Living Trusts & Estate Planning
This firm is dedicated to providing the highest quality professional legal services, utilizing not only the aged and traditional methods, but incorporating the latest trends in light of the most recent changes in the law affecting your estate.
Prices for Estate Planning Services:
Basic Living Trust Package (see below for package details)
- Single Person Trust (includes married individual trusts) $1,295
- Married Couple Trust $1,495
Trust Provisions
- AB Provision $125
- AB Disclaimer $125
- DAB Provision $125
- ABC (QTIP) Provision $175
- QDOT Provision $175
- Special Needs Provision $175
- Restate/Revoke $175
- Generation Skipping Trust $175
- Testamentary Trust Provision $550
Deeds
- California Grant Deed (includes affidavits, quitclaim, etc.) $125
- Out of State Deed $250
- Title Search (Southern California only) $100
- Out of State Title Search** $150
Miscellaneous Services
- Trust Amendment $275
- Durable Powers of Attorney (Married or Individual) $275
- Out of State Attorney Fee $300
- Trust Reprint $40
- Trust Review $250/Hr.
- Trust Division $2,000
- 706 Estate Tax Return $3,000
- Split Dollar Agreement $2,000
Advanced Planning
- Irrevocable Insurance Trust $1,595
- Charitable Remainder Trust $3,500
- Family Limited Partnerships $7,500
- 501 (C) (3) (Foundation) $7,500 - $10,000
Basic Trust Package includes the following:
Detailed Estate Planning
Everyone's estate and circumstances are different. We go the extra mile in assuring that your Estate Plan is tailored to your specific needs and goals.
Living Revocable Trust
This document serves as the necessary foundation for your Estate Plan. As the name suggests it is Revocable at any time by the Creator(s) and can also be amended or changed as your circumstances change without legal aid if you so desire. The Trust is also recognized as a living entity (like a corporation) in the sense that it continues to live after your life to administer the affairs of your estate.
Attorney Certification for the Trust
This Letter is Attorney's written certification that the Trust is a legal and valid instrument. This Letter of Certification is signed by the Attorney and is written evidence to any person or institution that the Trust is legal rather than showing the actual Trust. It also indicates who is authorized to function as trustee or successor trustee.
Individual Bequest Sheets for Personal Property
The Personal Property Directive Sheets designates to whom certain special personal property such as an heirloom, collection, art, etc. should be distributed. The Subsequent Trustee will follow these directives and distribute the personal property to said persons.
Declaration of Intent
The Declaration of Intent is a legal statement that temporarily protects all of the Trustors' personal property from probate. The client must however, go to each financial institution where accounts are held and complete the transfer of title into the Trust. While this process could take a few days, it is very simple because the Attorney will prepare the letters requesting title transfer. The Declaration of Intent serves to give the client a reasonable period of time to complete the actual transfer of titles at the various institutions.
Trustee Instructions
The Organizational Binder includes a set of Trustee Instructions. Once the Trust is set up, it should be personally managed as circumstances change. It is not necessary to come back to the Law Office for every question or concern because these instructions show how to manage the Trust. Of course, if there were questions that are not answered by these instructions, please feel free to call.
Questions and Answers
This is a list of common questions with our answers. They are so common and frequently asked that we have included them in your Estate Plan.
Bank, Stock Letters
These funding letters will allow financial institutions to tranfer titles of accounts into the name of the trust, without further explanation.
Personalized Stationery
During the management of the Trust and estate plan it may be necessary to correspond with others. The personalized stationary is headed by the name of the Trust. These can be copied if more are required.
Preparation of the Deed to Home or other Real Estate
After the Declaration of Intent is signed, the Trustor should then sign all of the Real Property Transfer Deeds which have been prepared to transfer the client's real property interests into the Trust. Each deed should be signed by the grantor(s) and notarized by a notary public. Attorney prepares all Grant Deeds, Quitclaim Deeds, Warranty Deeds, Assignments of Deeds of Trust etc. for properties within the United States.
Tax Assessor Report Preparation
This Report is used in assessing your change of ownership of real estate (called The Preliminary Change of Ownership Report in the State of California.) This form also instructs the County Governement to keep your taxable basis the same and that you as the Creator and Trustee of your Trust will be paying the property tax in the same manner that you always have. Many states have similar forms which our office prepares to accompany each deed.
Pour Over Will to the Trust
The Pour Over Will is designed to catch any assets which were not titled in the Trust's name during the Trustor's lifetime and transfer them into the Trust at the Trustor's death. Hence, it is called a Pour Over Will because it pours out-of-Trust assets into the Trust at the death of the Testator. The Pour Over Will also operates as a backup to the Trust. If the Trust fails for any reason, the Pour Over Will is structured to accomplish the same objectives as the Trust. It should be noted, however, that the Pour Over Will goes through a full, statutory probate if the assets it is transferring into the Trust exceed the exemption allowed within each geographic jurisdiction. For this reason, it is recommended that all of the assets be transferred directly into the Trust during the Trustor's lifetime, without reliance on the Pour Over Will. The Pour Over Will must be signed by the client and witnessed by two disinterested witnesses.
Living Will (Right-to-Die Directive)
The Right to Die Document is also known as the "Living Will." Its primary purpose is to protect the client from unwanted artificial life support systems in the event the client becomes terminally ill or brain dead. The Right to Die Document is technically a Will and must be signed by the client and witnessed by two disinterested witnesses. Current law allows the force of the signed document to exist indefinitely until it is revoked by the Trustor.
Unlimited Trust Consultations during Trust Creation
During the creation of the estate plan, unlimited consultation is a benefit to you so that, when finished, the estate plan is exactly what you desire.
Durable Powers of Attorney for Asset Administration
The Durable Power of Attorney for Assets is designed to allow its designated Attorney in Fact to make asset administration decisions in behalf of and for the benefit of the client if the client becomes incapacitated. The Durable Power of Attorney relates only to those assets which may be outside the Trust. Assets which are in the Trust can automatically be administered for the benefit of the Trustor by the Trustee of the Trust. The Durable Power of Attorney simply extends this same type of power during periods of incapacitation to the Attorney in Fact for out-of-Trust assets. This document must be signed by the client and acknowledged by a notary public.
Durable Powers of Attorney for Heath Care
This document is required in order to legally allow an Attorney in Fact to make health care decisions for the benefit of the incapacitated client. The Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care must be signed and notarized.
Important Document Guide
The Essential Document Locator is a log of the location of your important documents. This could include bank statements, certificates, insurance, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, promissory notes, genealogy, or whatever is important to settle the estate. Oftentimes, Subsequent Trustees, Executors, Attorney in Facts, Beneficiaries or Heirs can't find these important documents. In fact, millions of dollars are escheat to the states each year because there were no claims on the funds.
Personal Message Guide
This guide provides an outline to writing or recording personal messages to your family and heirs.
Estate Planning Analysis
Estate Analysis Worksheet/Prices/Ordering. Both of these forms outline all the basic information relative to your estate and the desired method of planning. It takes only a minimum amount of time to fill out the Analysis. After we receive your Estate Analysis, and have confirmed the information, we will create your estate plan.
Notarization of legal documents
After your Estate Plan is created it must be signed and witnessed by a Notary Public.
Heavy Duty Organizational Binder
A comprehensive estate plan will have many important documents that should stay together. This Organizational Binder will keep all of your important documents together and safe. We will provide one binder for the first original estate plan. It is durable, tabulated and indexed and is very easy to work with. We will create three sets of original documents so that one set can be put in a safety deposit box while keeping the other set at home for use as a working copy. Our law office will keep the third copy in the client's file.
Proven, Experienced and Professional Service
We are committed to serving you in your estate and financial planning needs. Our estate planning package and service is of the finest quality.
Living Trusts - Frequently Asked Questions