LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

Don’t let the State of California decide how to distribute your property when you die. Instead, make your wishes known in an enforceable manner. A basic will begins at only $750. Complex wills and will contracts typically begin at $1,500. Modification of an existing will by codicil starts at $150. Our will packages include a durable power of attorney and a California advance health care directive.

Every will package includes two meetings with the attorney – an initial meeting to discuss your objectives and review your assets, and a second meeting with the attorney to review and finalize your documents. If you wish, we can also arrange for a third meeting with you, your witnesses and a notary public in order to fully execute your legal documents.

LIVING AND SPECIAL TRUSTS

Today, many people are opting out of the probate system to the extent possible by creating revocable living trusts to manage their estate succession. A simple revocable living trust can start at only $1,500, with complex trusts for complicated or high-value estates beginning at $3,000 and above. Our living trust packages include a “pour-over” will, a durable power of attorney and a California advance health care directive.

Some clients chose to establish a special trust for a beloved niece, nephew, grandchild or other relative, while others want to create a trust to benefit their favorite charity. There are a wide range of trusts possible. One very popular kind of trust is a spendthrift trust, which protects a beneficiary from his/her own inability to control spending and protects the principal from creditors. The trust principal is under the control of an independent trustee and the beneficiary has no control over the trust. A simple spendthrift trust can start at only $1,500.

While there are many advantages to creating a trust, it is not necessarily the right option for everyone. Our trust packages include several comprehensive meetings with the attorney to discuss your goals and objectives, to review your estate composition and potential probate liability, and to discuss options for protecting your beneficiaries from themselves as well as from others.

TRUST ADMINISTRATION AND TRUSTEE SERVICES

Most of our clients choose to act as trustee and to administer their trusts themselves. And in most cases this makes the most sense, particularly if you have created a revocable living trust for your own estate succession. However, trust administration for some kinds of special trusts can be a complicated and difficult process, particularly when it comes to keeping records, preparing tax returns and managing disbursements to beneficiaries, not to mention keeping peace in the family.

That’s where we can help. Our typical monthly trust administration fee is 1.5% of the trust corpus, but can vary with the details and complexity of the trust. This includes all duties related to the trust, including correspondence and telephone calls with beneficiaries and the trust settlor(s) when necessary, maintenance of the trust’s financial records, monitoring of the trust investments and conferring with financial specialists to minimize risk, management of the trust with due diligence and under the “prudent investor” rule, asset transfers, and preparation of documents and facilitation of annual tax returns. It does not include outside charges that may at times be incurred, such as fees and costs charged by the financial institution(s) or the actual preparation of the annual tax returns.

IN-HOME VISITS

As an added courtesy, we now provide in-home appointments for our elderly estate planning clients who have difficulty with transportation, health or the convenience of leaving home for our office. If you reside in Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano or Napa counties, it would be our pleasure to meet with you and your family in the comfort of your own home.

Please call us to discuss the different estate planning options available to you and to schedule your initial appointment.