California Living Trust Estate Plan Package
Establish your living trust estate plan today
Our all-inclusive estate planning document package provides you with peace of mind knowing all your bases are covered.
A complete estate plan is a group of documents that defines:
- Who receives your possessions when you pass away
- Who cares for your minor children if you are unable to
- Your end-of-life decisions and who can speak on your behalf
- Who may handle your financial and legal matters
Select your package
Living Trust Estate Plan Package Includes
Living Trust
Specifies how your property will be managed before and after your death, as well as provides a plan for how those assets, and the income earned by the trust, are distributed after your death.
Pour-Over Will
Works in conjunction with your trust and ensures any remaining assets automatically transfer to a previously established trust upon death.
Certificate of Trust
Used by an acting trustee of a trust to prove to financial institutions or other third parties that they have authority to act on behalf of the trust.
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 custom review of 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.
Why you need a trust
Trusts Save Money
While setting up a trust may seem more expensive than creating a will, overall, the trust will cost your estate much less to distribute assets upon your death. Wills must go through probate, which can be a costly and lengthy process. If you plan to leave significant assets to your family or friends, consider creating a trust.
Trusts Save Time
One important reason people set up a trust is that if a person becomes incapacitated or pass away, whoever they designate as their successor trustee will take control of their estate with little to no court oversight. Trusts are usually administered within a few months from the time of death. It can easily take months and sometimes years to fully settle a will through probate.
Trusts Protect Against Creditors
The administration of a trust does not require public notice of death to allow creditors to file a claim for monies owed against your estate. Trusts offer protection against creditors and limit their reach in regards to trust assets. When an asset within a trust is transferred to a beneficiary, the beneficiary may also get protection against creditors so long as the assets stay in the trust.
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 our living trust package
Many individuals choose to create a living trust so their estate can avoid probate upon their death. Oftentimes, probate is an expensive and complicated process that your family has to take care of after you pass. Plus, if you create a living trust, you can make it revocable. In other words, you have the option to change or terminate it at any time before you die.
That said, some people need a living trust more than others. For example, if a married couple without children wishes to be each other’s sole heirs, they will probably not require a living trust. However, if a couple has children, they should have a living trust. This document will allow them to pass on their estate to their children in a simpler manner.
Keep in mind that in California, if your estate is worth $166,250 or less, you will not need a living trust to save on probate. Instead, state law allows for a simplified probate for smaller estates. On the other hand, you may choose to create a will even if you have a valid living trust. Within your will, you can write a provision that allows for any property not identified in the trust to be transferred to it upon your death. Ultimately, you should take all steps possible to simplify your estate planning.
With a will, you need to file a public notice of death to allow creditors the opportunity to file a claim for monies owed against your estate. However, the administration of a trust does not require public notice. Certain trusts offer protection against creditors and limit their reach in regards to trust assets.
When an asset within a trust is transferred to a beneficiary, the beneficiary may also get protection against creditors so long as the assets stay in the trust.
The biggest benefit of having a trust is that it avoids probate.
In California, estates with real property or estates valued over $166,250 usually have to be settled through some type of formal court probate process. This process is very costly and can take from 5 to 7 months to complete.
With a trust, administration of a trust after the death of the trustee is relatively simple and inexpensive.
Another benefit of having a trust is to manage the property if a person becomes incapacitated. A revocable living trust allows your successor trustee to take over whenever you become incapacitated. There is generally no interruption in the management of your property, and there is no requirement for a court-appointed conservator.
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.
A living trust is a legal document established during a person’s lifetime which specifies how their property will be managed before and after their death, as well as provides a plan for how those assets, and the income earned by the trust, are distributed after his or her death.
Once the trust is established, all the assets of the person who created the trust ought to be transferred into the trust. Joint living trusts are also possible. They simply combine the assets of a husband and wife into one single trust, governed by one single trust document.
Trusts are usually “revocable”, which means that the person establishing the trust can make changes to the trust at any time as long as they are competent to do so. If the person establishing the trust should become incapacitated or disabled, the trust is in place to manage his or her financial affairs, and the successor trustee can then take over the management of the trust.
In most situations, the person establishing the trust is the Trustee – the person who manages the trust. The trust also names a successor trustee. A living trust is not subject to probate.
