http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824 After all the facts are verified about the Orange County Estate Planner organization coming to Tehachapi on Monday, October 15, 2007, Tehachapi Senior Center, I hope you will recall that there are LOCAL lawyers and paralegals who assist in Living Trusts, Powers of Attorney re Health Care Decisions and Financial Decisions and Health Care Directives.&nbsp; Guess what?!&nbsp; You're reading the blog of one of those LOCAL LEGAL PROFESSIONALS&nbsp;who was formally educated about, and worked with,&nbsp;Living Trusts and estate planning for the past 30 years. . Why on earth would you give some one in ORANGE COUNTY your FINANCIAL INFORMATION -- who has no office here -- you cannot trace --&nbsp; they're all over the State of California and the United States -- and you won't be able to get ahold of them AFTER they have your MONEY for the annuity AND your private financial information?&nbsp; Please -- Don't be careful.&nbsp;&nbsp; . Do you really, really, really, really, really think -- that Orange County folks are coming all the way to Tehachapi for a $399 Living Trust?&nbsp; Yup!&nbsp; Pigs fly too. . I investigated this group because I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE&nbsp;LOCAL LEGAL PROFESSIONALS PAINTED WITH THE SAME &quot;BROAD BRUSH&quot; THAT COULD HARM US after these Orange County folks come in AND HARM YOU --&nbsp;if you let them.&nbsp;&nbsp;I heard from a Bakersfield friend of mine who just lost BOTH her parents this year -- and lost her Father about one month ago.&nbsp; She wrote to say that HER PARENTS were victimized by THIS SAME GROUP.&nbsp; At that time they called themselves &quot;Ameri Financial&quot; Legal Plan.&nbsp; My friend looked up this group on the California Department of Insurance website.&nbsp; Yup!&nbsp; Same group.&nbsp; My Friend also said that AmeriEstate Legal Plan, Inc. has so many different names they're registered under, that it's hard to keep track.&nbsp; That's probably because they have to keep CHANGING NAMES so YOU can keep track of them or find them. . I'm sorry I caused my Friend to recall still more pain during this year of incredible loss for her.&nbsp; I saw her tonight and she looks just great though.&nbsp; She's a real trooper and was a wonderful, caring, doting&nbsp;Daugher during her parents' final years.&nbsp; That's because she loved them so much; and it still pains her to recall that this same group took advantage of her parents; and therefore her inheritance as well. . If you have estate planning needs, call my office or call anyone IN TOWN.&nbsp; You can find us.&nbsp; We've been here a long time.&nbsp; THESE FOLKS that will be here at the Senior Center on Monday -- are coming into town FOR ONE DAY FOR 45 MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&nbsp;&nbsp; . LOCAL FOLKS.&nbsp; That's where you'll find persons who have YOUR interest at heart.&nbsp; DON'T LET THESE ORANGE COUNTY FOLKS AT THE SENIOR CENTER ON MONDAY SELL YOU AN ANNUITY that you can't use for another 20 years.&nbsp; You'll be how old by then?&nbsp; Also, PLEASE don't give them any financial information.&nbsp; If they tell you that THE DISCOUNT OR DEAL ONLY APPLIES FOR TODAY -- then WALK AWAY.&nbsp; They're going to put the &quot;full court press&quot; on you.&nbsp; Wanna bet? . Remember THEY ARE PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED in the art of &quot;parting you from your money&quot;.&nbsp; Just watch them on Monday.&nbsp; They'll be smooth as silk.&nbsp; I just can't wait to see how long it will take for their discussion to shift from Living Trusts -- to Annuities!&nbsp; I'll bet they'll shift the focus of the presentation to Annuities -- in about -- 15 minutes.&nbsp; No -- 10 minutes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Arab Saying:&nbsp; &quot;Invite them to dinner -- but tie up your camel.&quot; &nbsp; After all the facts are verified about the Orange County Estate Planner organization coming to Tehachapi on Monday, October 15, 2007, Tehachapi Senior Center, I hope you will recall that there are LOCAL lawyers and paralegals who assist in Living Trusts, Powers of Attorney re Health Care Decisions and Financial Decisions and Health Care Directives.&nbsp; Guess what?!&nbsp; You're reading the blog of one of those LOCAL LEGAL PROFESSIONALS&nbsp;who was formally educated about, and worked with,&nbsp;Living Trusts and estate planning for the past 30 years. . Why on earth would you give some one in ORANGE COUNTY your FINANCIAL INFORMATION -- who has no office here -- you cannot trace --&nbsp; they're all over the State of California and the United States -- and you won't be able to get ahold of them AFTER they have your MONEY for the annuity AND your private financial information?&nbsp; Please -- Don't be careful.&nbsp;&nbsp; . Do you really, really, really, really, really think -- that Orange County folks are coming all the way to Tehachapi for a $399 Living Trust?&nbsp; Yup!&nbsp; Pigs fly too. . I investigated this group because I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE&nbsp;LOCAL LEGAL PROFESSIONALS PAINTED WITH THE SAME &quot;BROAD BRUSH&quot; THAT COULD HARM US after these Orange County folks come in AND HARM YOU --&nbsp;if you let them.&nbsp;&nbsp;I heard from a Bakersfield friend of mine who just lost BOTH her parents this year -- and lost her Father about one month ago.&nbsp; She wrote to say that HER PARENTS were victimized by THIS SAME GROUP.&nbsp; At that time they called themselves &quot;Ameri Financial&quot; Legal Plan.&nbsp; My friend looked up this group on the California Department of Insurance website.&nbsp; Yup!&nbsp; Same group.&nbsp; My Friend also said that AmeriEstate Legal Plan, Inc. has so many different names they're registered under, that it's hard to keep track.&nbsp; That's probably because they have to keep CHANGING NAMES so YOU can keep track of them or find them. . I'm sorry I caused my Friend to recall still more pain during this year of incredible loss for her.&nbsp; I saw her tonight and she looks just great though.&nbsp; She's a real trooper and was a wonderful, caring, doting&nbsp;Daugher during her parents' final years.&nbsp; That's because she loved them so much; and it still pains her to recall that this same group took advantage of her parents; and therefore her inheritance as well. . If you have estate planning needs, call my office or call anyone IN TOWN.&nbsp; You can find us.&nbsp; We've been here a long time.&nbsp; THESE FOLKS that will be here at the Senior Center on Monday -- are coming into town FOR ONE DAY FOR 45 MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!&nbsp;&nbsp; . LOCAL FOLKS.&nbsp; That's where you'll find persons who have YOUR interest at heart.&nbsp; DON'T LET THESE ORANGE COUNTY FOLKS AT THE SENIOR CENTER ON MONDAY SELL YOU AN ANNUITY that you can't use for another 20 years.&nbsp; You'll be how old by then?&nbsp; Also, PLEASE don't give them any financial information.&nbsp; If they tell you that THE DISCOUNT OR DEAL ONLY APPLIES FOR TODAY -- then WALK AWAY.&nbsp; They're going to put the &quot;full court press&quot; on you.&nbsp; Wanna bet? . Remember THEY ARE PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED in the art of &quot;parting you from your money&quot;.&nbsp; Just watch them on Monday.&nbsp; They'll be smooth as silk.&nbsp; I just can't wait to see how long it will take for their discussion to shift from Living Trusts -- to Annuities!&nbsp; I'll bet they'll shift the focus of the presentation to Annuities -- in about -- 15 minutes.&nbsp; No -- 10 minutes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Arab Saying:&nbsp; &quot;Invite them to dinner -- but tie up your camel.&quot; &nbsp; en-us <font color="#0000ff">My Mother whom just passed on Sept.20th had a living trust/will made by a lawyer in Bakersfield. I contacted that Lawyer the other day to see if by some chance he had a copy of the trust/will because my Mother has several and I have no idea what is original. Anyway he had no copies of what he filed in court and neither does the court. Why is it that there are no copies kept with whomever does these trusts/wills? And I could really use some good advice on what I have to do with what she left and now this lawyer is asking for more money on top of what was already paid to do the paperwork. </font> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824/#c_149930 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824/#c_149930 <font color="#0000ff">My Mother whom just passed on Sept.20th had a living trust/will made by a lawyer in Bakersfield. I contacted that Lawyer the other day to see if by some chance he had a copy of the trust/will because my Mother has several and I have no idea what is original. Anyway he had no copies of what he filed in court and neither does the court. Why is it that there are no copies kept with whomever does these trusts/wills? And I could really use some good advice on what I have to do with what she left and now this lawyer is asking for more money on top of what was already paid to do the paperwork. </font> Hi Eek, I'm not an estate planning attorney, but I play one on TV.&nbsp; No, sorry bad humor, just kidding.&nbsp; My wife, however, <em>is</em> a paralegal for an estate planning attorney and told me this.&nbsp; A living trust is not a public document and therefore does not get filed with the court.&nbsp; The only copies that typically exist are with the client and the attorney.&nbsp; It's too bad the attorney in your case didn't keep a copy.&nbsp; My wife's attorney keeps all copies <em>or</em> originals in a fire proof safe and a scanned version as well.&nbsp; I would recommend my wife's boss, but he's in Woodland Hills and it would be a hassle to go that far.&nbsp; I'm sure Paralegal39 can suggest some good local attorneys.&nbsp; As far as what you've already paid, unless you retained the attorney, it was most likely to simply set up the trust and it's now your responsibility to manage it.&nbsp; It may cost you more money to get advice and help sort out the estate, but you did the right thing by setting up the trust ahead of time, otherwise you would have had to go through probate etc, and that's not fun or cheap.&nbsp; http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824/#c_149952 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824/#c_149952 Hi Eek, I'm not an estate planning attorney, but I play one on TV.&nbsp; No, sorry bad humor, just kidding.&nbsp; My wife, however, <em>is</em> a paralegal for an estate planning attorney and told me this.&nbsp; A living trust is not a public document and therefore does not get filed with the court.&nbsp; The only copies that typically exist are with the client and the attorney.&nbsp; It's too bad the attorney in your case didn't keep a copy.&nbsp; My wife's attorney keeps all copies <em>or</em> originals in a fire proof safe and a scanned version as well.&nbsp; I would recommend my wife's boss, but he's in Woodland Hills and it would be a hassle to go that far.&nbsp; I'm sure Paralegal39 can suggest some good local attorneys.&nbsp; As far as what you've already paid, unless you retained the attorney, it was most likely to simply set up the trust and it's now your responsibility to manage it.&nbsp; It may cost you more money to get advice and help sort out the estate, but you did the right thing by setting up the trust ahead of time, otherwise you would have had to go through probate etc, and that's not fun or cheap.&nbsp; <p>Thanks GregL for your comments to Eek.&nbsp; You're correct in what you told Eek.&nbsp; The attorney normally gives the ORIGINAL Notebook of Trust Documents to the client; and if for some reason the attorney does not keep a copy on backup disk, then minimally s/he should direct the client to place that document in a location where it can be retrieved by the successor trustee, e.g. in a safe-deposit box or with other relevant papers.&nbsp; It's borderline malpractice to do otherwise.&nbsp; The lawyers that I do Living Trusts for wouldn't think of not directing their clients in storage of such an important, critical document to avoid the nightmare that Eek is going through right now.&nbsp; I've asked Eek to contact me.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824/#c_150845 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824/#c_150845 <p>Thanks GregL for your comments to Eek.&nbsp; You're correct in what you told Eek.&nbsp; The attorney normally gives the ORIGINAL Notebook of Trust Documents to the client; and if for some reason the attorney does not keep a copy on backup disk, then minimally s/he should direct the client to place that document in a location where it can be retrieved by the successor trustee, e.g. in a safe-deposit box or with other relevant papers.&nbsp; It's borderline malpractice to do otherwise.&nbsp; The lawyers that I do Living Trusts for wouldn't think of not directing their clients in storage of such an important, critical document to avoid the nightmare that Eek is going through right now.&nbsp; I've asked Eek to contact me.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Good for you Awesomemom8.&nbsp; Everyone should remember -- if you leave this planet with anything valued at over $100,000 in YOUR name, then it must be probated.&nbsp; You do not want to do that.&nbsp; If you place the property in the name of YOUR TRUST, then it's not in your name but in the trust name; and&nbsp;therefore, you avoid probate.</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824/#c_150847 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824/#c_150847 <p>Good for you Awesomemom8.&nbsp; Everyone should remember -- if you leave this planet with anything valued at over $100,000 in YOUR name, then it must be probated.&nbsp; You do not want to do that.&nbsp; If you place the property in the name of YOUR TRUST, then it's not in your name but in the trust name; and&nbsp;therefore, you avoid probate.</p> <p>Barb, I just noticed an advert in our local &quot;North County Times&quot; (i.e. North of San Diego, Oceanside to be exact) and right away I smelled a rat. Over 40 years ago I acquired a life insurance license, then became Series 7 securities licensed, then earned my Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation and then my Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation, and all during that time and later as I transitioned into financial planning, I remembered my original CLU oath, i.e. to put myself in the position of the client and offer them what I would want if I were in their position. I have been approached several times to &quot;deliver&quot; legal documents with the intent of then &quot;repositioning&quot; seniors' assets (usually safe CDs) into annuities, et al. Even the California Insurance Commissioner's office has repeatedly warned insurance agents against &quot;trust mills&quot; and deceptive marketing practices. Also the securities' industry has similarly warned their registered reps against this type of marketing... as have all the legitimate organizations such as the CLU and ChFC organisations.</p> <p>Anyway, I wanted you to know that Alpha Omega Family Services is giving 4 &quot;Seminars&quot; on July 2nd in Oceanside, San Marcos, Escondido and Ramona, i.e. all in the &quot;North County&quot; area of San Diego County. Yes, four seminars in the same day. And, of course, at the bottom of the flyer it states, &quot;A licensed notary/insurance agent will deliver your documents when completed.&quot; Ah, yes, if that was all they did, just deliver them it would be bad enough. Anyone who gets a Living Trust should always deal directly with a specialized attorney, IMO, from start to finish and thereon to keep the docs updated.</p> <p>Just my $.02 from Oceanside, CA</p> <p>Nathaniel A</p> <p>p.s. Keep the heat on them, Barb</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824/#c_265579 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/paralegal39years/15824/#c_265579 <p>Barb, I just noticed an advert in our local &quot;North County Times&quot; (i.e. North of San Diego, Oceanside to be exact) and right away I smelled a rat. Over 40 years ago I acquired a life insurance license, then became Series 7 securities licensed, then earned my Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation and then my Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designation, and all during that time and later as I transitioned into financial planning, I remembered my original CLU oath, i.e. to put myself in the position of the client and offer them what I would want if I were in their position. I have been approached several times to &quot;deliver&quot; legal documents with the intent of then &quot;repositioning&quot; seniors' assets (usually safe CDs) into annuities, et al. Even the California Insurance Commissioner's office has repeatedly warned insurance agents against &quot;trust mills&quot; and deceptive marketing practices. Also the securities' industry has similarly warned their registered reps against this type of marketing... as have all the legitimate organizations such as the CLU and ChFC organisations.</p> <p>Anyway, I wanted you to know that Alpha Omega Family Services is giving 4 &quot;Seminars&quot; on July 2nd in Oceanside, San Marcos, Escondido and Ramona, i.e. all in the &quot;North County&quot; area of San Diego County. Yes, four seminars in the same day. And, of course, at the bottom of the flyer it states, &quot;A licensed notary/insurance agent will deliver your documents when completed.&quot; Ah, yes, if that was all they did, just deliver them it would be bad enough. Anyone who gets a Living Trust should always deal directly with a specialized attorney, IMO, from start to finish and thereon to keep the docs updated.</p> <p>Just my $.02 from Oceanside, CA</p> <p>Nathaniel A</p> <p>p.s. Keep the heat on them, Barb</p>