Jeffrey Louis Gaffney
Helping people protect assets and plan their estates in North County San Diego.
Jeffrey Gaffney is a 27 year attorney and retired Navy Captain. Originally from New York, he moved to San Diego in 1985 and has remained here since, military duties permitting.
An attorney since 1993, Jeff is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law. He began as a law clerk in 1991, helping aggrieved investors recover from unscrupulous stockbrokers. A former registered representative ("used stock salesman") and principal (licensed manager of registered representatives), he began his own law firm in the midst of a scandal involving Prudential Securities' sales of limited partnerships. Since then, he has handled over 300 cases against brokerage houses.
Several years ago, Jeff combined trust and estates law into his practice -- a natural extension to the financial and planning advice he had been giving clients for years.
Jeff finished 30 years of active and reserve duty in March 2015. He enjoyed a successful career with eight years of active time, and 22 years of vigorous participation in the reserve. He led two major international exercises, served in the Middle East on several occasions, and had three command tours. His favorite job was a 2.5 year recall to active duty to run the Navy's history programs and museums; sadly this included being on the Navy Yard for the 2013 shooting.
An environmentalist, the Gaffney family has its own nonprofit organization to support sea turtle conservation, of which Jeff is the Treasurer (www.gaffneyseaturtleproject.org). He is also active with San Diego Coastkeeper. He enjoys summers in Central America working to preserve marine life.
A 1983 graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego, Jeff was named the outstanding graduate in his major. He graduated USD Law School in 1993. He later received a Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in 2004. Jeff is also a graduate of the non-resident (non-degree) programs of the Naval War College.
- Estate Planning
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
- Stockbroker & Investment Fraud
- Elder Law
- Free Consultation
- Contingent Fees
- California
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- English: Spoken, Written
- Attorney
- Law Office of Jeffrey Gaffney
- - Current
- For 25 years I have helped regular people solve their investment and planning problems, I primarily do estate planning, but I am also familiar with conservatorships and stock broker malpractice and fraud. I am proud to have been helping the elde community with all manner of financial issues and look forward to doing it for many years to come.
- Officer
- US Navy
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- For thirty years I was a Naval Officer, Reserve and Active. I served as a Surface Warfare Officer, leading large groups of sailors in complex situations worldwide.
- Clerk, then Attorney
- Law Office of John Allen
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- My first legal job. I began as a clerk while still in Law School and stayed on after I passed the bar. I spent those years learning how to sue a stockbroker and fix their greedy sins.
- Registered Representative and Manager
- First Investors Corp.
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- After I left active duty with the Navy I became a "used stock salesman", which I hated. I left there to attend Law School.
- SUNY Coll at Oswego
- Undergraduate Degree
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- Univ of San Diego School of Law
- Law Degree
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- US Army War College
- M.A. (2004) | National Securities Studies
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- Military graduate school.
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- Distinguished Service Award
- San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program
- For my work with victims of domestic violence and elder abuse.
- Meritorious Service Medal. Numerous and various lesser awards.
- US Navy
- Wide variety of military awards for superior performance.
- National Meritorious Service Award
- Operation Homefront
- For work in helping to establish a new program for mobilized reservists.
- Marion Mahar Award
- State University of New York
- Named the Outstanding graduate in my major for my undergraduate degree.
- Black Belt, First Degree
- International Tae Kwon Do Federation
- California Bar Association
- Member
- - Current
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- California State Bar
- - Current
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- Elder Counsel
- Member
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- Q. Mom is 78 and rec'v monthly Survivors Benefits from SS. She is a beneficiary for an IRA/401K. Will she lose her SS?
- A: If she is receiving SSI then sudden money will kick her off, probably. If she is getting regular SS then that won't stop, but it may make some of it taxable. The Special Needs Trust would have to be a Pooled Trust because of her age. A charity runs it and decides how to spend the money (ick) and in the end keeps the leftover money for their charitable purposes.
- Q. Should my partner and I purchase our home as a joint tenancy or TIC? We are unmarried; He has kids from prior marriage.
- A: TIC, or put it in a Trust. Joint tenancy would mean that when A dies, B gets it all. B may not remember or want to give assets to the children of A. B might just meet a new person after the funeral and forget A completely! It happens, and poor A's kids get left out in the cold. A TIC now, or a Trust, and update it if you have kids together.
- Q. Hi...I live in California (LA County). My wife was the sole beneficiary on her older brother's 401k account.
- A: It should go to your wife's estate. A Will or a Trust normally has provisions regarding this sort of situation, but unless the 401K administrator had the brother sign something unusual, then the money would still go to the estate of your wife. But check with the administrator.
