Creating a durable power of attorney will help you name an agent you trust to manage your financial affairs should you become incapacitated, such as paying your bills and managing your investments. At Arnold & Smith, PLLC, our experienced estate planning lawyers will use some or all of the following tools to craft an estate plan that suits your needs and preserves your unique legacy. Legacy planning is a type of estate planning that allows you to pass on your wealth smoothly and effectively to your children and grandchildren. FIAs offer a unique blend of principal protection and growth potential, potentially outperforming conventional choices while keeping your capital secur

Create your personal financial statement
You can continue to assist the causes and organizations you’re passionate about even after you’re gone. It’s important to prepare the right legal documents to make sure your money is distributed as you wish and to structure your wealth transfer to help minimize tax liabilities. As a high earner with a substantial level of assets, structured family legacy planning can address your unique challenges—like tax minimization—and help ensure your wealth is distributed following all of your wishes. It is not intended to provide specific investment advice and should not be construed as an offering of securities or recommendation to invest. But thoughtful planning with an experienced team of professionals that addresses your unique asset mix and family structure can create a true and lasting family legac


If you become unable to manage your affairs due to illness or cognitive decline, your successor trustee can step in immediately, without your family needing to petition a court for a conservatorship under Probate Code Section 1800. A living trust is never filed with any court, so only your trustee and beneficiaries know its contents. During this time, your family must attend court hearings, file legal documents, and wait through mandatory creditor claim periods before receiving any inherited property. California probate typically takes 12 to 18 months for straightforward estates. When someone passes away owning assets in their individual name that exceed California’s probate threshold of $208,850 (Probate Code Section 13100, effective April 1, 2025), those assets must go through probate. Because the trust owns the assets (not you personally), your family avoids the California probate court process entirel


You can buy, sell, invest, or use the assets exactly as you did before creating the trust. The word "revocable" means you can change, amend, or cancel the trust at any time during your lifetime, as long as you have the mental capacity to do so (California Probate Code §15401). A revocable living trust is a legal document you create during your lifetime that holds ownership of your assets, such as your home, bank accounts, and investment


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Requiring minimal direction, our staff efficiently and effectively provide a scalable full complement of security services tailored to meet our clients’ individual needs. AEGIS Security & Investigations creates and executes solutions for our clients to accomplish their site specific safety and security objectives. Our security personnel are professionals operating at the same level as most company’s supervisors. To identify, meet, and living will and trust planning exceed our clients’ security, investigation, training, and consulting expectation


Insurance products and services are offered through BWG Insurance Agency, CA State Insurance License #0M46922. Every family has different priorities, and every financial situation presents unique considerations. living will and trust planning Keeping your plan current can reduce the chances of disputes and make things easier for your loved ones.
DIY Legal Tools from Nolo
Given these challenges, California residents have a strong incentive to structure their estate plans to avoid probate. Risk of Disputes – Probate proceedings can invite challenges from disgruntled heirs or creditors, leading to costly and time-consuming litigation. Delays may arise from court backlogs, creditor claims, and disputes among heirs. For example, a $1 million estate could generate attorney and executor fees of $23,000 or more, even if the estate includes significant debts or liabilities. The ability to maintain control over trust assets while avoiding probate makes the revocable trust a powerful estate planning tool, particularly in Californi


While parents will ultimately decide how and when to transfer their wealth, it’s important to address upfront any potentially controversial provisions, especially if the assets include a family business. As a rule, Weiss suggests, don’t talk about numbers for the first meeting or two. For a matter as important as your estate plan, it can be a good idea to set up a series of discussions over time. Put a plan in place, and then go ahead and talk it over with your spouse and family."
Maintain control to preserve your legacy.
No matter how much you respect the judgment of a beneficiary or trust their ability to handle finances, the fact is that money can change people. Charitable giving strategies can play an important role in your overall legacy plans but be sure you’re making them for the right reasons. The lifetime gift and estate tax exemption in 2026 is $15 million per individual that may pass tax free. Balancing control through specific language in your estate documents with education and empowerment for your beneficiaries can have living will and trust planning long-term rewards. Specific strategies can be put into place to ensure your wealth is passed on to your surviving spouse, children, grandchildren and subsequent generation