The Journal — Plain-English Estate Law
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
Trustee Compensation in California: What’s Fair
California law lets a trustee charge a reasonable fee for the work of administering a trust, but "reasonable" is a judgment call, not a formula, and that's exactly…
Read →Trustee Breach of Fiduciary Duty in California
A trustee who favors themselves, mismanages assets, or stonewalls beneficiaries has likely breached a fiduciary duty California law takes seriously, with real remedies available.
Read →California Trust Accounting Requirements: What § 16062 Actually Requires
Somewhere in the middle of trust administration, the trustee has to show beneficiaries the numbers, and California law spells out exactly what that document must contain.
Read →Trust Distribution Disputes Among Beneficiaries
Money changes how siblings talk to each other. Add a parent's death and a document with room for interpretation, and distribution can turn into a real fight.
Read →Trust Decanting in California: A Trustee’s Guide
Decanting is a trustee's tool for modernizing an outdated irrevocable trust by moving its assets into a new trust with better terms. Here's when it works.
Read →Trust Contest vs. Will Contest: California Difference
People say "contest the will" even when only a trust exists. The two proceedings share legal grounds but differ sharply in court, deadline, and difficulty.
Read →Trust Administration vs. Probate: Key Differences (CA)
Whether you're headed into court or a private administration was decided years before the death. Here's how to tell which one applies, and why it matters.
Read →Transmutation Agreements and Trust Assets in California
A married couple can change what kind of property an asset is just by agreeing to it in writing. If that agreement exists, it controls over everything else.
Read →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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