Estate Planning Services

The foundation of your plan

A revocable living trust holds your home, accounts, and investments while you're alive — with you in full control — and hands them to the people you choose when you pass, without a judge involved. In California, that matters: estates over $208,850 typically go through probate, which usually runs 12–18 months and carries statutory fees based on the full value of the estate.

• No probate court — your successor trustee transfers assets privately.
• Your business stays private — unlike a will, a trust never becomes a public court file.
• A plan for incapacity — someone you trust can step in without a conservatorship.
• Faster for your family — trust administration often finishes in months, not years.
• Property in more than one state — one trust can avoid probate in each state.
• Your rules — stagger gifts to young adults or protect a loved one with special needs.
• Room for tax planning — larger estates can build in additional strategies.
• Fully changeable — amend or revoke it any time while you're living.

Not sure if you need one? Read Living Trust vs. Will in California or try the probate cost calculator.

Decide now who speaks for you later

A power of attorney gives a person you trust the legal right to act for you if you can't. A complete plan includes two:

• Durable financial power of attorney — pays bills, manages accounts, handles property and taxes.
• Healthcare power of attorney / advance directive — makes medical decisions and carries out your end-of-life wishes, with a HIPAA release so doctors can talk to them.

Without these documents, your family may have to ask a court to appoint a conservator — a public, expensive process — just to pay your bills or talk to your doctors. Kristi coordinates your POAs with your trust so everything works together, and updates them when life or the law changes.

Choose who would raise your children

If both parents are gone or unable to care for minor children, a court decides who raises them. Naming guardians in your plan tells the court exactly who you want — and courts generally honor that choice.

• Guardian of the person — daily care, school, and medical decisions.
• Guardian of the estate — manages what your children inherit (or let your trustee handle it).
• Backup choices — name alternates in case your first choice can't serve.
• Loved ones with special needs — plan care and support without disrupting benefits.

Your child turned 18. Now what?

At 18, your child is a legal adult — and privacy laws mean you can't automatically see their medical records, talk to their doctors, or handle their bank account, even if they're still on your insurance. A simple young adult package fixes that.

• Healthcare POA & HIPAA release — lets you step in during a medical emergency.
• Durable financial POA — lets you handle tuition, leases, or banking while they're away at school or traveling.
• They stay independent — it's a backup plan, not a loss of control.

A trust only protects what's in it

The most common estate planning mistake is creating a trust and never moving the house into it. We prepare and record the deed that transfers your home into your trust — so it actually avoids probate.

• Trust funding — retitle your home, e.g. "Jane Doe, Trustee of the Doe Family Trust," and record it with the county.
• The right deed — grant, quitclaim, or transfer-on-death deeds each have different legal and tax effects.
• Prop 19 awareness — parent-to-child transfers changed in 2021; planning ahead can protect your family's property tax base.
• Life changes — update title after a divorce, marriage, or the death of a co-owner.

Good to know: when a co-trustee passes away, the county needs an affidavit of death filed — ideally within the first year — to avoid reassessment problems.

Out-of-state deeds are often possible too (not available in AR, NY, NC, MD, LA, OH, AL, NJ, SC, VA, or DC).