What can an experienced San Diego tax attorney do for you? San Diego is uniquely positioned to support any local, regional, national, or multinational business or corporation. The proximity of San Diego to Mexico (the United States' largest trading partner), as well as Canada and the Far East, provides an advantage to any individual or business owner with international investments or interests.
Any individual or couple who owns property in California should have an estate plan. The lack of an estate plan (and specifically a well-conceived trust) is a significant risk and exposure for any California individual or couple who owns their own home, let alone any other form of real estate. Upon passing, real estate (and all personal assets and interests) must be processed through California's Probate Court unless the decedent has planned and implemented estate planning that includes a well-structured trust.
The present average price of a singe family home in San Diego is more than $1 million. If a person who passes away owns a house or an interest in any real estate investment outside of an appropriately conceived and executed trust, that real estate must go through the process of probate. The process of probate will take more than a year and result in a substantial expense. The average cost of probate in California is a minimum of 4%; most substantial probate cases are closer to 7%. That means the cost of taking a million dollar house through probate in California exceeds $40,000. The cost of a basic estate plan, including the appropriate trust, will almost always be less than 10% of that amount. If you own a home or any real property as a California taxpayer, you need a trust and estate plan.
The domestic and international business climate is again experiencing rapid change, increasing genuine business risk. Recent tariff wars and political winds have impacted every aspect of business here in the U.S. and around the world, from supply chains to distribution and customer service.
Additionally, over the past few years, the IRS has established a high-level unit focused on unreported and underreported offshore income and assets, as well as the transfer pricing issues inherent in international business operations.
The change in administrations this year is likely to bring substantial changes to domestic personal and corporate tax, as well as international taxation, which will impact many as Congress works to renew tax cuts established in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017. California business owners must pay close attention and seek expert advice to comply with state and local regulatory requirements in California.
An experienced San Diego tax attorney provides sound business advice, strategy, and counsel regarding present and future business planning and operations, accounting insights, as well as transactional planning and estate planning to protect existing assets, minimize risk, and reduce exposure to international, federal, and state taxes.
The "One Big Beautiful Bill" passed out of the House of Representatives toward the end of May (2025) may accomplish the extension of key provisions of the TCJA scheduled to sunset at the end of 2025. In addition, the present version of the till includes increasing the limit on itemized deductions, an increased State and Local Tax (SALT) cap for deductions, changes to the indexing of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) tied to inflation, reductions or elimination of IRA green energy credits, a nominal increase to international tax rates and other changes.
Look for a single-source provider who can provide an integrated perspective that spans multiple disciplines. This enables the integrated services provider to engage in conversations with their clients at a much higher level, giving insight into the business, legal, accounting, and tax implications of any business decision. Integrated service providers also eliminate the need to hire and pay separate companies or professionals, such as business attorneys, tax attorneys, CPAs, accounting services, tax preparers, and financial planners. Each of these is only able to contribute their piece of the puzzle. The real question is:
What is the best integrated strategy to provide the solution that will increase income and profitability while reducing costs and taxation?
An experienced San Diego tax attorney can help you evaluate your personal and professional interests, tax exposures, transactions, estate planning, and business succession planning. Look for a single-source tax, legal, accounting, and advisory services provider that can provide a single source of tax, business, and estate planning services for individuals, married couples, business owners, domestic and international investors, cryptocurrency investors, as well as those with substantial assets working to plan or update their estate in light of the tax changes developing through 2025.
What can an experienced San Diego tax attorney do for you?
