Your estate plan may represent the most important set of legal documents you create over the course of your lifetime given that the purpose of your estate plan is to protect you, your assets, and your loved ones. Given how important your estate plan is, selecting an estate planning attorney to assist you in the creation of that plan should be done with a commensurate level of care and consideration. At the Northern California Center for Estate Planning & Elder Law, we are devoted to helping our friends and neighbors in Placer County, California create an estate plan that accurately reflects their needs and wishes as well as achieves all their estate planning goals and it would be our privilege to have the opportunity to work with you on your estate plan.
Placer County, California
Located in northeastern California, the County of Placer stretches roughly 65 miles from Sacramento’s suburbs at Roseville to the Nevada border and the shore of Lake Tahoe. As of the 2010 Census, the county’s population was almost 350,000; however, Placer County is considered part of the Greater Sacramento Metropolitan Area which has an estimated population of 2.5 million residents.
Like much of California, Placer County was originally inhabited by indigenous tribes. Archaeological finds indicate that the southwestern border for the prehistoric Martis people can be located in the Auburn area. The indigenous Nisenan, an offshoot of the Maidu, were the first to establish a permanent settlement in the Auburn area. European immigrants didn’t begin to settle in the area until the middle of the 19th century.
Placer County was part of the original California Gold Rush back in the 1800s. In the spring of 1848, a group of French gold miners, including Francois Gendron, Philibert Courteau, and Claude Chana, arrived and camped in what would later be known as the Auburn Ravine. This group was headed for the gold fields in Coloma, California; however, the young Chana discovered gold on May 16, 1848. After finding the gold deposits in the soil, the trio decided to stay for more prospecting and mining. Gold mining remained a major industry through the 1880s; however, as the mines began to dry up residents turned to farming the fertile foothill soil, harvesting timber, and working for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Auburn became the county seat after being settled by the original miners and later became a shipping and supply center for the surrounding gold camps.
Visitors to Placer County will enjoy the restored Old Town, located in Auburn, which has houses and retail buildings from the middle of the 19th century. The oldest fire station and the Post Office date from the Gold Rush years. Casual gold-mining accessories, as well as American Indian and Chinese artifacts, can also be viewed by visitors at the Placer County Museum.
Northern California Center for Estate Planning & Elder Law
Estate planning, when done correctly, is a highly personal, and sometimes, sensitive endeavor that requires the assistance of an experienced estate planning attorney. At the Northern California Center for Estate Planning & Elder Law, we understand that it can be difficult to divulge personal and financial details to a stranger which is one reason why we work hard to develop and nature relationships with our clients. Our goal is to help our friends and neighbors in Placer County to create a plan that will achieve their estate planning goals and objectives, both now and in the future.
Although a successful estate plan requires a solid foundation, that foundation must then be built upon to fortify the foundation. The plan you create when you are young, single, and just beginning your career will not be sufficient to meet your needs later in life when you have a family and a larger estate to consider. Routine reviews and revisions are crucial to ensure that your estate plan reflects your life as it is now, not as it was several years ago.
Your initial plan may focus almost entirely on the distribution of your estate assets in the event of your death; however, in time your needs will exceed such a simple plan. If you get married, for example, you will undoubtedly want to include your new spouse as a beneficiary in your Last Will and Testament, trust agreement, and/or life insurance policy.
Likewise, becoming a parent may cause you to feel the need to incorporate incapacity planning strategies in your estate plan to ensure that your child is well cared for in the event of your incapacity. As the value of your estate grows, you will need to consider tax avoidance and asset protection tools as well.
Finally, as you look toward your “Golden Years,” you will want to incorporate your retirement plans into your estate plan and add Medicaid planning to your comprehensive estate plan along with funeral and burial planning tools to ensure that your final wishes are honored.
At the Northern California Center for Estate Planning & Elder Law, our goal is to establish a lifelong relationship with you to ensure that your estate planning needs are met now, and in the years to come.
Contact Us
If you have specific questions regarding your estate plan, contact us at Northern California Center for Estate Planning & Elder Law by calling (916)-437-3500 to schedule your appointment today.