A living trust, also known as a revocable trust, gives you complete control over your assets as long as you are alive, or until you become incapacitated. Creating a living trust in California doesn’t require an attorney, but it’s a complex process with important legal implications. Based on your instructions, the registered legal document assistants at We Help You Legal can help complete and file the necessary paperwork to establish a living trust. With offices in San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, We Help You Legal is available at your convenience.
As the trustee of your living trust, you can:
- Buy, sell, or transfer assets in the trust.
- Add or remove assets from the trust.
- Change beneficiaries.
- Modify trust terms.
- Revoke the trust entirely.
This level of control is a key advantage of revocable living trusts. You’re not giving up ownership or access to your property, you’re simply changing how it’s held legally. After your passing, control of the trust assets transfers to your named successor trustee. This person is responsible for managing and distributing the trust assets according to your instructions.
For the trust to be effective, you must properly fund it by transferring ownership of assets into the trust’s name. This typically involves changing titles on real estate, bank accounts, investments, and other property. While this process requires some effort, it doesn’t affect your ability to use or control these assets in your daily life.
Many find that the pressures of daily life make it difficult for them to focus on filling out all of the documents, making sure everything is accurate and filed on time. We Help You Legal has been assisting California residents with living trust documents in San Luis Obispo County and beyond for over 22 years.
Living trusts offer several benefits in California:
- Avoiding probate—Assets in the trust typically bypass the lengthy and potentially expensive probate process.
- Privacy—Unlike wills, trusts are not public records, keeping your asset distribution private.
- Flexibility—You can easily modify the trust as your circumstances change.
- Incapacity planning—The trust can specify how your assets should be managed if you become incapacitated. Documents such as an Advanced Health Care Directive, Power of Attorney for Health Care, and Power of Attorney for Finances help make sure that your end-of-life wishes are carried out, including the final ceremony and resting place.
While living trusts provide significant control, it’s crucial to remember that they don’t eliminate all estate planning needs. You should still consider having a pour-over will to catch any assets not transferred to the trust, and documents like advance healthcare directives and powers of attorney for comprehensive incapacity planning.
A living trust in California does give you substantial control over your assets during your lifetime and allows you to direct their management and distribution after your passing. It’s a flexible estate planning tool that, when properly established and funded, can provide peace of mind and simplify the transfer of assets to your beneficiaries.
We Help You Legal also assists with legal documentation for divorce, legal separation, annulments, adoption, guardianships, landlord/tenant matters, setting up a corporation or LLC, and more. For assistance with legal documentation for a wide range of matters, including a living trust, call We Help You Legal in San Luis Obispo or Paso Robles.
- San Luis Obispo (805) 221-7300
- Paso Robles (805) 237-7770
- Or reach out through the Contact page.
We Help You Legal is a “self-help” legal document assistance company that provides document preparation without the high cost of an attorney. We Help You Legal, Inc. is not a law firm. We cannot represent you in court, advise you about your legal rights or the law, or select forms for you.
