Trusts -Advanced Planning
Protect Your Loved Ones with an Estate Plan
Creating the right estate plan can seem daunting since there is a wide range of Trusts available. That’s why you need an estate planning attorney who knows the laws and will design a plan that addresses your specific situation.
At Bay Area Estate Attorneys, we will address your concerns and provide recommendations with proven strategies. Together we will design a plan that incorporates the best documents for your family.
Trusts for Married Couples:
- Asset protection for the surviving spouse
- Reduce or eliminate estate tax
- Qualify for the unlimited marital deduction
- Provide income to the surviving spouse in second marriage situations or significant separate property
- Protect your children or beneficiaries from having their inheritance reduced or eliminated after your death
- Reduce estate taxes for a non-citizen surviving spouse
Irrevocable Trusts – Asset Protection:
- Eliminate State income tax
- Protection from creditors, bankruptcy, and lawsuits
- Dynasty planning to avoid future estate taxes and restrictions on distributions
- Retain real estate and businesses for many generations
Charitable Remainder Trust
A charitable remainder trust is an irrevocable trust which provides a stream of income to you for a period of years or a lifetime and then gives the remainder to the charity of your choice with significant tax savings once the period of years or death has occurred.
Since the Secure Act took effect in January 2020, which eliminated stretch retirement accounts for children, The Charitable Remainder Trust is a great replacement option.
Benefits of a Charitable Remainder Trust
- Convert an appreciated asset into lifetime income
- Reduce your current income taxes with charitable income tax deductions
- Pay no capital gains tax when the asset is sold
- Reduce or eliminate your beneficiaries’ estate taxes
- Gain protection from creditors for gifted assets
- Receive more income over your lifetime than if you had sold the asset yourself
Special Needs Trust
Federal laws allow special needs beneficiaries to receive certain types of benefits from a carefully crafted trust without defeating eligibility for government benefits. So Special Needs Trust enables you to provide money or property for the benefit of someone with special needs without disqualifying them from receiving governmental benefits. There are many more planning techniques depending on your estate that we will address with you in person.
tim flynn2024-03-15I was looking to do a will so I googled for a business close to me in Sunnyvale. Julie Sowards popped up and had a lot of positive 5 star reviews. Made my appointment and saw her. After some discussion on what a will and living trust is and does I went home with a pamphlet and read up on it. I did the trust and would recommend any one trying to decide to go see her. Glad I did. Thanks Julie! 👍
Yangxue Gao2024-02-08I had a very positive experience working with Julie. She provided excellent service and demonstrated a strong understanding of trusts and estate planning. Julie and her assistant Kelsey guided me through the process smoothly and ensured that all my questions were answered thoroughly. I appreciate their professionalism and would recommend their services to others seeking trust-related legal assistance.
Sunny Hy2024-01-29Working with Julie Ann was a great experience. We had her help us with our trust and tailored it to what we needed/wanted and followed up quickly and promptly, giving us peace of mind throughout the process. It was done within a reasonable time and cost. I would highly recommend her and her team if you were looking to get a trust for you and your family.
Chris Johnson2024-01-13Julie has helped me both personally and professionally for more than a decade. During those years Julie has shown herself as a great listener while presenting intelligent options and sound legal advice for both my family and my clients in their estate planning process. She has never disappointed. I'll continue to refer my friends, family and clients for a great experience!
Andy B2024-01-11Julie helped my wife and I secure our future with a Living Trust as well as a Post-Nuptial agreement. Julie was thoughtful and thorough in gaining an understanding of our specific needs and interests; was effective at translating complex legal-ese into something we understood; and was prompt and efficient in providing the final product. Kelsey supported this process as a legal assistant and was proactively communicative; ensured we had all necessary files, forms, and ephemera necessary to successfully complete what would otherwise be a confusing process. They are an great team and are highly recommended.
Ryan Lam2024-01-11Julie and her team were great to work with throughout the entire estate planning process. They were very understanding of our goals and always took the time to guide us through the complex information. After sharing my experience with friends and family, I have already had people asking for an introduction to Julie and her team!
Richard Ho2023-11-25Julie handled our estate planning needs very professionally. She has a lot of knowledge and experience and helped us understand the changes to the law that have happened since we last looked at estate planning. She is so calming and very patient to answer questions and make sure we understood everything. Her staff are super helpful and very friendly and accommodating. Highly recommended!
Barry2023-10-30I engaged the services of Ms. Sowards in July of 2022 for the purpose of drawing up my will and establishing my living trust. She carried these out to the highest standards, thus relieving me of a major concern. I highly recommend her to my friends, acquaintances, and anyone else who need this done.
