ARAG Legal Services - Tax Advice, Financial Planning, or Estate Planning?

Benefits

I'm hoping to hear from people who have utilized ARAG's legal services specifically to help you do strategic tax planning for the purpose of how your various assets will impact your heirs from a tax perspective.

I have used the Estate Planning benefit to create a trust/will, etc. so I'm set with that. And I have also used the Estate Planning benefit to administer my parent's estate after they died. But even though that attorney is highly-rated, they advised me incorrectly ... especially around Prop 19 timelines and the huge property tax impacts it has on an inherited property. On one hand, I think they should be well-versed in this since they are giving advise about distributing property from an estate.

On the other hand, I can appreciate that this may be more up the alley of a CPA or tax attorney. But even then, my own tax preparer acknowledged that they just don't understand all of the nuances of the law. Thankfully, I learned what I needed to just in time to take the necessary action so as to not lose the benefit.

But Prop 19 is just one example of a serious issue I've run into. I've also received advice from a financial planner about designating beneficiaries of varous assets (IRAs, annuities) that turned out to be wrong in terms of the required distribution timelines. I appreciate that the Secure Act of 2020 changed things, and again, I think this person should be well-versed in distribution timelines for myself and my heirs even though it ultimately is a tax issue.

Maybe I'm being unreasonable, but what I'm looking for is someone who is is a tax expert who also understands the tax implications of assets on heirs, and how to plan accordingly. Do any of you have any recommendations for such a unicorn?

Posted May 1, 2026, 3:35 AM UTC

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