Resources
California Estate Planning Guides
Plain-language answers to California estate planning questions. Written by Alex Wong, Esq. Every statistic and statute is verified at time of publication.
Trusts and Wills
How to Fund a Living Trust in California
Asset-by-asset guide: real property, bank accounts, brokerage accounts, business interests, and beneficiary designations.
Trust Amendment vs. Restatement
When each applies, cost differences, and what DIY mistakes look like in practice.
What a Successor Trustee Does: First 90 Days
Step-by-step checklist for trustees administering a California trust after the settlor dies.
Dying Without a Trust in California
Intestacy shares, probate timeline, and community versus separate property outcomes.
Probate
How Much Does Probate Cost in California?
Statutory fee table under Probate Code section 10810, with worked examples at common estate sizes.
San Mateo County Probate: Local Logistics
Court location, filing basics, and realistic timelines for Peninsula estates.
Business Owners
Business Succession Basics for California LLC and S-Corp Owners
Buy-sell structures, valuation triggers, and coordination with a living trust.
California Tax and Property
Prop 19 and Your Estate Plan
Parent-child transfer rules since February 2021, the primary-residence exclusion cap, and planning responses.
Medi-Cal, Long-Term Care, and California Estate Recovery
What recovery can and cannot reach after the 2017 probate-only-recovery change, and why a living trust matters here.
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