At the law firm of John D. Laughton, APLC, we are experienced Monterey Estate Planning, Probate and Asset Protection Attorneys whose mission is to provide residents of Monterey and surrounding areas with quality estate planning resources.  When you visit or call our office, we want you to feel comfortable discussing important issues concerning both you and your family.  We want to arm you with the information you need to make an informed decision about your family's future, as it pertains to the following:  

• Wills
• Living Wills
• Will Contest Litigation
• Trusts 
• Probating Estates
• Estate Planning
• Powers of Attorney
• Conservatorships
• Guardianships
• Estate Litigation
• IRA Planning
• Medi-Cal Planning  
• Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts 
• Charitable Remainder Trusts

The Monterey Estate Planning Attorneys of John D. Laughton, APLC, can:

• Answer all of your questions regarding Wills, trust, property and probate.
• Assist you in handling your financial affairs so that your loved ones will easily receive your family heirlooms without delay of probate.
• Combine financial planning, retirement planning and estate planning to create appropriate provisions for your children and grandchildren.
• Control your financial affairs and reduce your tax, estate, excise and gift taxes.

As the U.S. population grows older, we are increasingly contacted with questions about caring for an incapacitated spouse or an aging parent.  This area of the law is now commonly called “Elder Law.”  We answer questions about (1) Medicaid (“Medi-Cal”) and Medicare requirements; (2) social security and veteran’s benefits, and (3) finding quality in-home care and long term nursing home care.  We call our approach to this area “Comprehensive Family Care Planning” because elder law issues have become intertwined with traditional questions about estate planning.  To be effective, both of these areas must be unified, understood and addressed with sensitive, comprehensive planning. 

Special children or disabled adults and their families often require our help to create “special needs trusts” to protect their medical benefits and insure that they are cared for after parents or spouses are gone.  Conservatorships and guardianships are often part of this process.

An often overlooked planning area is a family’s “Forgotten Estate.”  Many clients have a significant portion of their wealth locked in pension plans and IRA’s.  We provide IRA planning to avoid hidden problems and tax traps inherent in failing to understand these issues.  We help you minimize taxes and preserve your wealth both now and for your future generations. Other more traditional estate planning areas include asset protection, dynasty trusts, and business succession planning for farmers, ranchers and family businesses.

We also provide what are often referred to as “advanced” estate planning techniques to reduce taxable estates. These include such techniques as (1) Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (“ILITS”) that remove life insurance from your taxable estate, and (2) Charitable Remainder Trusts (“CRUT’s and “CRAT’s”) that reduce your taxes on appreciated property such as real estate and stocks.

We strongly feel that creation of your fundamental estate planning documents is only HALF the process.  The second half of the process is FUNDING your trust.  Funding is often overlooked, incomplete or skipped entirely.  It is imperative that your trust is properly funded.  By that we mean your assets, such as your home, bank accounts, stocks and other personal property, must be properly titled and transferred into your trust or face the prospect of undergoing probate later.  We include funding as an integrated part of your estate plan.  We know that this process often appears complex and overwhelming.  For this reason, we strive to explain the process in plain English and provide free follow-up phone calls in the year after your estate planning documents are signed.

John D. Laughton is pleased to serve the following Monterey County cities: Aromas, Big Sur, Bradley, Carmel, Carmel by the Sea, Carmel Highlands, Carmel Valley, Carmel Valley Village, Castroville, Corral de Tierra, Del Monte Park, Del Rey Oaks, Fort Hunter, Liggett, Greenfield, King City, Lake Nacimiento, Lockwood, Marina, Monterey, Moss Landing, Oak Shores, Pacific Grove, Pacific Valley, Pebble Beach, Point Sur, Presidio of Monterey, Robles del Rio, Salinas, San Ardo, San Lucas, Sand City, Seaside, Soledad, Spreckels, Tassajara Hot Springs

If you or someone you know needs the skilled legal counsel of an experienced Monterey Estate Planning Attorney, please call John D. Laughton, APLC, today at 866-740-1945, or complete the contact form provided on this site to arrange for your free consultation.