estate litigator Matt Owens for a discussion about the Corporate Transparency Act. About Our Guest: Elizabeth Bawden is a partner in Withers Bergman’s L...
October 30, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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26:24
Scamming Is the Name of the Game, A Discussion of Scams and Elder Abuse
Join Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello and Estate Planning Attorney Melissa Raneri Karlsten for a conversation about elder abuse, including internet and technology scams that everyone, no matter their age, is being bombarded with on a dai...
October 05, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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34:46
Decanting in CA – Need to Change an Irrevocable Trust? No Need to Wine
Are irrevocable trusts truly irrevocable? One way to change the terms of an irrevocable trust is by decanting. In this episode, our guest Michael Rosen-Prinz will be discussing the particulars of California’s decanting statute. ...
August 28, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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36:09
Working with Clients Who May Have Cognitive Impairment
Most attorneys are able to identify clients who clearly have mental capacity to make decisions and those who clearly lack such capacity. But what about the clients in the middle part of the spectrum?In this episode, geropsychologis...
August 07, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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30:47
International Estate Planning and Taxation 101
The world is getting smaller and smaller. As estate planners, we need to be aware of cross-border issues when it comes to estate planning and taxation. In this episode, our guest Chris Nason will be discussing a basic and practical ...
June 26, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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27:25
e-State Planning for Bitcoin and Other Crypto Assets
In January of 2009, the infamous and anonymous Satoshi Nakamoto launched the Bitcoin Network. Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency, which is a digital asset that lives on a decentralized public ledger, also known as the blockchain. Over a decade...
May 29, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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30:06
Pits and Pearls of Personal Property Issues after Death
In this episode, our guests, Marguerite Lorenz, Master Trustee, and Todd Stephenson, estate liquidator, will be discussing the difficulties that are encountered in dealing with personal property after someone has died. This episode is geared to...
April 24, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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30:20
Legislative Advocacy by the Trusts and Estates Section
Trust and estate lawyers have a keen interest in state legislation. The California Lawyers Association gives them a voice in Sacramento. When conservatorships became a hot topic in the Legislature, the Trusts and Estates Section of ...
March 27, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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30:29
Nuts and Bolts of Private Letter Rulings
Private letter rulings (PLRs) are one of many tools that tax and wealth planning professionals can employ to benefit their clients, but many professionals are unaware of the benefits of PLRs or don’t know how to obtain PLRs. Our guest, S....
February 27, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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31:00
Focus on Function, Not Age, When Working with Clients
Join us for a conversation with neuropsychologist Jonathan Canick about the interplay between aging and an elder client’s capacity to execute estate planning documents. Aging itself has no direct effect on mental capacity, but ageist ster...
January 30, 2023
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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31:11
What is a Conservatorship?—Navigating the California Conservatorship Process
What is a conservatorship? Over the past few years, “conservatorship” has become a popular buzz word and the topic of many discussions in the media. With this new-found attention on conservatorships, California lawmakers have...
December 26, 2022
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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28:58
Elder Law Attorney – What is it and why do I need one?
In this episode, our guest Josie M. Porras Corporon, CELA, will be diving into the misunderstood world of elder law. This episode is geared towards practitioners who don’t know what an elder law attorney does and when they need to refer t...
November 28, 2022
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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38:23
Choosing to File in Probate or Civil
Probate matters and general civil matters can sometimes be seen as operating in two separate worlds. However, in practice, these worlds often interact with one another. In this episode, we are covering probate and civil crossover is...
October 31, 2022
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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31:04
Trust Amendments After the Conflicting Decisions of King v. Lynch and Haggerty v. Thornton
Amending revocable trusts is such a common occurrence for estate planners that the procedure for doing so may be given little thought. Most trust instruments include provisions establishing the procedures for amendment, but what if those proced...
September 26, 2022
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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35:35
Expanding Access to Estate Planning
Surveys reveal an equity gap in estate planning. Although everyone should have an estate plan, Americans in communities of color are less likely to have plans in place. Without powers of attorney and health care directives, families...
August 29, 2022
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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29:12