Estate planning resources for San Diego residents
Practical guides to understand your estate planning options before you ever take a consultation, written for San Diego County residents and the trust attorney questions that come up most.
Estate planning guides
Living trust vs will in California
A will and a living trust are not interchangeable. They handle your estate differently, go through different processes after death, and cost different amounts to set up. Here is how to compare them clearly.
How to avoid probate in California
California probate is expensive, slow, and public. The good news is that most estates can be structured to avoid it entirely with the right documents and account designations. Here is how it works.
What a trustee does in California
If someone has named you as a trustee or successor trustee, you have taken on a legal role with specific duties. Understanding those duties before you need to act makes a difficult time easier.
Set up a power of attorney in California
A durable power of attorney lets someone you trust manage your finances and legal affairs if you become incapacitated. Setting one up correctly now protects you from a costly court-supervised conservatorship later.
Further reading
The State Bar of California: Find or Verify a Lawyer
Official California attorney license lookup. Confirm any estate-planning attorney is licensed and in good standing before you sign.
California CourtsCalifornia Courts: Wills, Estates, and Probate
The California judicial branch guide to probate, estate administration, and what happens when someone dies with or without a will.
CA Dept. of Health Care ServicesCalifornia DHCS: Medi-Cal Estate Recovery
How the state recovers Medi-Cal costs from estates, and how planning ahead can affect what your family keeps.
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