The Journal — Plain-English Estate Law
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
Challenging a Trust Amendment for Lack of Capacity
Trust amendments are held to a higher capacity standard than wills. If a parent signed one while cognitively impaired, California law gives you a specific way to challenge…
Read →Capital Gains Tax on Inherited Property in California
Most people who inherit a house assume they'll owe tax on the whole thing when they sell it. Usually they're wrong, and the reason is basis, not exemption.
Read →Can Beneficiaries Agree to Change a Trust in California?
Beneficiaries assume that if everyone agrees, they can just change a trust themselves. That's only partly true, and the gap can create real legal exposure.
Read →Beneficiary Rights Under a California Trust
Being a California trust beneficiary comes with specific, enforceable rights. Here's what the law guarantees you and what to do when a trustee ignores them.
Read →Does a Living Trust Protect Assets From Nursing Home Costs?
No. A revocable trust gives zero protection from long-term-care costs. Why, what Medi-Cal actually counts, and the honest version of what planning can and can't do.
Read →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 →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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