California Estate Planning Blog

By: Nicole D. Warmerdam, Esq. Last month, a client came to me to finish her estate plan. She had been working hard to get organized. Along the way, she uploaded her trust, her will, a list of her accounts, and her family’s details into a free AI chatbot so it could “summarize everything.” She meant well, and she was trying to be prepared. But when she told me, my stomach dropped. Free, public AI tools are not private vaults. Depending on the platform and your settings, what y

Why Married Couples Should Revisit Their Pre-2013 Documents The new laws implemented in 2013 can make estate planning an extremely complicated and lengthy process. By: Nicole D. Warmerdam A Big Change in Estate Taxes Estate tax laws have shifted again. As of 2026, each person will be able to leave up to $15 million to heirs without paying federal estate tax—$30 million for a married couple. These amounts will also increase each year with inflation. That’s a huge benefit, but

By: Nicole D. Warmerdam When it comes to planning for end-of-life care, it can be overwhelming to navigate the various forms and documents designed to communicate your medical preferences. Three commonly used tools are an Advance Health Care Directive, a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, and a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form. While each serves a similar purpose of ensuring your medical wishes are honored, they differ in scope and and usage. Understan