^{Services - Financial Planning}Estate Planning

Without a clear estate plan, your assets may pass through probate, a public court process that can take months and create unnecessary complexity for your family. We work alongside estate planning attorneys to help our advisory clients in Fresno and Clovis understand exactly where their assets go, how they transfer, and what their family will need to manage when the time comes. The goal is to leave nothing to chance.

Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and investment accounts pass directly to whoever is named, regardless of what your will says. That means an outdated designation can redirect assets in ways that conflict entirely with your current intentions. We will review what you have on file across all of your accounts and help every designation reflect where you actually want your assets to go.

Yes. Vehicles like donor-advised funds, charitable remainder trusts, and private foundations can support the causes that matter to you while also reducing your taxable estate. For families in Fresno and Clovis with estates above the federal exemption threshold, charitable giving can be a meaningful part of an overall estate plan. We can help you understand which structure aligns with both your giving intentions and your estate planning goals.

For 2026, the federal estate and gift tax exemption is $15 million per individual and up to $30 million for married couples, subject to applicable rules and elections. Assets exceeding the applicable exemption amount may be subject to a federal estate tax rate of up to 40%. Strategies worth exploring include irrevocable trusts, systematic gifting programs, life insurance structured outside the taxable estate, and charitable giving. We work with clients in Fresno and Clovis to understand the full picture and identify which approaches make sense before the taxable event occurs, not after.