by Judd Matsunaga, Esq.

My Nisei parents call it “senior moments” and can get away with it. However, my wife and I, both Sansei, are also having trouble remembering names and will occasionally forget where we put something. Since we can’t quite call it “senior moments,” we call it the beginning stages of dementia.

Like our body, our brain also undergoes changes as we age. As a result, there are slight changes that will occur in memory and cognition (thinking) as we age. So how do you tell whether memory lapses are within the scope of normal aging – or represent something more serious, such as dementia?

by Judd Matsunaga, Esq.

Congratulations! You’ve protected your family from probate by setting-up a revocable living trust. Chances are, you’ve appointed yourself as the trustee of your trust. Thusly, you’ve maintained full control over your assets and eliminated paying any professional fees. But who’s your trustee upon your disability or death?

If you don’t know, look at your trust (it would be a good idea to find it). Find the section that talks about “SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE.” It should say something like, “upon death or disability of original trustee (i.e., you), “so and so”  is to act as successor trustee. There might even be an alternate “successor trustee” named just in case the first one is unable or refuses to act.

by Judd Matsunaga, Esq.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” Although my father might tell you I sure gave it “the old college try,” I have learned over the years that it is far better to try to avoid the mistakes that other people commonly make.

Since it seems inevitable that more and more adult children will be assisting their aging parents with their finances in the not so distant future, I would like to point out the three biggest mistakes that families commonly make that you will want to avoid.

            MISTAKE #1 - NO POWER OF ATTORNEY

Let’s say your fiercely independent father has a stroke that leaves him bedridden and unable to handle his financial affairs. You, the dutiful son or daughter, go to his bank to access his money to pay his bills. Unfortunately, the account is in his name only and there is no power of attorney on file. The bank informs you that you need a “conservatorship.”

Join us for our Annual Christmas Toy Drive.

This holiday season our team at Elder Law Services of California will be donating toys to the "Sparks of Love Toy Drive" hosted by the Los Angeles and Orange County Fire Departments. Sparks of love has donated toys to children in need over the last 25 years and 2017 is expected to be another successful giveaway. If you are interested in participating in this wonderful event, please purchase a new unwrapped toy online and ship it to:

"Elf Judd Matsunaga"

1609 Cravens Ave,

Torrance, CA 90501