The Journal — Plain-English Estate Law
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
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 →Can a Nevada Trust Avoid California Income Taxes?
Mostly no. California taxes trusts based on where fiduciaries and beneficiaries live, and its throwback rule catches accumulated income. What out-of-state trusts can and can't do.
Read →How to Claim Savings Bonds and TreasuryDirect After a Death
Paper bonds, TreasuryDirect accounts, and the Treasury's own no-probate procedure for small holdings. The forms, the interest-tax election, and the traps.
Read →Can You Do Probate Without a Lawyer in California?
Yes, it's legal, and sometimes sensible. When self-help probate actually works, when it goes sideways, and how California's statutory fee changes the math.
Read →Is There a ‘Reading of the Will’ in California? (No – Here’s What Happens)
The lawyer-reads-the-will-to-the-family scene is a movie invention. What California law actually requires after a death. The 30-day lodging rule and who gets notified.
Read →How to Open an Estate or Trust Bank Account in California
Which EIN you need (estate vs. trust, they're different), what the bank will ask for, and the exact order of operations after a death in California.
Read →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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