Law Offices of S. Sharon Yoon

Probate is the court-supervised process for identifying and gathering a decedent’s assets, paying taxes, debts, and expenses and distributing the balance to beneficiaries. Sharon Yoon assists clients all over California with this process from beginning to end. This process can be complicated and time-consuming. Sharon Yoon has a passion for reviewing her clients' loved ones' estates and advising them as to the most efficient and economic manner to transfer property to the rightful heirs. Because of the potential economic and time-related ramifications, having an experienced probate attorney on your side makes all the difference. You can rely on Sharon Yoon to inform you of all the options available to administer and distribute the estate. With or without a will, she will guide you through the entire process. Even when administering an uncomplicated estate, the process may take anywhere from six months to one year. Additionally, probate fees are expensive. For this reason, it is important to seek an assistance from an attorney to learn ways to avoid probate through proper estate planning, which can help provide you with peace of mind and make asset distribution more efficient. Sharon Yoon is an estate planning, trust and probate law certified specialist by the California State Bar. This prestigious certification has been earned by only a select few prominent California lawyers. You can rely on my skill and knowledge to help you through the process efficiently and effectively

Estate planning is the process of anticipating and arranging for the disposal of an estate during a person’s life. It typically attempts to eliminate uncertainties over the administration of a probate and maximize the value of the estate by reducing taxes and other expenses. However, the ultimate goal of an estate plan is determined by your specific goals and may be as simple or complex as you desire. There are two basic types of estate plans: trust-centered plans and will-centered plans. Everyone has heard the terms “will” and “trust,” but not everyone knows the differences between the two. Both are useful estate planning devices that serve different purposes, and both can work together to create a complete estate plan. Sharon Yoon is exceptionally knowledgeable as an estate planning attorney and is here to assist you in all matters related to the security of your and your family's future.

With nursing home costs hovering around eight thousand dollars a month, you may wonder how you will ever be able to afford long-term care. However, you can plan ahead to receive Medi-Cal benefits. Medi-Cal is California’s version of Medicaid. There are certain eligibility requirements for this program that can be hard to overcome. However, with proper Medi-Cal planning, it can help you and your spouse avoid being impoverished by providing a strategy that uses trusts and other legal tools to remove assets from Medi-Cal consideration. This strategy can preserve assets by removing them from your estate. Then, when Medi-Cal calculates eligibility to determine whether the you can receive benefits, those assets are ignored. The reason legal strategies like living trusts are necessary is that any and all transactions that were made for the 30-month period preceding any benefit application can be reviewed by Medi-Cal. Under that 30-month rule, Medi-Cal can look back at your prior asset transfers and count them as assets when calculating your eligibility. The program can then deny you benefits and assess a penalty that will make you ineligible for any Medi-Cal benefits for months or even years to come – with the exact penalty based on the value of any improperly transferred assets and the average nursing home monthly cost. Sharon Yoon provides her clients with effective planning strategies to help qualify for Medi-Cal benefits. Through Sharon's representation, you will receive the assistance needed to uncover affordable solutions that can help you and your family plan for the future. Sharon Yoon provides free consultations to anyone who currently needs long-term care or will need care in the future can benefit from Medi-Cal planning.

Many people create trusts during their lifetimes to protect their families from the costly and timely process of probate, to reduce federal estate taxes, to protect a loved one with special needs, and for a variety of other reasons. When it comes time to administer a trust, the trustee may seek assistance from a trust attorney to ensure that the process is completed in accordance with the law. Some of the requirements include but not limited to: * Giving written notification to heirs and beneficiaries according to Probate Code * Obtaining Tax Identification Number * Inventorying assets * Paying creditors * Preparing and filing tax assessment exclusion forms (if applicable) * Preparing accounting These are some of the requirements that a trustee must handle. A trustee’s responsibilities may be overwhelming when trying to do them alone. Furthermore, if not done correctly, you may be found liable, which can lead to costly disputes and unnecessary expense. If you have questions about the trust administration process, contact Sharon Yoon online or call today. She is here to answer your questions and guide you through the trust administration process, and finalize your loved one’s estate.