Beginning January 1, 2026, California will reinstate a resource (asset) limit for Medi-Cal long-term care eligibility (as well as eligibility for community benefits). After several years in which most asset limits were temporarily eliminated, Medi-Cal is returning—at least in part—to a pre-2024 style asset test that often caps an applicant’s assets at $130,000. For many California families . . .

Not all retirement plans are created equal.

When people think about asset protection, they are often thinking about two very different risks:

• Creditor or lawsuit exposure in California courts (exposure to judgment creditors); and

• Exposure in bankruptcy under federal law (federal law nevertheless applies in California bankruptcy even though California has “opted out” of the list of property that federal law dictates is exempt from the bankruptcy estate).

This distinction is critical – because the manner in which your retirement accounts are treated (the level of creditor exposure) varies depending on whether you are facing a non-bankruptcy creditor (i.e., a judgment creditor who won a lawsuit against you) or a bankruptcy creditor (i.e., a lender or other person or entity to whom you owe money).

How do retirement plans fit into this picture?

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This question often has an easy answer: Joint ownership is (often) . . . bad! In many instances, the drawbacks . . .

Estate planning is a crucial aspect of ensuring that your assets are distributed according to your wishes after your passing. But estate planning also involves . . .

So your kids are adults. Or are they? Well, one of your kids is married, but you have your doubts as to . . .