The Journal — Plain-English Estate Law
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
Does a Living Trust Need to Be Notarized in California?
California law doesn't require a trust to be notarized, but in practice you'll need a notary anyway. What the law requires vs. what banks and county recorders demand.
Read →What Is a Trust Protector – and Do You Need One in California?
Trust protectors are heavily marketed and lightly regulated in California. What they can actually do, when one helps, and when it's an upsell you can skip.
Read →Can Siblings Force the Sale of an Inherited House in California?
Yes. Any co-owner can file for partition. But California's newer partition law gives you a right to buy your siblings out first. How it works and what changed.
Read →Inheriting a House With a Reverse Mortgage in California
A reverse mortgage comes due when the borrower dies. Heirs have real options (keep it for 95% of value, sell, or walk away) but the deadlines are short.…
Read →Prop 19 for Over-55 Homeowners: Take Your Property Tax Base With You
If you're 55+, Prop 19 lets you move anywhere in California and keep your low property tax base, up to three times. The rules, the math, and the…
Read →Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples in California
California has no common-law marriage. If you're not married, your partner inherits nothing by default: here's what actually protects them.
Read →How to Collect a Deceased Spouse’s Final Paycheck in California
California lets a surviving spouse collect a deceased spouse's unpaid wages with a simple affidavit, no probate. The exact steps and the current dollar cap.
Read →Who Has the Right to Decide Cremation or Burial in California?
California law sets an exact priority list for who controls funeral and cremation decisions, and a way to put your own wishes legally in charge.
Read →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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