Guides for Trustees and Beneficiaries

You were named successor trustee, or you are a beneficiary trying to understand what the trustee is supposed to be doing. Either way, trust administration has real rules and real deadlines, and most people are handling it for the first time. A trustee has to notify beneficiaries, keep records, account for the money, and follow the trust exactly — personal preferences do not enter into it. These guides cover what to do first when you step in as trustee, how to run the trust without creating liability for yourself, and what beneficiaries are entitled to ask for. If you want a straight read on where you stand, talk to Eric.

When you become trustee

• Successor Trustee Duties in California After a Parent Dies — Being named successor trustee doesn't come with instructions. Here's what to do first, in order — and why the costliest mistakes happen in…

Running the trust

• A Trust Beneficiary's Right to an Accounting in California — California trust beneficiaries have a right to an accounting under Probate Code §§16060–16063. What the trustee must disclose, the 120-day…
• Can a Trustee Also Be a Beneficiary in California? — Yes — it's the most common arrangement in family trusts. Where the real conflicts show up, the duties that still apply, and when a co-tru…
• Can a Trustee Sell the House Without the Beneficiaries' Approval? (California) — A California trustee can usually sell trust property without beneficiary sign-off — but owes fiduciary duties. What beneficiaries can and…
• Do Beneficiaries Pay Taxes on Trust Distributions in California? — Sometimes — it depends on DNI, not on whether the check is labeled 'principal.' How K-1s work, what's taxable, and the California throwba…
• The Benefits of Naming a Trust as a Beneficiary — Name a trust as beneficiary for control over minors, creditors, and timing. Know the SECURE Act 10-year rule for IRAs. Free consult: Ridley…
• What Does HEMS Mean in a Trust? Health, Education, Maintenance, Support — HEMS sounds vague but has real legal edges. What a California trustee can and can't pay for under the standard, and why the acronym exist…
• Your Will Says One Thing, Your 401(k) Another — Which Wins? (California) — The beneficiary form wins. Why life insurance, 401(k)s, and IRAs pass outside your will, the ex-spouse disaster ERISA creates, and the…

More guides

• Affidavit of Death of Trustee: Transferring California Real Estate — The recorded affidavit that moves a house to the successor trustee after a death — and the county and BOE filings with real deadlines tha…
• Am I Entitled to a Copy of the Trust? California's 120-Day Notice — When a California trust becomes irrevocable, the trustee must send a statutory notice — and beneficiaries can demand the trust's terms. T…
• Can a Surviving Spouse Change a Trust After One Spouse Dies? — Whether the survivor can amend a joint California trust after one spouse dies depends on the trust's terms — here's how to read yours, in…
• Certification of Trust in California: What the Bank Can Ask For — The bank wants your whole trust? Probate Code 18100.5 lets you hand over a short Certification of Trust instead — keeping your…
• Estate Planning Attorneys in Trust Admin — What Is Trust Administration? Trust administration is the process of managing and distributing the assets held within a trust according to…
• How Long Does Trust Administration Take in California? — There's no statutory deadline for a California trustee to distribute — but there are real timelines: the 120-day notice window, creditor …
• How to Choose a Trustee in California Without a Family Fight — The right trustee isn't the oldest child or the one who'd be offended to be passed over. It's the person who can stay calm, keep records…
• How to Remove a Trustee in California — The legal grounds for removing a California trustee, who can petition, and what the court actually looks for — plus the cheaper alternati…