Estate Planning

Q: My spouse and I want to create a trust, but we aren’t sure if our family is complete yet. If we create a trust now, will we need to change it if we have more children in the future?

A: No, your trust can be created to include any children you have now and any children that you may have in the future. Amending your trust in the future is an option if you want to change any of its provisions, but you can rest assured that it can be created...

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I have heard that creating an estate plan that includes a trust will save my family money by avoiding probate, but are there other advantages of putting together an estate plan?

In addition to the significant cost savings of avoiding probate, a thoughtful estate plan also allows you to do all of the following: - protect and provide for the care of your children or other loved ones - provide for management of your own finances and care if you...

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Q: My only asset of significant value is my house, and it is worth around $600,000. Will creating a trust save my family any money in the long run?

A: Yes! In California, decedent's estates with a fair market value of more than $184,500 must go through a formal probate in court to be administered and eventually distributed to the decedent's heirs. One way to avoid probate is to create a trust and transfer your...

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Q: I already have a trust and I am going to open a new bank account. How can I make sure that the new bank account is part of my trust estate and that it does not end up in probate?

A: Any time you open a new bank account that you want to include in your trust, be sure to title the bank account in your name as trustee of your trust. This will ensure that the account is administered as part of your trust estate and that it is not subject to...

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