The Journal
Plain-English Estate Law
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
The 2026 Gift Limit Is $19,000. It Rises to $20,000 on January 1.
The 2026 gift tax annual exclusion is $19,000 per recipient and doesn't carry over. The 2027 figure is $20,000. Community property, gift splitting, Form 709, and when a…
Read →Sued as Trustee and as an Individual? Who Pays for Your Personal Defense
McKinley v. Harris (2026): a probate court has no equitable power to make a beneficiary pay a trustee's personal defense fees. What still works, and what trustees should…
Read →Do You Have to Tell Your Lender and Insurer When Your House Goes Into 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 →How Much Does a Living Trust Cost in California?
The cheap trust and the expensive trust often hide the same defect. Here's what really drives the price, how it compares to probate, and the question to ask…
Read →Trust Transfer Deed After Death in California
"Trust transfer deed" isn't a special deed type. It's a grant deed a trustee signs to move property to a beneficiary, and getting the details right matters.
Read →How to Keep SSI and Medi-Cal After a Personal Injury Settlement in California
A personal injury settlement can end SSI and Medi-Cal eligibility within weeks. SSI counts a settlement as income in the month it arrives and as a resource on…
Read →Full vs. Limited Authority Under the IAEA in California Probate
Under California’s Independent Administration of Estates Act, full authority and limited authority differ only on real estate. A personal representative with full authority can sell, exchange, grant an…
Read →Prop 19 and the Inherited House: How Reassessment Works
How Prop 19 reassesses an inherited California house: the $1,044,586 cap worked out, the forms and deadlines, sibling and trust distributions, and what happens if the child moves…
Read →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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