The Journal — Plain-English Estate Law
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
Per Stirpes vs. Per Capita in California: What They Actually Mean
Per stirpes sends a deceased beneficiary's share down to their kids; per capita splits among survivors. California's default, and which one most parents actually want.
Read →What Happens to the Mortgage When You Inherit a House? (California)
The mortgage doesn't vanish or come due when you inherit. How Garn-St. Germain protects you, your keep/refinance/sell options, and how reverse mortgages differ.
Read →Can You Refinance a House That’s in Your Living Trust? (California)
Yes, and it won't trigger reassessment. Why some lenders move title out temporarily, and the one mistake that leaves your home exposed to probate afterward.
Read →Life Estate vs. Transfer-on-Death Deed vs. Trust in California
Three ways to pass your home: a life estate, a revocable TOD deed, or a living trust. An honest comparison of control, cost, and who each one actually…
Read →Buying Out a Sibling on an Inherited House Without Losing the Prop 19 Basis
How to buy out your siblings on an inherited California home and keep the low property-tax basis: why a third-party trust loan, not a cash buyout, protects Prop…
Read →Does a Living Trust File a Tax Return? (California, 2026)
While you're alive, a revocable living trust files no separate tax return and needs no EIN. What changes after death, the Form 1041, and the 645 election, explained.
Read →Estate Tax Portability in California: The 706 Most Families Skip
Portability lets a surviving spouse keep the first spouse's unused $15M exemption, but only if you file a 706. The real 5-year deadline, and who actually needs it.
Read →Do You Still Need a SLAT After the 2026 Tax Law? (California)
The 2026 exemption sunset that drove SLAT urgency was repealed. When a spousal lifetime access trust still makes sense in California, and when it doesn't.
Read →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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