California Last Will Estate Plan
Choose who gets your property and who will care for your children
Save up to $200 on document preparation with our will package.
Your last will defines:
- Who receives your possessions when you pass away
- Who cares for your minor children if you are unable to
Select a Service
Will Package Includes
Healthcare Directive
Designates who may make health care decisions for you if you become incapacitated. Also directs whether life support is desired when terminally ill.
Financial POA
Appoints an agent who may run your business, and all your financial affairs, including but not limited to money management and bill paying — if you are incapacitated and unable to.
What makes our service unique?
Affordable
Our simple online interview process can help you save thousands compared to hiring an expensive attorney to prepare your estate plan.
Expert Verification
Our estate plan service includes a personal interview to review your documents, making sure you didn’t overlook something.
Legal & Reliable
We use the same estate planning software that many California attorneys use, so you can be confident in your documents.
Trusted
We provide exceptionally high quality legal document preparation services unsurpassed by any other company online, and we take pride in our long-term reputation.
How it works
1. Complete our simple questionnaire
It’s convenient and risk free!
2. Review and confirm services
Review your information and tell us how quickly you need your documents.
3. Sign and purchase
Securely sign online and we’ll complete your documents.
Common questions about last wills
Keep your will in a safe, easily accessible place after it is signed.
Be sure the executor you appointed knows where it is kept.
Wills are legally binding if the following criteria are met:
- You must be of sound mind
- You must be acting of your own free will without undue influence or duress from others
- The will must be signed and witnessed according to the applicable laws of California
A will is sufficient if:
- The total value of your assets at the date of your death is less than $166,250, excluding any asset which has a beneficiary provision and any asset which is in joint tenancy (or other multiple tenancy).
- The value of your real property at the date of your death is less than $55,425.
A trust is recommended for estate planning if your assets or real property have a higher value.
A will is a legal document that is effective at your death. This document will name your executor who is the person who will handle your assets after your death. It also permits you to name beneficiaries, set up support trusts for minor children or other dependents, and designate when and how your gifts will be given.
If you have minor children, you can also name a guardian for these children.
If your assets are in excess of $166,250 and you do not have a trust, your estate will probably need a probate proceeding which can be very expensive.
If you die without a will you will not be able to choose who receives your assets. Instead, your closest relatives or heirs inherit your wealth according to intestate succession laws.
Intestate succession laws control which surviving family members of the decedent inherit their assets after probate when the person did not leave a will. The statutory laws identify the decedent’s relatives that should inherit the money. Who inherits what depends on which relatives are still alive when the person dies. Generally speaking,
- When a decedent is married and has children, the spouse receives part of the estate and the children receive the rest.
- If the decedent is unmarried at the time of death and had children, the laws dived the estate equally among the children.
- When a decedent is unmarried and childless, the person’s parents inherit the estate. If the decedent’s parents are not living, the person’s siblings inherit equal portions of the estate.
- If the person does not have a surviving spouse, children, parents, or siblings, then the person’s grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins can inherit.
Keep in mind, there are many other variations of how intestate laws work. You can read more about California’s intestate succession laws here.
Probate is a legal proceeding required to settle a deceased person’s estate, paying all debts of the decedent, and distributing the property to the heirs and beneficiaries.
When a Living Trust holds the title to some of the decedent’s property, however, that property can pass to the beneficiaries without going through probate.
A court probate of a will, depending on the size of the estate, can be expensive and time-consuming. The probate process varies dramatically between states, but can be completely avoided with proper estate planning.
