Empowering You And Your Loved Ones With A Tailored Estate Plan

Last updated on May 22, 2026

Estate planning is something everyone should consider. It’s an empowering process that allows you to establish your own legacy, provide for your loved ones and take charge of your financial affairs.

At the Law Offices of Berge & Berge, we understand not only the legal underpinnings of estate planning but also the emotional and financial ramifications. We focus solely on estate and elder law in the South Bay area.

Our lead attorney, James Berge, brings over 25 years of experience to the table. He has exceptional credentials as a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and a board-certified specialist in estate planning, trust and probate law through the California Board of Legal Specialization. Additionally, he holds an LL.M. (advanced law degree) in tax law. When you work with our team in San Jose, you will benefit from our team’s wealth of experience, knowledge and insight into the intricacies of tax and estate law. Call 669-244-3546 or contact our firm online to learn more about how this wealth of experience can support you.

Why Do You Need An Estate Plan?

An estate plan is your blueprint for the future. It’s about more than just who inherits what. It’s also about having peace of mind, avoiding family conflicts, preparing for life’s unknowns, minimizing tax burdens and making your wishes legally enforceable.

Creating an estate plan is an act of compassion for both yourself and your family. A proactive approach will eliminate the guesswork for your loved ones. When you’ve laid out clear instructions for how you want your affairs handled – and put the right legal tools in place to do so – your family won’t have to make tough decisions on your behalf or seek unnecessary court involvement.

What Are The Benefits Of An Estate Plan?

• Protect your children: Appoint a guardian for minor children and an executor to manage your estate. This ensures your children will be cared for by someone you trust, and your affairs will be settled efficiently.
• Provide for loved ones with special needs: Create a plan that cares for a family member with special needs without jeopardizing their eligibility for essential government benefits.
• Manage inheritances: Maintain control over how your assets are distributed. You can set conditions for beneficiaries, such as controlling an inheritance for a child who is irresponsible with money or rewarding good life decisions.
• Minimize taxes and maximize assets: Strategically reduce the size of your taxable estate to minimize federal estate and income taxes. This allows more of your hard-earned assets to pass to your chosen beneficiaries.
• Secure your future and your health: Appoint an agent to manage your finances and make health care decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated. This ensures your personal and medical wishes are respected.
• Plan for long-term care: Establish a plan to cover the costs of long-term care, such as nursing home care, without exhausting your savings. You can also plan for medicaid eligibility while protecting your estate from recovery efforts.
• Utilize life insurance: Integrate life insurance policies into your plan to provide financial security for your beneficiaries, ensuring they are provided for even after you are gone.

I’m Not Wealthy; Do I Still Need An Estate Plan?

Yes. Estate planning is for everyone, regardless of wealth. A comprehensive plan is crucial for avoiding family disputes and ensuring your wishes are honored. Without a plan, the state determines who inherits your assets and who cares for minor children. A well-crafted plan can address these issues and provide for loved ones with special needs, regardless of the size of your estate.

Essential Estate Planning Tools To Consider

A customized estate plan should give you both financial security and peace of mind. It should include a variety of tools designed to fit your life’s unique puzzle pieces together.

Our estate lawyers can help you put the right tools into place. They understand the nuances of every facet of estate planning, including:

• Advance health care directives (living wills)
• Asset protection
• Beneficiary designations
• California Medi-Cal (Medicaid) planning
• Digital asset powers and access authorizations
• Disability planning
• Family limited partnerships
• Guardianship designations
• Planning for a loved one with special needs
• Powers of attorney for finances and health care
• Retirement planning
• Strategic real estate titling, such as joint tenancy
• Trusts of all kinds, such as revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, charitable trusts and testamentary trusts
• Wills

Each tool serves a specific purpose and must adhere to certain criteria. Our team can evaluate your situation and provide guidance on the right approach.

Frequently Asked Questions About Estate Planning And Administration

At the Law Offices of Berge & Berge, we frequently receive similar questions from new clients. To help you better determine your needs during estate planning and administration, we have collected the most common of these questions and their answers below. To learn more about how our skilled attorneys can help you, email our San Jose law office or call 669-244-3546 to arrange an initial consultation.

Why is it important to have an estate plan?

An estate plan provides your heirs and beneficiaries with a legal roadmap for administering your estate. A well-designed plan can help you:

• Ensure the correct people and organizations benefit from your estate
• Simplify the probate process
• Protect your assets from unnecessary taxes
• Set up a power of attorney and a living will in case you are incapacitated
• Reduce the burden of your passing or incapacitation on your loved ones

Why should I have an attorney help with my estate plan?

Here are some of the biggest benefits of seeking assistance from an experienced estate planning attorney:

• Knowledge of the law: An attorney is going to know the law as it applies to estate planning, which means that you can rest assured that your estate planning documents will be legally valid.
• Knowledge of your options: If you try to create a plan on your own, you might miss out on some options, which could leave your loved ones with less than you wanted. An attorney knows all of the options available to you, and they can help you customize your plan to suit your needs.
• Well-drafted documents: Your estate plan must be clear and legally sound. If it is not, your family could end up fighting over your estate.
• Adequately addressing life changes: If you do not review and update your plan when your financial and family situation changes, your assets could end up falling into the wrong hands or your loved ones may miss out on inheriting what you otherwise would have wanted them to inherit. An attorney can ensure that you update your plan to fully address these changes.
• Preparing for incapacitation: Estate planning is about much more than just assets. It is also about protecting your health and finances if you cannot make important decisions on your own. An attorney can help you do that.

How often should I review my existing estate plan?

Many people choose to review their plan with a professional annually, even if they have not experienced a significant change in their life. This can help ensure that any necessary updates are made in a timely fashion, including updates that may be needed due to changes in estate planning laws.

When should I update my estate plan?

Although reviewing your estate plan periodically can be helpful, there are some key life events that should trigger you to revisit your plan and make changes accordingly. Here are some of them:

• The birth of a child: You may want to name that child in your will or as a beneficiary of a trust. As a parent, you may also want to name a guardian for them in your will.
• Divorce: If your marriage or the marriage of a close family member ends, you may want to revise your estate planning documents to ensure that the former spouse does not inherit anything from you.
• Marriage: If you or a close loved one gets married, you may want to include the new spouse in your inheritance scheme. If so, you will need to add them appropriately. If not, you will want to make sure that your estate planning documents clearly indicate that they will not inherit from you.
• The death of a loved one: If someone who would have inherited passes away, you will want to revise relevant documents to ensure that your assets will flow to the correct individuals.
• Changed relationships: If you have a falling out with a loved one, you might want to cut them out of your estate plan. On the other hand, if you grow close to someone over time, you may want to revise your estate plan to make that individual a bigger part of it.
• Someone you named as an executor or trustee is no longer appropriate: Maybe you feel like the named individual is no longer able to fulfill the duties of the role, or perhaps the individual has voiced concern about acting in that capacity. Either way, you may need to make changes to your estate plan to ensure that your and your estate’s interests are protected.
• Significant changes to your assets or debts: If you form a business, acquire a valuable asset or experience other financial shifts, your plan should change to address those changes.

What is a guardianship or conservatorship?

Both conservatorships and guardianships grant one person the legal authority to make decisions for another. In California, conservatorships typically apply to adults who have lost their legal capacity for some reason, while guardianships are normally granted over minors whose parents no longer have the ability to care for them.

What do trusts do?

A trust is a legal and financial arrangement that transfers property from one party to another. The property in the trust is generally considered the trustee’s responsibility until the terms of the trust are met. That is when it is transferred to the beneficiaries. Trusts may be used to transfer property after your death or incapacitation without the need to undergo the probate process.

Many types of trusts can be used in estate plans. To determine the best trusts for your estate, it is best to consult with a skilled trust attorney.

What does a will do?

A will is the most fundamental part of an estate plan. It explains your last wishes, names your beneficiaries and describes how you want your assets to be divided.

Wills are legally binding documents. During probate, whatever you state in your will is considered your last wish and will be followed to the best of the court’s ability, even if you have changed your mind since you wrote it. Reviewing and updating your will regularly is essential to ensure it accurately reflects your current wishes.

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