REPEAL PROP 19

Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends: If you would like to sign the petition to repeal Prop 19 and ensure parents can pass their properties to their children without triggering reassessment of property taxes (usually a huge tax increase)  – You can sign at my office today 4/13, 4/14, or 4/15 before noon. I apologize for the late notice as I […]

NEW MEDI-CAL RULES YOU NEED TO READ

California recently changed the asset limits (not the same as Medi-Cal income limits) to qualify for Medi-Cal – California’s Medicaid program. In the past, a single person who had more than $2,000 of property could not receive Medi-Cal; that asset limit has been raised to $130,000 for senior citizens, people with disabilities, and a few […]

IS YOUR ESTATE PLAN A TRICK OR TREAT FOR YOUR LOVED ONES?

Failing to Appoint Trusted Decision Makers While Halloween, The Exorcist, or The Shining may top your list as some of the scariest horror films ever, I Care a Lot is the stuff of real-life nightmares. The movie I Care a Lot tells the story of a con artist named Marla Grayson who makes a living […]

THE FUTURE OF FINANCES: HOW TO TEACH YOUR KIDS TO BE MONEY SAVVY

Kids look to us to learn about life and they pick up far more from us about what we do then from what we say. Accordingly, we can best teach our children to be money savvy by modeling the habits we want them to take on for themselves and by involving them in the process. […]

HOW LEGAL PLANNING HELPS BUILD A STRONG BLENDED FAMILY

Yours, mine and ours … in today’s modern family, it’s oh so common. The blended family is the product of 2nd (or more) marriages, in which one or more of the parties comes with children from a prior marriage. And then, they may even go on to have children together.  If you have or are […]

THE REAL COST OF CARING

Dealing with the financial stressors of caring for an aging loved one can affect your ability to provide them with the care and compassion they need. It can also put the security of your financial future at risk. To mitigate these concerns, consider these useful tips to help you make informed decisions about how to protect […]

2017 CLIENTS’ CHOICE AWARD

Varela Law is excited to announce that we’ve been awarded a Clients’ Choice Award by Avvo. Thank you to our amazing clients who entrusted us with their estate planning and refer their family and friends to us. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve families and help people protect everything they own and everyone they […]

WHAT IS A TRUST?

A trust is a legal creation set up to benefit someone or something. For example, some people set up trusts to benefit their children, their grandchildren, or even charities. It is easiest to understand if you think about three separate people being involved. One person, called the grantor, funds the trust somehow, by placing money or […]

PROTECTING YOUR NEWBORN FROM BIRTH

In the process of becoming new parents, many couples become experts at planning – scheduling the birthing classes, planning the new nursery, even picking out a preschool. There is so much to think about before you welcome your new child. Unfortunately, one of the most important things you can do to protect your child is […]

THE TALK YOU NEED TO HAVE WITH YOUR PARENTS

When you were a kid, your parents dreaded the talk they had to have with you. You know the one. Well, now that you are an adult, there’s a talk you need to have with your parents that is likely to be just as squirm-worthy – which is why so many of us put it […]