PARENTS & HOMEOWNERS: MY 7-STEP ESTATE PLANNING PROCESS WILL PROTECT YOUR HEIRS

From Creditors, Predators & Bad Choices, And Will Help You Become a (Bigger) Hero to Your Family!

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How To Get Medi-cal And Not Spend Yourself Into Poverty

By Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley | Feb 11, 2018

Major Reform to CA Medi-Cal Estate Recovery – On June 27, 2016 Governor Brown signed legislation sponsored by which will make it easier to qualify for Medi-Cal without having to spend yourself into poverty. This new bill reduces the scope of California’s Medi-Cal Estate Recovery against the estate of deceased Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Medi-Cal can no…

Using Irrevocable Trusts In California Medi-cal Planning

By Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley | Feb 9, 2018

People often ask me about how and why we recommend irrevocable trusts for purposes of California Medi-Cal planning. You can obviously gift your assets outright, without involving an irrevocable trust. When you gift your assets, it’s simple with minimal costs involved – just the costs of preparing and recording deeds and the cost of preparing…

Sued By National Collegiate Student Loan Trust

By Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley | Jan 31, 2018

Sued By National Collegiate Student Loan Trust When you have been sued for a debt – when you’ve been sued for any debt, but particularly when you’ve been sued by National Collegiate Student Loan Trust – the creditor (the entity suing you) has to prove a number of things in court before they can get a judgment…

Sued By National Collegiate Student Loan Trust – What Do I Do?

By Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley | Jan 31, 2018

Help! I’ve Been Sued By National Collegiate Student Loan Trust A large number of lawsuits have been filed against my clients by National Collegiate Student Loan Trust. I receive frequent phone calls from people who were surprised and upset to learn that they had been sued by National Collegiate Student Loan Trust. Most of these people…

How Tax Reform Will Impact You And Your Estate Planning

By Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley | Jan 3, 2018

In December 2017, Congress passed, and President Trump signed a sweeping tax reform bill commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This Act contains significant changes that will impact your estate planning and income tax situation going forward. Estate Tax Changes Starting January 1, 2018, the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax…

Who Will Inherit Your Financial Wisdom?

By Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley | Dec 21, 2017

Who Will Inherit Your Financial Wisdom? Passing on More Than Just Wealth Many people who inherit wealth or small businesses are at significant risk for essentially squandering the wealth. An Ohio University study shows that an astonishing 33 percent of all beneficiaries lose their entire inheritance within two years of receiving it. The ways they…

Why A Spendthrift Trust Can Be A Great Solution For Your Heirs

By Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley | Dec 21, 2017

Why a Spendthrift Trust Can Be a Great Solution for Your Heirs There are many tools that can be used when putting together your estate plan. One such tool is a trust. A trust is a fiduciary arrangement, established by a grantor or trust maker, which gives a third party (known as a trustee) the…

Will & Trust Attorney in Oxnard & Ventura

By Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley | Nov 21, 2017

Leaving a legacy that will be most beneficial to your loved ones takes some planning. If you’ve worked hard and accumulated some wealth, you want to be sure that you’ve done everything possible to provide a smooth transfer of your assets after you die to the people who mean the most to you. When you…

How To Identify A Debt Collection Scam

By Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley | Nov 12, 2017

Recently a phony debt collection operation has been charged by the Federal Trade Commission with taking people’s money for fake debts they did not owe by posing as lawyers and falsely threatening to sue or have them arrested if they did not pay.  The methodology the scammers used were to call people without identifying themselves…

Bankruptcy Pros And Cons

By Estate Planning Attorney Eric Ridley | Sep 2, 2017

“Ask A Ventura Bankruptcy Attorney” This question was posted on Reddit today, and, since I was writing the answer, I thought it made a good post here (I added the pictures after posting at Reddit, though): Q:  I’m thinking about filing bankruptcy for several reasons, one of which being a few repossessions for vehicles. What are the…

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