The Journal — Plain-English Estate Law
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
Homeowner’s Insurance After Putting Your House in a Trust
Deeding your home into a living trust without updating the insurance can leave a coverage gap. The one call to make, and what to ask about title insurance…
Read →Community Property With Right of Survivorship in California (Civil Code § 682.1)
Married Californians holding title as joint tenants may be giving away a full step-up in basis. The CPWROS alternative, the double step-up, and when a trust beats both.
Read →How to Transfer a Mobile Home After a Death in California
Most mobile homes aren't 'real estate': they're titled through HCD, not the county recorder, and AI tools get this wrong constantly. The actual forms and steps.
Read →How to Refuse an Inherited Timeshare in California
You are not required to inherit a timeshare. The 9-month disclaimer window, the one mistake that locks you in, and what happens to the maintenance fees.
Read →Does Your Spouse Automatically Get Your 401(k)? ERISA vs. IRA Rules
For a 401(k), federal law makes your spouse the beneficiary unless they sign a notarized waiver. IRAs work completely differently. The blended-family trap explained.
Read →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. The 16061.7 rules and real deadlines.
Read →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-trustee or professional makes sense.
Read →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 exists in the first…
Read →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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