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As a will lawyer in Gold River, I have unfortunately seen many circumstances where a person goes through the time and expense of having an estate plan done, only to fail to update their beneficiaries on financial or retirement accounts before they pass away.

You may want to consider naming your favorite charity or organization in your will so you can leave them a portion of your estate once you pass away.

"We have been working on funding our trust and changing beneficiaries of our IRAs. Our new IRA custodian says that we should name our spouses as beneficiaries first and the Trust second. Otherwise, the custodian says that we’ll suffer a big tax hit upon death. This is contrary to the instructions you gave us."

It involves trying to figure out if your loved one’s employers offered any type of benefit to the surviving spouse or children upon death.

As a will lawyer in Sacramento, I often hear from clients that finding out what benefits are available under insurance policies and retirement accounts was one of the most difficult tasks in closing out their loved one’s estate.

"I just created a revocable trust and was trying to change the ownership on my investment account and the company said they don’t let trusts own the accounts. What now?"

I’ve heard the term power of attorney, but I’m not sure what that is. Are there different types?

It is important to take into consideration both your life situation and relationships now, as well as the possibility that they might change in the future.