AUDIENCE: Millions of Californians want to do some estate planning (such as write a will or make a trust), but aren't sure where to start. These are people who know they want to avoid probate (even though they are not exactly sure what that means), manage money for their children, and plan for incapacity. These readers, like Californians in general, have sophisticated legal issues to deal with: They may be multinational, in second marriages, own real estate with low property tax rates, or own complicated assets like stock options, rental properties, and private companies. They may not have taxable estates (most people don't these days) but they still need to create a smart estate plan. Readers of Every Californian's Guide to Estate Planning can be young families planning for minor children, middle age people caring for aging parents and eyeing retirement, or older people who want to put their affairs in order. While many readers of this book may ultimately want a lawyer to do the legal paperwork for them, they don't want to hire an expensive lawyer without doing some homework themselves. These readers are smart, curious, and proactive but they don't know where to start. The book will be especially useful for: families with minor children who want to know how to handle priority tasks, such as picking the right guardian and leaving money to kids blended families who need to balance loyalty to each other with loyalty to children from prior marriages people who have a spouse or family member who is not a U.

S. citizen or who want to choose a trustee, guardian, or executor who lives abroad anyone who is house rich and cash poor (and wants to make sure that their heirs don't overpay property taxes), and adults helping elderly parents, especially those in poor health or incapacitated. REASONS TO BUY THIS NEW BOOK: The book is written by an experienced California estate planning attorney who knows the estate planning issues that are unique to Californians, particularly when it comes to property (keeping low property tax rates in the family, expensive houses, community property), international issues (such as people who want to make gifts to family members living abroad, non-citizen spouses, or naming international guardians) and blended and non-traditional families. There is no comparable book on the market. There are estate planning books that focus on reducing taxes, and basic books that explain the necessary documents in simple terms, but there is no book that deals with the complex issues that many Californians face when putting their estate plans together. Facts about California: California has more immigrants than any other state, about 10 million, or one in four of the foreign-born population nationwide. In 2015, 27% of California's population was foreign born, more than twice the U.S.

percentage. Of these, almost half are naturalized U.S. citizens. Only 23.4% of Californians live in traditional , nuclear family households. The majority of Californian families are non-traditional: same sex, blended, or headed by single parents. California property tax rates go up dramatically upon sale to a new owner but with appropriate planning, parents can pass their low tax rates to their children.

California is the largest state in the country, with 37.2 million people (Texas is second with 25 million). California has the world's 6th largest economy, ahead of France and Brazil.