Free 44-Point Trust Checkup

Upload your living trust and get a plain-English report graded against a 44-point checklist. Free, about two minutes, and your document is never stored.

Most living trusts get signed, put in a drawer, and never looked at again. The law moves anyway. The federal estate tax exemption has more than quadrupled since 2009, retirement accounts follow distribution rules that took effect in 2020, and California narrowed its parent-child property tax break in 2021. A trust drafted before those changes still works, but it may be working on assumptions that are no longer true.

The checkup below reads your trust and grades it against the same 44 items we walk through in a professional trust review: who takes over, what happens at incapacity, how assets divide at the first death, whether the tax structure still fits, and whether the trust was actually funded. You get the report on screen and as a PDF.

What the checkup looks at

All 44 items, grouped into ten areas. Each one comes back rated: looks good, worth a look, or worth attention.

• Structure and identity. Trust name and titling, California-law compliance, and definitions of key terms like “issue” and “per stirpes.”
• Parties and beneficiaries. Clear beneficiary identification, disinheritance handled explicitly, backup takers if a beneficiary dies first, and a final fallback gift.
• Trustees and succession. The amendment and revocation method, solo authority for couples, trustee removal without court, the depth of the successor line, and coverage during gaps.
• Community property. Community versus separate property treatment, division at the first death, and the marital deduction method.
• Incapacity planning. How incapacity is determined, distributions during incapacity, gifting powers, and support for your spouse and dependents.
• Distribution at death. Personal property disposition, gift memorandum, retirement account protections, the pour-over will, and coordination with your power of attorney and health care directive.
• Tax planning. Tax election authority, the generation-skipping provision, the 2020 retirement account rules, California property tax changes, and whether an A/B split still fits today’s exemptions.
• Beneficiary protection. The spendthrift clause, the no-contest clause, staged distributions for young beneficiaries, trustee flexibility, continuing trusts, and a special needs option.
• Trustee powers and mechanics. Delegation to professionals, a trust protector, digital asset authority, the distribution standard, and accounting rules.
• Funding and execution. Evidence the trust was funded, a general assignment provision, Schedule A currency, and signing and notarization formalities.

What it can and cannot see

The checkup reads the document you upload, nothing else. It cannot see how your bank accounts are titled, whether your deed was actually recorded, whether every page was signed and notarized, or what you are trying to accomplish for your family. A real review with an attorney looks at all of that. The checkup is a thorough first pass that tells you whether a real review is worth your time.

Your document is processed in memory, deleted the moment your report is generated, and never used to train any AI. We keep only your name and email address. The report is generated by an automated AI system and is not reviewed by an attorney before delivery. It is general information, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Ridley Law. The full terms are here.

What to do with the results

If your report comes back mostly “looks good,” you have real peace of mind and a dated record that your plan was checked. If it flags items worth attention, an amendment or restatement usually fixes them without starting over. Either way, if you want a licensed California attorney to walk through the results with you, reach out and we will take a look the human way. Flat fees are listed on the fees page.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Trust Checkup really free?

Yes – there’s no charge and no credit card. You give your name and email so the report has somewhere to go, and Ridley Law may follow up about your checkup.

Is my trust stored anywhere?

No. Your document is read in memory, deleted the moment your report is generated, and never used to train any AI. An automated AI service reads it under no-retention terms. The only things we keep are your name and email.

What does the report cover?

The same 44 items I walk through in a professional trust review, grouped into ten areas, including who takes over as trustee, what happens if you become incapacitated, how assets divide at the first death, whether the tax structure still fits, how beneficiaries are protected, and whether the trust shows signs of being funded. Each item comes back rated looks good, worth a look, or worth attention. You get the report on screen and as a PDF.

Can it tell me whether my house is in the trust?

No. The checkup reads the trust document. It can’t see your deed or how your accounts are titled, so it can tell you whether the trust has a Schedule A and a general assignment, not whether the house was ever moved into it. You can check the deed yourself: is your California living trust actually funded?

What can I upload?

A PDF, a Word file (.doc or .docx), or a clear photo (JPG, PNG, or HEIC). One file per checkup.

Does this replace a lawyer’s review?

No. The report is generated by an automated system, no attorney reviews it before you see it, and it isn’t legal advice. It reflects California law only. What it does well is show you where to look. If an item comes back worth attention, that’s the conversation to have with a California attorney. Call (805) 244-5291 and I’ll go through it with you.