Which is better, a Will or a Trust? Unpopular opinion: It depends on what your goals are and what you are trying to accomplish. Often, the terms Will and Trust are used interchangeably or are...
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Can I avoid probate by having a joint tenant or designating a beneficiary on everything I own?
Contrary to popular belief, not all of your assets (the stuff you own, like bank accounts and real property) will need to be probated at your death without a trust. You can actually avoid probate of...
Intestate Succession: Who Gets My Stuff If I Die Without a Will in California
If you die without establishing your beneficiaries in a will and/or trust, California law will dictate who inherits your estate. This is often a source of confusion because often married people just...
When Your Estate is Too Small for Probate: Enter the Small Estate Affidavit
You'll often hear that you need a trust to avoid probate. However, if the part of your estate that would otherwise be subjected to probate is small enough, there might very well be another way! ...
Estate planning attorneys love to talk about the need for a plan "in order to avoid probate." You might wonder, why? What is so bad about probate? After all, probate is just the court process...
Most estate planning attorneys focus on a revocable living trust as the most important document of their client's plan, and there are plenty of good reasons for that. But here's a secret: a trust...
