The Journal — Plain-English Estate Law
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
Trustee Accounting Requirements in California
Somewhere in the middle of trust administration, the trustee has to show beneficiaries the numbers, and California law spells out exactly what that document must contain.
Read →Trust Distribution Disputes Among Beneficiaries
Money changes how siblings talk to each other. Add a parent's death and a document with room for interpretation, and distribution can turn into a real fight.
Read →Trust Decanting in California: A Trustee’s Guide
Decanting is a trustee's tool for modernizing an outdated irrevocable trust by moving its assets into a new trust with better terms. Here's when it works.
Read →Trust Contest vs. Will Contest: California Difference
People say "contest the will" even when only a trust exists. The two proceedings share legal grounds but differ sharply in court, deadline, and difficulty.
Read →Trust Administration vs. Probate: Key Differences (CA)
Whether you're headed into court or a private administration was decided years before the death. Here's how to tell which one applies, and why it matters.
Read →Trust Administration in California: Complete Guide
The full map of trust administration in California, from the first 30 days after a death through final distribution, organized by the situation you're in.
Read →Transmutation Agreements and Trust Assets in California
A married couple can change what kind of property an asset is just by agreeing to it in writing. If that agreement exists, it controls over everything else.
Read →Transferring Real Property Out of a Trust in California
Getting a house out of a trust and into a beneficiary's name takes a properly drafted deed, the right recording steps, and the paperwork title companies expect to…
Read →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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