011: What’s Up With Real Estate in the San Francisco Bay Area?
Release Date: 07/03/2018
136: Guardianship Explained: Essential Insights for Effective Estate Planning
Absolute Trust Talk
Have you ever considered what would happen to your children if you passed away? It can be daunting and hard to think about; no one wants to plan for the possibility where they aren’t around to see their kids grow up. We often talk to clients who follow that old superstition that if they don’t think about it, then it won’t happen to them, so why plan, right? In our opinion, that isn’t the best course of action. While it's rare for a child to lose both parents and be taken in by a guardian, it does happen, and it's crucial to be prepared. Fortunately, guardianship is an element you can...
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135: Character Matters Part 2: Estate Planning for Community Property vs. Separate Property
Absolute Trust Talk
If you missed the first episode of our "Character Matters" mini-series, we discussed the differences between Community and Separate Property and why the "character" of your assets matters in estate planning. As a quick recap: Separate Property includes assets owned before marriage or received as gifts or inheritances during marriage, while Community Property consists of assets acquired during the marriage. Now, as we start Part Two, we're delving into the deeper details of property types and how specifically to estate plan for each of them. Join us as we explore important topics such as...
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134: Character Matters Part 1: Understanding Community Property in Divorce and Estate Planning
Absolute Trust Talk
Did you know that in California, any property acquired while married is considered Community Property? This means that, regardless of who bought it, the ownership is split 50/50 in the case of divorce. It also means that if you die without valid estate planning documents, your spouse automatically receives 100% of the ownership. If we’re talking about Separate Property, that’s a slightly different story, and of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. This episode of Absolute Trust Talk kicks off our Character Matters series, where we’re diving deep into the important...
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133: From Wheels to Waves: How to Fund Your Trust with Cars, Boats, or Mobile Home Assets
Absolute Trust Talk
When it comes to funding your trust with assets like cars, mobile homes, and boats, it can get a little complicated and confusing. For instance, do you know whether or not you need to retitle your cars to your trust? And when it comes to mobile homes, before you can even determine whether you should retitle it, you must first know if it’s registered as a vehicle or a home. And what’s recommended for cars and mobile homes differs completely from boats. In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, we explore these topics in detail to answer some of our most commonly asked questions so you can be...
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132: Trust Funding in a Digital World: Safeguarding Virtual Wealth
Absolute Trust Talk
One area of estate planning that is largely overlooked is funding the trust. The first step is developing the trust. The second step is ensuring that all the assets you want included are properly transferred over as needed. This can be especially difficult in today’s digital-driven world because there are more and more places where funds can be stored away. Thanks to the advent of the internet and digital banking, funds are no longer just kept in savings accounts and piggy banks. Instead, they are spread across various apps, like Venmo and PayPal, stored in digital savings, like Capital One...
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131: Drafting a Comprehensive Power of Attorney: What You Don't Know CAN Hurt You
Absolute Trust Talk
Typically, when we think of estate planning, we only consider planning for after death. But what happens if you become incapacitated? That’s where a Power of Attorney enters the picture. Incapacity planning is a significant component that is just as important, if not more important, than most other aspects of estate planning. Think about it. If you’re in the hospital, you don’t want to wait for your loved ones to go to court to access your funds to pay for care. You want care right away! So, in this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, we’re addressing all the major ups and downs we’ve...
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130: Exploring the OJ Simpson Estate: Probate and Creditor Claims
Absolute Trust Talk
You know of the infamous murder trial involving OJ Simpson and the Goldman and Brown families that took place in the 90s. And in case you happened to miss the news, Simpson passed away recently, stirring up the family conflicts all over again. Here at Absolute Trust Talk, we have an affinity for celebrity estate drama, mainly because of the important estate planning lessons we can take away. While the exact details of OJ's estate structure remain unknown, the estate will probably undergo probate due to the presence of creditors. Listen in as we cover all the details we know so far and share...
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129: Estate Planning Strategies to Reduce Family Conflict After Death
Absolute Trust Talk
Family conflict after a loved one has passed is very common, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be avoided. In our years of experience in estate planning, we’ve seen many different scenarios play out and have a thorough understanding of the nuances that tend to cause these conflicts. The number one reason for disputes over a trust lies in the feeling that it is not fairly divided. While Mom and Dad or Aunt Sally can set up their estate however they wish, often, a simple conversation with family can go a long way to clarify why certain decisions were made. In this episode of Absolute Trust...
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128: Revocable or Irrevocable Trust: Which is Right for Me?
Absolute Trust Talk
When we first begin working with a client who is setting up their estate plan and, more specifically, building a trust, the number one question we always get is whether they need a revocable or an irrevocable trust. For us, this is always an interesting and fun conversation because as soon as the client hears the difference, they immediately know which tool they need. Not to give it all away, but the standard option is the revocable trust; however, there are certain instances in which the irrevocable trust is needed—there is no one-size-fits-all approach to estate planning. So, which...
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127: Understanding Multigenerational Estate Planning Part 2
Absolute Trust Talk
Welcome back! In our last episode of Absolute Trust Talk, we were joined by expert psychotherapist and certified coach Tess Brigham, MFT, BCC, to discuss the differences between generations and, more specifically, examine the unique dynamics between Baby Boomer parents and Millennial children. In this episode, we continue our conversation with Tess, focusing on the interactions between Gen X parents and Gen Z children. These two generations are very interesting as Gen Xers were heavily influenced by events like the Persian Gulf War, the women’s movement, and high divorce rates. As Tess...
info_outlineIn episode eleven of Absolute Trust Talk, Kirsten welcomes award-winning Remax Accord Real Estate Broker Mark Shaw into the studio. Mark has been serving Contra Costa and Alameda Counties for more than 19 years and, even though he spent some time as a teacher, you could say his career started back in the 60’s & 70’s when he was helping his father pass out flyers and set up open house signs.
Mark is well-versed in the San Francisco Bay Area real estate market, and Kirsten wastes no time digging in. During this podcast, Mark and Kirsten discuss why buying and selling in the Bay Area is so unusual right now and how the cash purchase of a home is influencing the marketplace.
Later, Mark weighs in on some surprising statistics and trends that are influencing aspects of the local market, and also, shares some advice to sellers on some essential tasks that need to be done before putting your home on the market. Download this resource here!
Big Three From Episode #011:
What the clients are thinking:
- Can I trust you?
- Are you good at what you do?
- Do you care about my needs and me?
Time-stamped Show Notes:
2:00 – What is making the San Francisco Bay Area real estate market so high? Can a seller name their price?
3:12 – The average buyer spends this much time searching for homes before they contact a realtor.
3:40 – Does the amount of cash buyers have to spend on housing distort the market?
6:15 – Why the number of years people are staying in their homes (not moving) is increasing.
8:30 – What are the main reasons people move?
11:40 – How is the buyer’s market trending?
16:42 – This is a huge determining factor in real estate sales.
22:11 – In the current market. what do sellers have to do to get their house sold?
26:14 – It might seem all dollars and cents, but home buying has much more to do with this.
Episode #011 Freebie: 13 Top Tips for Home Maintenance and Safety
Taking care of a property can be a lot of work, and some maintenance issues will obviously take priority over others. However, when it comes to your home’s safety, there are easy, low-cost, DIY projects we neglect because they are either not at the top of the list or not top of mind. Absolute Trust Talk guest Mark Shaw has generously offered to share his resource “13 Top Tips for Home Maintenance and Safety” to ATT’s audience. Shaw created this resource to be a tool to simplify target issues and help you focus on simple, common-sense tasks to keep your home safe. He has broken these projects down so they are easy to commit to doing one or two per month to maintain a safe home environment.