Journal
Plain-English guidance on wills, trusts, probate, and protecting your family in California.
Can You Do Probate Without a Lawyer in California?
Yes, it's legal — and sometimes sensible. When self-help probate actually works, when it goes sideways, and how California's statutory fee changes the math.
Read →Is There a ‘Reading of the Will’ in California? (No — Here’s What Happens)
The lawyer-reads-the-will-to-the-family scene is a movie invention. What California law actually requires after a death — the 30-day lodging rule and who gets notified.
Read →How to Open an Estate or Trust Bank Account in California
Which EIN you need (estate vs. trust — they're different), what the bank will ask for, and the exact order of operations after a death in California.
Read →Inheritance Advance Companies: What They Really Cost
Probate cash advances aren't loans — so the effective cost can be startling. How California courts review these deals under §11604.5, and the cheaper alternatives.
Read →Am I Entitled to a Copy of the Trust? California’s 120-Day Notice
When a California trust becomes irrevocable, the trustee must send a statutory notice — and beneficiaries can demand the trust's terms. The 16061.7 rules and real deadlines.
Read →Can a Trustee Also Be a Beneficiary in California?
Yes — it's the most common arrangement in family trusts. Where the real conflicts show up, the duties that still apply, and when a co-trustee or professional makes…
Read →What Does HEMS Mean in a Trust? Health, Education, Maintenance, Support
HEMS sounds vague but has real legal edges. What a California trustee can and can't pay for under the standard, and why the acronym exists in the first…
Read →Affidavit of Death of Trustee: Transferring California Real Estate
The recorded affidavit that moves a house to the successor trustee after a death — and the county and BOE filings with real deadlines that go with it.
Read →Want a straight read on where you stand?
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