DIY Resources
DO IT YOURSELF (“DIY”)
AVOIDING PROBATE IN CALIFORNIA
Probate court proceedings (during which a deceased person's assets are transferred to the people who inherit them) can be long, costly, and confusing. It's no wonder so many people take steps to spare their families the hassle.
IS DO IT YOURSELF ESTATE PLANNING FOR YOU?
Given the recent media attention focused on do it yourself (“DIY”) estate planning, a person might ask himself: “Should I do my own estate planning?” In some limited circumstances, it may be appropriate to do so. For example, if a person has modest assets in his or her name alone, and desires to leave them to his closest surviving relatives or friends; it may be appropriate and cost-effective to use an online service.
However, it would be prudent to do introduce yourself to estate planning and learn the various ways to avoid probate. There are resources available on Amazon.com.
The resource “Plan Your Estate” is a straightforward, plain-English explanations of each of your estate-planning options, so you can make the best decisions for you and those you love. Attorney Denis Clifford shows you how to:
- Avoid probate;
- Leave property through a will or trust;
- Use life insurance to provide for your loved ones;
- Name a guardian for your minor children;
- Leave property to a young person;
- Plan for incapacity;
- Implement strategies specific to business owners;
- Reduce estate taxes, and
- Make final arrangements
This resource is good for seniors doing end-of-life planning, parents planning for their young children’s futures, adult children helping their parents make end-of life plans, as well as readers of any age who want to learn about estate planning. This resource explains estate planning in plain English, step by step, option by option. Once you know your choices, you can confidently move toward making an estate plan that fits your circumstances and wishes.
“Plan Your Estate” can be accessed using the following Amazon.com link:
If all this sounds overwhelming, please keep in mind that many people need only a simple estate plan. You may be able to prepare all your documents yourself. Or you might discover that you have some pretty complicated estate planning needs that will require advice from a lawyer. Most likely, you’ll find yourself somewhere in between. No matter what your situation, with information you can go forward informed and empowered to make a smart and effective estate plan.
Another great resource you might consider purchasing is “8 Ways to Avoid Probate Fourteenth Edition.” It includes the latest state laws on probate avoidance methods, and covers all the estate-related impacts of the recent changes to federal rules on retirement distributions. It is a top selling guide that explains the most effective ways to skip the probate process, such as:
- Naming payable-on-death beneficiaries for financial accounts;
- Owning property jointly with right of survivorship;
- Leaving real estate with transfer-on-death deeds;
- Using a living trust, sometimes referred to as a revocable living trust (see below for introductory materials);
- Naming the right beneficiaries for IRAs, 401(k)s, and other retirement plans, and
- Using probate shortcuts for small estates.
“8 Ways to Avoid Probate Fourteenth Edition” can be accessed using the following Amazon.com link:
Estate planning may sound difficult—but most people just need a few basic documents. Another great estate planning resource is “Plan Your Estate”which shows you how to protect your loved ones from legal hassles and financial uncertainty after your death. With “Plan Your Estate” you Learn about:
- Wills and living trusts;
- Avoiding probate;
- Bypass (AB) trusts;
- Naming guardians for children;
- Leaving property to children;
- Estate, gift, and inheritance taxes;
- Strategies for business owners;
- Leaving property to charity;
- Health care directives, and
- Financial powers of attorney.
“Plan Your Estate” can be accessed using the following Amazon.com link:
Another resource to consider is “Every Californian’s Guide to Estate Planning.” This resource helps you understand the basics of leaving money and property to loved ones and charities, and naming a guardian for children―with a special focus on issues unique to making an estate plan in California, like:
“Every Californian’s Guide to Estate Planning” helps you understand the basics of leaving money and property to loved ones and charities, and naming a guardian for children―with a special focus on issues unique to making an estate plan in California, like:
- How community property rules affect inheritance and taxes;
- How to minimize capital gains for those inheriting high value real estate;
- Legal and tax rules that apply to non-citizens and U.S. permanent residents;
- Important issues for international guardians, trustees, and executors;
- How to make sure your heirs don’t lose a low (“prop 13”) property tax rate, and
- How to avoid California’s slow and expensive probate system through options such as transfer-on-death deeds.
With downloadable worksheets, it includes access to essential worksheets that help you get started on writing a will, preparing a trust, choosing a guardian, leaving money to kids, naming beneficiaries, choosing agents for your health care directive and power of attorney for finances, doing a personal inventory, and more.
“Every Californian’s Guide to Estate Planning” can be accessed using the following Amazon.com link:
Another resource to consider is “The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts (4th Edition).”
Whether grappling with modest or extensive assets, “The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts” has long been the indispensable guide for protecting an estate for loved ones. In this completely revised fourth edition, updated to cover the latest changes in estate law, attorneys Alexander A. Bove, Jr., and Melissa Langa synthesize their decades of field and classroom experience into honest, clear, and entertaining explanations of a host of complex legal topics, including:
- How to create a will and living trust;
- How to use a trust to avoid probate and legal complications;
- How trusts work and how to use trusts to save taxes;
- How to contest a will and how to avoid a contest;
- How to settle an estate or make a claim against one;
- How to establish a durable power of attorney, and
- How to protect assets from creditors.
In their straightforward and humorous style, Bove and Langa share easy-to-understand legal definitions and savvy advice on everything from taxes to choosing the right attorney, all illustrated with entertaining examples and actual cases. This is the best and only legal guide readers will ever need to ensure that their money and holdings remain in the family.
“The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts (4th Edition)” can be accessed on Amazon.com using the following link:
CAVEAT: A WILL DOES NOT AVOID PROBATE IN CALIFORNIA
Probate is the legal process in which a will is reviewed to determine whether it is valid and authentic, and then distributing property to beneficiaries according to its terms. Probate also refers to administering a deceased person’s estate without a will. If you die without a will, the probate court will rely on California probate law to distribute assets and pay any liabilities remaining in your estate.
A clearly written will could make the probate process easier for your beneficiaries after you die, but it it’s not enough to avoid probate. Because of the problems with probate, many people want to avoid it. If you decide you only need a will and you want to create the will there is self-help software available, such as:
Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2022. The most popular, “Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2022” can be purchased at Amazon.com with this link:
This program, which you can download for $89-199 depending on the version, includes key estate planning documents such as a will, living trust, financial power of attorney, healthcare directive, final arrangements, and a letter to survivors, as well as other types of personal finance and home and family management documents.
The software is compatible with both Mac and Windows and is easy to use, as it allows you to create customized legal documents using a simple interview survey to fill out forms. You can then save your information and download completed documents in PDF format. You can update your will at any time and receive legal & technical updates via the Internet.
There is a legal manual to help you answer common questions, and you can contact technical support for additional help. It is important to note that Louisiana residents won’t be able to use this software, as it doesn’t address the estate planning requirements for the state.
S. LegalWills. U.S. LegalWills states the service is a lawyer-approved, most comprehensive service on the market, including simple step-by-step instructions written in plain language with available help every step of the way. U.S. LegalWills also provides estate planning software including living trusts, etc. See below. The software can be accessed using the following link.
https://www.uslegalwills.com/deal?refcode=a220067846.
Formed in 2000, US LegalWills is an independent organization that works with U.S.-based lawyers to create legal documents, including for expats and those who have assets in Canada or the UK. Services are available in all U.S. states and provide some of the best values and discounts of all the websites reviewed.
USE A LIVING TRUST TO AVOID PROBATE (SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS A REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST.)
To obtain basic information on the advantages of living trust the resource “Living Trusts for Everyone: Why a Will Is Not the Way to Avoid Probate, Protect Heirs, and Settle Estates (Second Edition) Paperback – March 21, 2017” is a good resource for setting up a living trust. Explaining in specific terms what benefits a trust will including the many advantages trusts have over wills in not only eliminating probate but in also protecting your assets for your heirs.
You can access this resource on Amazon.com using the following link:
WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM SETTING UP A LIVING TRUST?
- A Person who wishes to avoid the Probate process.
- A Person who wants someone else to accept management of their property.
- A Person who wants to assure that his/her property will continue to be managed in the event that the Person becomes disabled or deceased.
- A Person who wants privacy in the administration of his/her estate while he/she is alive, and upon his/her death.
The most common reasons people set up a Living Trust are:
| You avoid Probate | If all your property is in trust when you die (or become incompetent), then legally you don’t own anything in your name. This means, if you die, no probate (formal court administration of a decedent's estate) is needed to pass your property on to your beneficiaries. Or if you become incompetent, no conservatorship (formal court proceedings to administer an incompetent person's assets) is needed to manage your property. If you die, the successor trustee can distribute the trust property according to your wishes without having to go to probate court to authorize the distribution. If you become incompetent, the successor trustee can manage the property for your benefit without having to go to court for a conservatorship and without ongoing court supervision. |
| Tax Planning | A Living Trust can help avoid or reduce estate taxes, gift taxes and income taxes, too. Your tax savings can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in some circumstances. For more information, see below: Can a Living Trust help save or reduce estate taxes? |
| Control | Like a Will and a testamentary trust, a Living Trust lets you decide specifically what will happen to your property after you die. You can also use a trust to control how your beneficiaries will spend their inheritance (to reduce the risk they may "blow it" on expensive vacations, cars, gambling, etc.). |
| Protection against Creditors | Sometimes trusts can give assets to the beneficiaries and protect those assets from the beneficiaries' creditors. But a Living Trust does not shelter the settlor from creditors. A creditor of the settlor has the same right to go after the trust property as if the settlor still owned the assets in his or her own name. |
| Privacy | A trust is not a public record. So, the general public or anyone who is not a beneficiary does not have a right to know about the assets in your trust. The only exception is that when you die, the successor trustee must give all of the named beneficiaries and all your heirs at law (the relatives who would have the right to inherit from you if you had died without a Will) the right to ask for and get a copy of the trust. |
DO IT YOURSELF TRUST PREPARATION
If you've decided you want a living trust to avoid probate, how should you proceed? Do you need a lawyer, or can you make a living trust yourself? With a little education, most people can draw up a perfectly legal living trust for next to nothing. Read on to learn how living trusts help avoid probate, how to make a living trust, and whether you can make one yourself.
A revocable living trust, unlike a will, offers a fast, private, probate-free way to transfer one's property after death. Although a living trust is not a complete substitute for a will (it doesn't allow you to name a guardian for a child, for example), it is definitely a more efficient way to transfer property at death, especially large-ticket items such as a house.
Here are a few do it yourself options that you might review and consider.
“Make Your Own Living Trust Fifteenth Edition.” This new edition provides all the forms and worksheets you need to create an individual or shared living trust and a basic will―available for download. You would use this resource to:
- Decide whether a living trust is right for your family;
- Keep control over trust property while you live;
- Appoint someone to manage trust property, if needed;
- Name beneficiaries to inherit your assets;
- Set up property management for young beneficiaries, and
- Learn how to transfer all types of assets to your trust, including real estate, stocks, jewelry, art, or business assets.
You can access “Make Your Own Living Trust Fifteenth Edition” on Amazon.com using the following link:
Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2022. By far, this is the most popular. “Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2022” can be reviewed and/or purchased at Amazon.com with this link:
With Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2022 you get a customized estate plan, including a will, living trust, health care directive, financial power of attorney, and other essential documents. The user-friendly legal manual answers common questions. Please note that estate planning documents are not valid in Louisiana, U.S. Territories or Canada.
Suze Orman's Will and Trust Kit-Protection Power Pak. Suze Orman's Will and Trust Kit-Protection Power Pak offers the tools to build your (and your spouse's) 4 must have documents (i.e. the Will, Revocable Living Trust, Financial Power of Attorney, and Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare.) Suze Orman's Will and Trust Kit-Protection Power Pak can be found at Amazon.com with this link:
This online program includes an easy-to answer questionnaire that will customize the documents for your needs, as well as audio and visual explanations of each step, and access to support through Live Chat. The online program includes free and automatic legal updates, so your documents will be current. You will also have unlimited access to update your documents as often as you like.
S. LegalWills. U.S. LegalWills makes will and/or living trust preparation convenient, low cost and easy. The website states the service is a lawyer-approved, most comprehensive service on the market, including simple step-by-step instructions written in plain language with available help every step of the way. It also allows unlimited updates free of charge and a 30-day money back guarantee. U.S. LegalWills can be accessed using the following link.
You might also consider “Make Your Own Living Trust Fifteenth Edition.” You would use this resource to:
- Decide whether a living trust is right for your family;
- Keep control over trust property while you live;
- Appoint someone to manage trust property, if needed;
- Name beneficiaries to inherit your assets;
- Set up property management for young beneficiaries, and
- Learn how to transfer all types of assets to your trust, including real estate, stocks, jewelry, art, or business assets.
Whether you are single or part of a couple, “Make Your Own Living Trust” can help you make a living trust that’s valid in your state. With downloadable forms, completely updated, this new edition provides all the forms and worksheets you need to create an individual or shared living trust and a basic will. You can access this resource on Amazon.com using the following link:
External links to other sites outside of the sweeneyprobatelaw.com domain are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by sweeneyprobatelaw.com of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. Sweeneyprobatelaw.com bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
This website domain contains affiliate links, so sweeneyprobatelaw.com may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
To schedule a consultation, call me toll free at 800-575-9610 or locally at 760-989-4820.
DIY Resources
DO IT YOURSELF (“DIY”)
AVOIDING PROBATE IN CALIFORNIA
Probate court proceedings (during which a deceased person's assets are transferred to the people who inherit them) can be long, costly, and confusing. It's no wonder so many people take steps to spare their families the hassle.
IS DO IT YOURSELF ESTATE PLANNING FOR YOU?
Given the recent media attention focused on do it yourself (“DIY”) estate planning, a person might ask himself: “Should I do my own estate planning?” In some limited circumstances, it may be appropriate to do so. For example, if a person has modest assets in his or her name alone, and desires to leave them to his closest surviving relatives or friends; it may be appropriate and cost-effective to use an online service.
However, it would be prudent to do introduce yourself to estate planning and learn the various ways to avoid probate. There are resources available on Amazon.com.
The resource “Plan Your Estate” is a straightforward, plain-English explanations of each of your estate-planning options, so you can make the best decisions for you and those you love. Attorney Denis Clifford shows you how to:
- Avoid probate;
- Leave property through a will or trust;
- Use life insurance to provide for your loved ones;
- Name a guardian for your minor children;
- Leave property to a young person;
- Plan for incapacity;
- Implement strategies specific to business owners;
- Reduce estate taxes, and
- Make final arrangements
This resource is good for seniors doing end-of-life planning, parents planning for their young children’s futures, adult children helping their parents make end-of life plans, as well as readers of any age who want to learn about estate planning. This resource explains estate planning in plain English, step by step, option by option. Once you know your choices, you can confidently move toward making an estate plan that fits your circumstances and wishes.
“Plan Your Estate” can be accessed using the following Amazon.com link:
If all this sounds overwhelming, please keep in mind that many people need only a simple estate plan. You may be able to prepare all your documents yourself. Or you might discover that you have some pretty complicated estate planning needs that will require advice from a lawyer. Most likely, you’ll find yourself somewhere in between. No matter what your situation, with information you can go forward informed and empowered to make a smart and effective estate plan.
Another great resource you might consider purchasing is “8 Ways to Avoid Probate Fourteenth Edition.” It includes the latest state laws on probate avoidance methods, and covers all the estate-related impacts of the recent changes to federal rules on retirement distributions. It is a top selling guide that explains the most effective ways to skip the probate process, such as:
- Naming payable-on-death beneficiaries for financial accounts;
- Owning property jointly with right of survivorship;
- Leaving real estate with transfer-on-death deeds;
- Using a living trust, sometimes referred to as a revocable living trust (see below for introductory materials);
- Naming the right beneficiaries for IRAs, 401(k)s, and other retirement plans, and
- Using probate shortcuts for small estates.
“8 Ways to Avoid Probate Fourteenth Edition” can be accessed using the following Amazon.com link:
Estate planning may sound difficult—but most people just need a few basic documents. Another great estate planning resource is “Plan Your Estate”which shows you how to protect your loved ones from legal hassles and financial uncertainty after your death. With “Plan Your Estate” you Learn about:
- Wills and living trusts;
- Avoiding probate;
- Bypass (AB) trusts;
- Naming guardians for children;
- Leaving property to children;
- Estate, gift, and inheritance taxes;
- Strategies for business owners;
- Leaving property to charity;
- Health care directives, and
- Financial powers of attorney.
“Plan Your Estate” can be accessed using the following Amazon.com link:
Another resource to consider is “Every Californian’s Guide to Estate Planning.” This resource helps you understand the basics of leaving money and property to loved ones and charities, and naming a guardian for children―with a special focus on issues unique to making an estate plan in California, like:
“Every Californian’s Guide to Estate Planning” helps you understand the basics of leaving money and property to loved ones and charities, and naming a guardian for children―with a special focus on issues unique to making an estate plan in California, like:
- How community property rules affect inheritance and taxes;
- How to minimize capital gains for those inheriting high value real estate;
- Legal and tax rules that apply to non-citizens and U.S. permanent residents;
- Important issues for international guardians, trustees, and executors;
- How to make sure your heirs don’t lose a low (“prop 13”) property tax rate, and
- How to avoid California’s slow and expensive probate system through options such as transfer-on-death deeds.
With downloadable worksheets, it includes access to essential worksheets that help you get started on writing a will, preparing a trust, choosing a guardian, leaving money to kids, naming beneficiaries, choosing agents for your health care directive and power of attorney for finances, doing a personal inventory, and more.
“Every Californian’s Guide to Estate Planning” can be accessed using the following Amazon.com link:
Another resource to consider is “The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts (4th Edition).”
Whether grappling with modest or extensive assets, “The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts” has long been the indispensable guide for protecting an estate for loved ones. In this completely revised fourth edition, updated to cover the latest changes in estate law, attorneys Alexander A. Bove, Jr., and Melissa Langa synthesize their decades of field and classroom experience into honest, clear, and entertaining explanations of a host of complex legal topics, including:
- How to create a will and living trust;
- How to use a trust to avoid probate and legal complications;
- How trusts work and how to use trusts to save taxes;
- How to contest a will and how to avoid a contest;
- How to settle an estate or make a claim against one;
- How to establish a durable power of attorney, and
- How to protect assets from creditors.
In their straightforward and humorous style, Bove and Langa share easy-to-understand legal definitions and savvy advice on everything from taxes to choosing the right attorney, all illustrated with entertaining examples and actual cases. This is the best and only legal guide readers will ever need to ensure that their money and holdings remain in the family.
“The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts (4th Edition)” can be accessed on Amazon.com using the following link:
CAVEAT: A WILL DOES NOT AVOID PROBATE IN CALIFORNIA
Probate is the legal process in which a will is reviewed to determine whether it is valid and authentic, and then distributing property to beneficiaries according to its terms. Probate also refers to administering a deceased person’s estate without a will. If you die without a will, the probate court will rely on California probate law to distribute assets and pay any liabilities remaining in your estate.
A clearly written will could make the probate process easier for your beneficiaries after you die, but it it’s not enough to avoid probate. Because of the problems with probate, many people want to avoid it. If you decide you only need a will and you want to create the will there is self-help software available, such as:
Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2022. The most popular, “Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2022” can be purchased at Amazon.com with this link:
This program, which you can download for $89-199 depending on the version, includes key estate planning documents such as a will, living trust, financial power of attorney, healthcare directive, final arrangements, and a letter to survivors, as well as other types of personal finance and home and family management documents.
The software is compatible with both Mac and Windows and is easy to use, as it allows you to create customized legal documents using a simple interview survey to fill out forms. You can then save your information and download completed documents in PDF format. You can update your will at any time and receive legal & technical updates via the Internet.
There is a legal manual to help you answer common questions, and you can contact technical support for additional help. It is important to note that Louisiana residents won’t be able to use this software, as it doesn’t address the estate planning requirements for the state.
S. LegalWills. U.S. LegalWills states the service is a lawyer-approved, most comprehensive service on the market, including simple step-by-step instructions written in plain language with available help every step of the way. U.S. LegalWills also provides estate planning software including living trusts, etc. See below. The software can be accessed using the following link.
https://www.uslegalwills.com/deal?refcode=a220067846.
Formed in 2000, US LegalWills is an independent organization that works with U.S.-based lawyers to create legal documents, including for expats and those who have assets in Canada or the UK. Services are available in all U.S. states and provide some of the best values and discounts of all the websites reviewed.
USE A LIVING TRUST TO AVOID PROBATE (SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS A REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST.)
To obtain basic information on the advantages of living trust the resource “Living Trusts for Everyone: Why a Will Is Not the Way to Avoid Probate, Protect Heirs, and Settle Estates (Second Edition) Paperback – March 21, 2017” is a good resource for setting up a living trust. Explaining in specific terms what benefits a trust will including the many advantages trusts have over wills in not only eliminating probate but in also protecting your assets for your heirs.
You can access this resource on Amazon.com using the following link:
WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM SETTING UP A LIVING TRUST?
- A Person who wishes to avoid the Probate process.
- A Person who wants someone else to accept management of their property.
- A Person who wants to assure that his/her property will continue to be managed in the event that the Person becomes disabled or deceased.
- A Person who wants privacy in the administration of his/her estate while he/she is alive, and upon his/her death.
The most common reasons people set up a Living Trust are:
| You avoid Probate | If all your property is in trust when you die (or become incompetent), then legally you don’t own anything in your name. This means, if you die, no probate (formal court administration of a decedent's estate) is needed to pass your property on to your beneficiaries. Or if you become incompetent, no conservatorship (formal court proceedings to administer an incompetent person's assets) is needed to manage your property. If you die, the successor trustee can distribute the trust property according to your wishes without having to go to probate court to authorize the distribution. If you become incompetent, the successor trustee can manage the property for your benefit without having to go to court for a conservatorship and without ongoing court supervision. |
| Tax Planning | A Living Trust can help avoid or reduce estate taxes, gift taxes and income taxes, too. Your tax savings can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in some circumstances. For more information, see below: Can a Living Trust help save or reduce estate taxes? |
| Control | Like a Will and a testamentary trust, a Living Trust lets you decide specifically what will happen to your property after you die. You can also use a trust to control how your beneficiaries will spend their inheritance (to reduce the risk they may "blow it" on expensive vacations, cars, gambling, etc.). |
| Protection against Creditors | Sometimes trusts can give assets to the beneficiaries and protect those assets from the beneficiaries' creditors. But a Living Trust does not shelter the settlor from creditors. A creditor of the settlor has the same right to go after the trust property as if the settlor still owned the assets in his or her own name. |
| Privacy | A trust is not a public record. So, the general public or anyone who is not a beneficiary does not have a right to know about the assets in your trust. The only exception is that when you die, the successor trustee must give all of the named beneficiaries and all your heirs at law (the relatives who would have the right to inherit from you if you had died without a Will) the right to ask for and get a copy of the trust. |
DO IT YOURSELF TRUST PREPARATION
If you've decided you want a living trust to avoid probate, how should you proceed? Do you need a lawyer, or can you make a living trust yourself? With a little education, most people can draw up a perfectly legal living trust for next to nothing. Read on to learn how living trusts help avoid probate, how to make a living trust, and whether you can make one yourself.
A revocable living trust, unlike a will, offers a fast, private, probate-free way to transfer one's property after death. Although a living trust is not a complete substitute for a will (it doesn't allow you to name a guardian for a child, for example), it is definitely a more efficient way to transfer property at death, especially large-ticket items such as a house.
Here are a few do it yourself options that you might review and consider.
“Make Your Own Living Trust Fifteenth Edition.” This new edition provides all the forms and worksheets you need to create an individual or shared living trust and a basic will―available for download. You would use this resource to:
- Decide whether a living trust is right for your family;
- Keep control over trust property while you live;
- Appoint someone to manage trust property, if needed;
- Name beneficiaries to inherit your assets;
- Set up property management for young beneficiaries, and
- Learn how to transfer all types of assets to your trust, including real estate, stocks, jewelry, art, or business assets.
You can access “Make Your Own Living Trust Fifteenth Edition” on Amazon.com using the following link:
Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2022. By far, this is the most popular. “Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2022” can be reviewed and/or purchased at Amazon.com with this link:
With Quicken WillMaker & Trust 2022 you get a customized estate plan, including a will, living trust, health care directive, financial power of attorney, and other essential documents. The user-friendly legal manual answers common questions. Please note that estate planning documents are not valid in Louisiana, U.S. Territories or Canada.
Suze Orman's Will and Trust Kit-Protection Power Pak. Suze Orman's Will and Trust Kit-Protection Power Pak offers the tools to build your (and your spouse's) 4 must have documents (i.e. the Will, Revocable Living Trust, Financial Power of Attorney, and Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare.) Suze Orman's Will and Trust Kit-Protection Power Pak can be found at Amazon.com with this link:
This online program includes an easy-to answer questionnaire that will customize the documents for your needs, as well as audio and visual explanations of each step, and access to support through Live Chat. The online program includes free and automatic legal updates, so your documents will be current. You will also have unlimited access to update your documents as often as you like.
S. LegalWills. U.S. LegalWills makes will and/or living trust preparation convenient, low cost and easy. The website states the service is a lawyer-approved, most comprehensive service on the market, including simple step-by-step instructions written in plain language with available help every step of the way. It also allows unlimited updates free of charge and a 30-day money back guarantee. U.S. LegalWills can be accessed using the following link.
You might also consider “Make Your Own Living Trust Fifteenth Edition.” You would use this resource to:
- Decide whether a living trust is right for your family;
- Keep control over trust property while you live;
- Appoint someone to manage trust property, if needed;
- Name beneficiaries to inherit your assets;
- Set up property management for young beneficiaries, and
- Learn how to transfer all types of assets to your trust, including real estate, stocks, jewelry, art, or business assets.
Whether you are single or part of a couple, “Make Your Own Living Trust” can help you make a living trust that’s valid in your state. With downloadable forms, completely updated, this new edition provides all the forms and worksheets you need to create an individual or shared living trust and a basic will. You can access this resource on Amazon.com using the following link:
External links to other sites outside of the sweeneyprobatelaw.com domain are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by sweeneyprobatelaw.com of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. Sweeneyprobatelaw.com bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
This website domain contains affiliate links, so sweeneyprobatelaw.com may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
To schedule a consultation, call me toll free at 800-575-9610 or locally at 760-989-4820.