Jody R King, JD, CPA Director of Wealth Planning

Attend a Free Estate Planning Workshop
When I was growing up, my mother used to listen to Paul Harvey, the late radio personality. " Many clients are initially unaware that estate planning typically involves more than simply drafting a will. I serve clients in Burbank, Inglewood, Glendale, Pasadena, and throughout Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, and San Diego County, Californi

You’re on the lookout for the best investment products, and we are too.
If you have a will, life insurance, beneficiary designations and an asset inventory, and followed other typical estate planning advice, you might feel like you're all set. Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose. If you are planning to give assets to future generations, an economic downturn might be the perfect time to accomplish the transfer. All assets above the lifetime exemption amount for gift/estate taxes will be subject to a 40% tax when transferred to the family asset protection with living trusts next generatio

Comprehensive Financial Planning
Steven collaborates with attorneys, CPAs and financial advisers to design tax-efficient solutions that preserve and protect multigenerational wealth. Steven Bowles, CLU®, is the founder of Catalyst Advisory, an independent wealth transfer and estate planning advisory firm. Heirs can benefit equally from a pool of assets without dividing and splitting everything apart, which often results in lost value. This may involve a family LLC, a trust or shared governance of family assets. Dividing assets, especially illiquid ones like real estate and businesses, often forces a sale. Estate planning typically involves splitting everything evenly among the heirs, so they can do with their inheritance as they please.
Invest in insurance to protect family wealth
These efforts typically compound, so the more attention you give them now, the more money your heirs will have later. In estate planning, what you pass on is far more important than what you accumulate. Get your kids or heirs involved as early as possible to increase buy-in. Creating the family constitution is the first step, but it's not a document that you create once and file away for your heirs to read after you're gone. Without a shared understanding of why the wealth exists, heirs often default to spending it or using it in ways family asset protection with living trusts the previous generation wouldn't have wante


In other words, you cannot wait until you are served in a lawsuit or are involved in an accident and then rush to your lawyer’s office to create one. However, you must establish and fund the asset protection trust prior to any incident that leads to litigation. Going back to our railroad analogy, imagine adding a third car (a caboose) to your estate planning train—the asset protection trust. Revocable is a legal term that means "take-it-outable." In other words, a revocable living trust does not restrict your ability to spend your money or use your assets in the manner you did before you had the trust. A revocable living trust is simply an invisible legal bucket that holds your asset


These strategies can strengthen an overall estate plan while maintaining the flexibility of a revocable trust. By carefully planning how assets will be distributed, we can help our loved ones avoid unnecessary financial hardship during an already challenging time. Additionally, a revocable living trust provides a level of privacy that a will doesn’t, since wills become part of the public record after death, whereas trusts remain private.
Irrevocable living trusts transfer all property to a trustee and cannot be changed. Probate can be time-consuming and costly, with court fees, attorney fees, and other administrative costs potentially consuming a significant portion of the estate. This lack of flexibility may be a concern for some individuals, but for others, the benefits far outweigh this limitation. Once assets are transferred to an irrevocable trust, the grantor loses control over them. This means that once assets are placed into an irrevocable trust, they’re no family asset protection with living trusts longer under the grantor’s control.
Offshore Asset Protection Trust
With proper legal guidance and thoughtful design, a living trust can offer Californians peace of mind, knowing that their hard-earned assets are protected and their loved ones provided for. It provides a way to protect your assets, confirm smooth succession, and preserve your legacy without the delays, costs, and public nature of probate. It’s advisable to review your trust every 3–5 years or after major life changes to make sure it still meets your goals. California is a community property state, meaning that most assets acquired during marriage are jointly owned. Understanding these limitations and seeking professional guidance can help you create a comprehensive estate plan that effectively protects your assets and achieves your desired outcome