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| How to Prepare for Year 2024 |
| Introduction |
| Happy New Year! This is a good time to get organized in the area of estate planning, and etc. The following provides tips on how you can get more organized this coming year to prepare for your later years. |
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| Prepare or Update an Estate Planning Document (e.g., Trust and/or Will) |
| If you don’t have an estate plan e.g. a trust and/or a will, the new year is a good time to prepare one. You can also ask an attorney to prepare a Transfer on Death Deed for real estate that you own, if the property exists in a state that permits such a probate-avoiding document. If you already have an estate planning document in place, you could meet with your attorney to update it if you had accumulated new assets that were not originally put into the trust/will. Remember that an asset that is not properly put into a trust or will can cause problems at the time of your death because e.g. it will not be clear as to whether that asset should be administered as a trust asset and therefore should avoid probate, or an asset that falls outside of a probate-avoiding document and therefore, should be subjected to probate. |
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| Keeping a Record of your Passwords, Organizing your Estate Planning Docs and Other Important Docs, etc. |
As many people view their bank and other financial account statements online, it is difficult to keep track of any passwords, etc. that you might use to log in to such online accounts. It can be helpful to type out your login information, including any passwords in a document and print it out to keep it in a physical file. You can also create such a document and save it in a safe file on your computer. Although it might be dangerous to keep a record that provides for your passwords, etc., you can make sure to share it with your loved ones only, e.g. your spouse and/or children who will be responsible for administering your estate at the time of your death.
For bank statements that you usually receive electronically, it can be good to print out some of these statements and keep a file for them, so that your family can keep track of what accounts you possess at which financial institutions, etc.
You can also make a list of all of the assets that you have and update it as you gain more assets in the future, etc. Your family can see the list and know what assets you owned at the time of your death.
For your estate planning documents e.g. a trust, it will be good to keep your estate planning document file/binder in a safe location at home or any other location and let your family members know where it is situated. If a family member is not able to locate your estate planning document at the time of your death, it poses a risk that your estate will not be properly administered. |
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| Meeting with your Financial Advisor or Other Professionals |
| You can also make an appointment to meet with your financial advisor and/or other professionals, e.g. your lawyer at the beginning of the year. Your financial advisor can not only give you financial advice but can also assist you in the area of estate planning e.g. by referring you to an estate planning attorney who can prepare your trust or will, if you have not prepared one already. |
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| Conclusion |
| It is good to get organized and continue to keep organized with respect to your estate planning documents, etc. in order to prevent causing unnecessary problems related to your estate, etc. to your family members at the time of your death. |
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| New York Office Opening |
| Attorney Yuka Hongo is pleased to announce the opening of a Hongo Law Office location in New York. Beginning October 1, 2023, the new office will be located at 305 Broadway, Suite 700, New York, NY. Attorney Hongo is licensed to practice law in Hawaii and New York, as well as in California, and the District of Columbia, and is looking forward to extending her services to more New York-based estate planning and estate administration/probate clients. To schedule an appointment with the New York office, call (646) 825-6944 or send a message to yuka.hongo12@gmail.com. |
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| Client Comments |
| "Lawyers in the U.S. can be difficult to talk to at times, but I think people find it easy to talk to Ms. Hongo. I also like the fact that Ms. Hongo follows up with her clients on a timely basis." |
| Sachiko Trillo, Honolulu |
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| "Hongo Tsuji Tax & Consulting, our accounting firm, introduced me to Ms. Hongo. I consulted her with regards to estate planning, and I appreciated the fact that she took care of our documents in a timely manner." |
| K.A., Tokyo |
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| "I appreciated Ms. Hongo's professional expertise and the kind way in which she took care of our matter. I am truly happy that she helped us." |
| Mitsuko Seto, Osaka |
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| "Ms. Hongo not only prepared my trust, but also took care of legal matters involving my company. Her fee is reasonable and she follows up with you in a timely manner." |
| S. Suzuki, Company Owner |
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| "Ms. Hongo took care of our matter in a kind manner. We liked the fact that her office was located in Waikiki, near our home." |
| Sugiyama, Waikiki |
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| "I became a successor to 2 condominiums that my wife owned in Hawaii, after my wife passed away. Ms. Hongo took care of our probate matter in a short timeframe of 1 year. We feel very grateful to her." |
| Shuichi Sakamoto, Nasu |
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| "Our clients were very satisfied with Ms. Hongo's service because she was able to explain matters such as probate in an easy-to-understand manner. Ms. Hongo is someone we can rely on for any matter." |
| Noboru Ohhashi, List Sotheby's, Tokyo |
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| "Given that the U.S. real estate recording process and its pertaining laws differ from those of Japan, and it is difficult to learn about them in English, I appreciated Ms. Hongo being able to explain them to me in an understandable manner. I would like to seek her help in the future for other matters." |
| K. Iwasaki, Honolulu |
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| "Ms. Hongo helped me with the estate planning for my real estate in Hawaii. I was glad she was able to help me during her visit in Japan." |
| S.T., Kawasaki |
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| "It was our long-term goal to prepare a trust for our family. We are now able to take the next step in our lives, as Ms. Hongo applied her proficient bilingual skills to efficiently take care of our matter. We are very grateful for what she did for us." |
| A.P., Honolulu |
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| Hongo Law Office LLLC is proud to have been acknowledged as one of the "Best Probate Attorneys in Honolulu for 2024" by Expertise.com. |
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| Attorney Yuka Hongo has been named a 2023 Elite Lawyer in the area of Estate Planning in Hawaii. The award recognizes attorneys who have displayed a high level of competence in their practice. |
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| You're invited to call or email |
"If you have questions about estate planning and administration, please don't hesitate to call. I'll be glad to hear from you." – Yuka
Call (808) 237-9944 or email yuka.hongo12@gmail.com |
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| Meet Yuka Hongo, Esq. |
| Yuka Hongo is a respected estate planning attorney based in Honolulu, Hawaii. She has practiced law for 10 years and is fluent in both English and Japanese. |
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Practice Areas: Yuka represents clients in matters related to estate planning such as the preparation of trusts, wills, and Transfer on Death Deeds. She also provides a service in the area of estate administration, including probate.
Education: In 2000, Yuka graduated from Oberlin College (Oberlin, OH), where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and East Asian Studies. In 2004, she graduated from Loyola Law School (Los Angeles, CA), where she earned her Juris Doctor Degree. In 2022, Yuka graduated from Keio University (Tokyo, Japan) where she earned a Master of Laws Degree.
Court Admissions and Bar Memberships: Yuka is a member of the Hawaii, California, the District of Columbia Bar, and New York Bar Associations. Yuka is a member of the International Law Section of the Hawaii State Bar.
Additional Qualifications: Yuka is a Certifying Acceptance Agent who can obtain the ITIN tax number for foreigners in the U.S. In addition, she is a life insurance agent and a licensed notary public in Hawaii. Also, Yuka is fully bilingual in Japanese and English and has in-depth experience including complicated translations working with both languages.
Multicultural Background: Yuka has experience living and working in both the U.S. and Japan and has a thorough understanding of both cultures and the people who live in both countries. In addition, she loves working with people from other multicultural backgrounds, and working on international matters.
Accounting Experience: Yuka worked for the Tokyo office of a prominent U.S. accounting firm for the past number of years and has extensive experience working with tax and legal issues that arise from cross-border transactions.
Educational Presentations: Yuka has presented seminars in Japan relating to Transfer on Death Deeds in Hawaii and trusts in the United States.
Residence & Interests: Yuka lives in Honolulu, Hawaii and is single. She enjoys scoping out new eateries and restaurants. |
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