The Devastating, Yet Avoidable Probate Process

A Living Trust is Preferred Over a Will In California

A Living Trust is the most ideal estate planning vehicle for most people, particularly those who want to avoid Probate, as well as assure control of the distribution, management and preservation of their lifetime’s hard-earned assets.

Keep in mind that there are two forms of Probate, where you and your assets can be tied up in a Court. One can occur when you’re living but ill or disabled, known as a “Conservatorship”. And another can happen when you’re gone, known as a “Death Probate”. The purpose of a Living Trust is to avoid both.

But Signing Your Living Trust is NOT Enough

Did you know that even having a Living Trust does not guarantee you Probate avoidance?

Many Living Trust preparers don’t realize this either, particularly if they haven’t handled many Trusts after clients have become disabled or died. The reason why this happens is because even though you may have signed your Living Trust, there is another step that must be accomplished properly and completely in order for your assets to avoid a costly, disastrous Probate. This is something called funding or transferring your assets into your Living Trust.

The titles (or in some cases, beneficiaries) to each of your assets must be properly placed into the name of your Living Trust. Assets left outside of your Living Trust may go through Probate. In California, if the total value of assets outside your Living Trust exceeds $166,250, you may have a Probate. And even if your estate value is less but you have just one piece of real estate with a gross value over $50,000 that’s not in your Living Trust (basically anything other than a piece of dirt in the desert!), you may still have a Probate.

In fact, this is exactly what happened to pop legend, Michael Jackson’s estate when he died in 2009. It was a prime example of doing the right thing setting up a Living Trust, but then not finishing it. The result was that it has been many years of very public and contentious battles over his $500 million estate.

Some people think that merely attaching a list of your assets to your Living Trust is sufficient to transfer them into it. The unfortunate truth is this just doesn’t work without going to Court.

Other people think that the Will they get with their Living Trust - - commonly referred to as a “Pourover Will” - - avoids Probate of those assets left out of the Living Trust when you die. It’s true that this Pourover Will catches those assets left outside the Trust and makes sure that they are placed into the Trust and distributed according to its terms. However, remember assets passing through a Will must typically go through Probate Court first!

If you set up a Living Trust and don’t get your assets into it, you’ve only gotten half (or less) of the job done. At our firm, we assist our clients with placing their assets into their Living Trust - - so their families will avoid Probate.

Here Are the Often “Missing Links”

At the same time as you sign your Trust, we prepare legal documents (deeds) to transfer in your real estate. We also assist you in transferring all of your non-real estate assets by preparing “transfer letters”. With these, our clients can typically get all of their assets into their Living Trust in a matter of days and then go onto “auto pilot” with the peace of mind that it’s taken care of.

But we don’t stop there, like many others who prepare Trusts. Just because you get your assets into the Trust at the time you set it up isn’t enough to guarantee you won’t later wind up in Probate Court.

We also help make sure your later acquired assets get into your Trust. We give you an “ID Card” to keep in your wallet. The card that has on it the exact legal name and date of your Living Trust and exactly how titles should be held. So, if you open a bank deposit, or buy a new mutual fund or piece of real estate (or refinance a mortgage and take the deed out of your Living Trust to do so), you can simply pull out this ID Card and make sure that the new asset gets titled into your Living Trust from the very start (or the refinanced deed gets back in).

What if you forget to use your ID Card? No worries. We also give you an “Owner’s Manual” with a second set of blank transfer letters, one for each type of asset (real estate, bank accounts, mutual funds, etc.). You can simply fill out the appropriate letter and deliver or send it to the proper party.

Plus, one other key thing we do for you is we provide a free attorney check-up meeting every three years. (Others may claim that they will provide this service, but how many years have they been around with a track record of actually doing it? We have regularly notified and brought back in our clients every 3 years for almost 40 years!)

Here’s why this 3-year free check-up meeting is so important - - and it has nothing to do with changes in your wishes, the laws or in planning techniques that often occur over time. By checking in with you every 3 years, we also check that all of your assets are properly in your Living Trust so you’ll know you will avoid Probate. If we catch something improperly held outside of your Living Trust, we will help you get it in right then and there. That’s why we can proudly say that very few of our clients have ever gone through the burdens of Probate - - and “coincidentally” those were mostly clients who failed to come in for their 3-year review meeting!

Isn’t this type of support and follow-up that you and your loved ones deserve when you buy a Living Trust vehicle? We think so.

What Steps Should You Take Right Now To Protect Your Family's Future

Here’s a few things that you can do to help assure that you and your friends, family, and loved ones can avoid the stress and expense of Probate Court:

If you have a Living Trust, be sure that it is up-to-date and reviewed by an attorney to ensure that your Trust is properly funded and you will avoid Probate. If you’re an existing client of our law firm, simply call us at 1-800-756-5596 and schedule your free review meeting with an attorney. If you’re not a client, that’s okay! We update trusts from other attorneys all the time. If you’re not a client, we urge you to attend one of our upcoming seminars to prepare you for a free 90-minute consultation with one of our attorneys and take advantage of a limited-time fee discount on an update to your Trust.

If you only have a Will, it might be time to consider the benefits of upgrading your estate plan to a Living Trust. Even if you don’t have a very large estate and may not be exposed to much of a Probate after you pass away, the benefits of a Living Trust while you’re living - - appointing the right people to take care of you and your affairs properly if you’re ill or disabled, without going through a Conservatorship - - is well worth the cost to get it set up. If you own any real estate in California, regardless of equity, we highly recommend you consider upgrading to a Living Trust to avoid Probate.

If you don’t have anything in place, no worries. This is where we can help you like we have helped thousands of your neighbors over the years. Attend one of our upcoming seminars and at the conclusion of the seminar you will have the opportunity to schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys and you will also qualify for a discount to set up your Living Trust. Now is always the best time to get your estate plan in order.

One More Bonus Step for the People You Care About…

If you are already set, that’s great. However, many people don’t know or understand the benefits of proper estate planning. So, if you know of anyone who may benefit, whether they have a Will or a Trust or not—a family member, friend, coworker, neighbor, church member, etc.—please pass this information along to them so that can properly plan to avoid Probate Court too!

Do You Need To Speak With An Experienced Probate Lawyer?

If you need to speak with an experienced probate attorney please contact us online or call us directly at 800.756.5596 to first register for one of our free, informative seminars. Your attendance will qualify you for a special discount for our estate planning services should you decide to make a free appointment at the conclusion of the seminar and choose to proceed with us. Our probate law firm proudly serve clients throughout California from our main office in Torrance, as well as those in Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Segundo, San Pedro, and Rancho Palos Verdes.

The Devastating, Yet Avoidable Probate Process

A Living Trust is Preferred Over a Will In California

But Signing Your Living Trust is NOT Enough

Here Are the Often “Missing Links”

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What Steps Should You Take Right Now To Protect Your Family's Future

One More Bonus Step for the People You Care About…

Do You Need To Speak With An Experienced Probate Lawyer?

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