Welcome to San Diego Estate Planning
Protect Your Legacy and Secure Your Assets
Jacqueline Mittelstadt, Attorney-at-Law
Professional Law Services
We help advise and navigate the multitude of federal and state laws governing what happens to your wealth/investments in the event of retirement or death. We can help you design a rock solid legal plan and framework for the future.
Protect Your Loved Ones
Without a plan in place, if your assets with written title exceed a certain amount set by California State Law, your children or loved ones will likely need to go to Probate Court. This is a lengthy and expensive process. Please call us to assist you in implementing your plan.
It’s YOUR FUTURE!
We provide you and your loved ones peace of mind—the peace of knowing you will all be taken care of in the way that you wish. If you have no estate plan—you have a plan, it’s just that it is governed by California State law. Yes, the government dictates how you, your assets and your loved ones will be treated. You want to direct your own legacy, not have the government do it. We will design a plan which distributes your assets according to your specific desires when you pass away. Your plan will also provide the ability for others to take care of you, your children, and your finances should you become incapable of managing your own affairs. We help you protect your legacy and your future with confidence.
Wills & Living Trusts
TRUST AMENDMENTS
POWERS OF ATTORNEY
ADVANCED HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVES
GUARDIAN NOMINATIONS
LIMITED LIABILITY ENTITIES
PLANNING FOR INCAPACITY
Wills & Living Trusts
Trust Amendments
Powers of Attorney
Advanced Health Care Directives
Guardian Nominations
Limited Liability Entities
Planning for Incapacity
REtirement Planning
What Is An Estate Plan?
An estate plan includes a number of documents which allow you to implement your desires during your lifetime or after you pass. During your lifetime, if you became incapacitated—say in a car accident—and you and your loved one could not manage your affairs, your Power of Attorney allows whomever you appoint to manage your finances and pay your bills in your absence. An Advanced Health Care Directive appoints the person, or people you select, to make decisions regarding your care and treatment in accordance with your direction. Finally, a Will or a Trust with a Pour-Over Will are the typical documents which allow your designated Trustee to easily transfer your assets after you pass. If you have minor children, you can also designate the person or people you would want to take care of them if anything were ever to happen to you.
Why set up a trust?
Having a trust – or an estate plan – ensures that your assets can transfer seamlessly in accordance with your desires. It avoids probate which is public (so creditors and preditors could target your kids, family or friends who inherit from you
If I am not a senior, do I need a trust?
Absolutely. As noted above, if you have children you want a guardian in place should anything happen to you. If none of your family lives nearby, they could end up with Child Protective Services until someone arrives. An investigation could occur into who is best suited to care for the children with the Court making the final decision. Wouldn’t YOU rather make that decision for your children?
What is the cost?
The cost of an estate plan varies widely depending upon a variety of factors. Structured Trusts for your kids? For your spouse? A life estate for the adult child that lives with you, then to everyone? These may increase the price. For those college kids who only need a power of attorney, or HIPPA, those documents can run $250. For adults, the cost is usually within the range of $2500 to $5500. For any of Liz’s clients, I provide a $500 discount.
Trust versus Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship?
Joint Tenancy is fine as a means to quickly transfer title to another person when you pass; however, joint tenants must be people. So, for example, in one instance two men owned a property together as joint tenants. One re-titled his interest in the name of his Trust. This violated the rule that only people can hold title as joint tenants. When the other co-owner passed, this owner could not find a lawyer, title company, or County Recorder representative to assist him in clearing title to sell the property.
Meet Jacqueline,
Your Trusted Legal Advisor
As an experienced estate planning attorney, Jacqueline Mittelstadt is passionate about helping individuals and families plan for their future and ensure that their legacy is consistent with their desires. She is dedicated to making the estate planning process understandable and easy for her clients.
With over 28 years of legal experience, Jacqueline has a wealth of knowledge in both the public and private sectors. She has served as a government attorney with the City of San Diego for 13 years, advising on numerous high-profile projects including the development, construction, and financing of Petco Park, the City’s New Main Library, the Central Animal Shelter, the Balboa Park Activity Center, and the Tijuana River Valley Project. Additionally, she served as City Attorney for the City of South Lake Tahoe.
After leaving public service, Jacqueline worked at a large San Diego law firm before opening her own practice. For the past 11 years, her law firm has been helping clients preserve their rights and implement their estate desires.
Jacqueline has obtained her Juris Doctorate from McGeorge School of Law, Order of the Coif, and her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UCLA.
At San Diego Estate Planning, a service of Tahoe Law Center, Inc, Jacqueline, and her team specialize in various areas of estate planning such as Wills and Trusts, Probate Administration, Trust Administration, Business Succession Planning, Estate and Gift Tax Planning, Long-term Care Planning, Power of Attorney and Advance Healthcare Directive, providing her clients with clear and concise guidance on a wide range of legal issues to ensure that they are able to make informed decisions about their estate planning needs.
Jacqueline is committed to helping her clients gain peace of mind, contact us to schedule a consultation with her today.
Find Your Balance. Set Your Goals. Protect Your & Your Family’s Future.
We will work with each of you to design your plan that is founded upon your values and tailored to protect your assets and your loved ones. We prepare wills, living trusts, trust amendments, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, HIPPA authorizations, guardian nominations, limited liability entities, and planning for incapacity. We also assist families who find themselves having to navigate trust administration or probate.
Goal Setting
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Relationship Coaching
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Stress Management
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Career Advice
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