2024 Year in Review
We wanted to share with you our 2024 year in review and our experiences, joys and losses this past year.
Sophie completed her fiduciary specific educational requirements, extensive background checking and most importantly passed the fiduciary exam and obtained her license as a professional fiduciary. This gives us an ability to provide potential clients a choice in evaluating our services with their choice of a fiduciary that fits their needs, budget and experience level.
In May, we attended the Professional Fiduciaries Association 2024 Annual Educational Conference held over three days in May at the Town & Country Convention Center. We attended excellent courses and general sessions that expanded and updated our knowledge as fiduciaries. We saw old friends in the fiduciary profession and met new acquaintances from locations near and far in California.
Throughout the year we attended luncheons, online live webinars and recorded courses having continuing educational elements that benefit our ability to increase our competence and knowledge in the performance of our duties.
The firm expanded the number of its Clients list by 100% from 2023 and owes thanks to our community of attorneys, bankers, financial advisors, realtors, insurance brokers, bonding companies and other experts that we interact. We feel honored when they recommend us to their clients as a reliable and trusted source for fiduciary services.
We welcomed two new probate court judges for San Diego County who dutifully guide us and help us grow in our roles. Still, being in court is almost a new experience each time.
As a fiduciary, we’re involved with Clients living and those that have passed. 2024 was no different and we had Clients who passed and we are respectfully managing the trust, will or estate. We experience individuals and couples that have taken advance steps for an orderly transition of their estate after their incapacity or deaths. This typically results in less attorney and fiduciary fees and the opportunity for beneficiaries to receive what the deceased wanted because there is that trust document or will that clearly outlines those terms. Generally these are considered private clients for our firm.
We also provide services to clients who pass unexpectedly without proper estate planning. For them, often times the process involves a detour through probate court and appointment of the independent fiduciary to assist with carrying out the decisions the court will ultimately interpret and decide. Heirs or beneficiaries are not always pleased because decisions follow law, not necessarily what was stated to them by the deceased individual when they were living. Conversations between a now deceased uncle and his favorite nephew like, “Uncle Greg said I could have his residence when he died” may not hold adequate status in court and the home be distributed in an entirely different manner than what the nephew understood to be fact. These are considered probate clients for our firm.
We encourage our Clients to have an estate plan and evaluate it every three-five years for updates or amendments. We wish everyone a healthy and prosperous 2025.