A will is typically just one part of a properly designed estate plan. If you do not have a will, your estate will pass “intestate” according to the laws of California.
However, even if you have a will or choose to have one drafted on your behalf, there are a few things you should know.
Read our blog post ‘Is a Handwritten Will Effective?‘
If you have minor children, a will is used to determine guardianship if both parents have passed. This keeps your family from waging war with each other over the care of your children and allows them to expend their energy on the children’s behalf instead.
A will speaks only upon your death, so any matter that occurs while you are still alive will not be affected by the execution of a valid will.
It will not keep your estate out of the probate court. Simply, it is a set of instructions to the probate court on how you would like your estate to pass, rather than passing according to the State’s intestacy laws. You should know that the probate process can take an extended amount of time and have excessive costs.
A will alone can handle some aspects of your estate, but not all. In a comprehensive plan, the will is used in conjunction with a revocable living trust to protect your estate. This type of will is often called a pour-over will. Visit our pour-over will page to learn more on how that document can benefit your estate plan.
We will prepare a legal document to provide clear instructions on what should happen to all your assets according to your wishes after death. It can prevent family feuds over property and other finances.
We’ll guide you in choosing a power of attorney (POA) and explain what legal decisions can be made by the person assigned. It’s the best way to protect your finances, property, or medical care.
This includes Revocable Living Trust, Irrevocable Trust, Testamentary Trust, and Special Needs Trust.
Our professional team will ensure that a pour-over will is in place to capture any assets that are not included in your living trust or that weren’t transferred initially. It’s always better to play it safe and make sure everything is handled accordingly.
If something should happen to you and you can no longer make decisions, you’ll want to make sure that somebody has your best interest at heart and follows your instructions for any healthcare needs. Our team will create the legal healthcare documents needed to give you peace of mind.
I had many questions regarding a trust set up by a family member that gave me power of attorney without my knowledge. This family member became incapacitated and I suddenly had a ton on my plate to deal with and no idea where to even start. I contacted the Filippi Law Firm after trying to get help from quite a few other firms and being told they weren’t interested. Well, I finally came to the right place. They answered all my questions in a timely manner, for a reasonable fee, and put my mind at ease.
Next, I will be getting help from them to update all the documents related to my own affairs. I know they will handle this in the same timely and professional manner that they showed in our previous dealings.
If you’re on the fence, don’t be. Give them a call. You won’t regret it.
I very much appreciated working with Jen at the Filippi Law Firm. My Will is thorough and complete and I feel very good providing that for my family!
Selecting Filippi Law firm was perfect for my needs. Updating my Living Trust – every aspect of the document was clearly explained and my requests were met with sincere interest. And solutions offered to questions unanswered by the previous firm! The initial consultation was free of charge and not rushed in any way. I’m happy to recommend Filippi Law Firm with sincere confidence.
Filippi Law made every step of creating our Trust easy and seamless. I would highly recommend them to anyone!
We came to Filippi Law Firm needing assistance with a probate matter. Along the way my wife and I decided to get our affairs in order as well. Having never been through either process we were not very knowledgeable and in need of serious guidance. Jen, Katia, David and the rest of the team have been very informative, helpful, caring and patient with us while we navigate this unexpected journey. Thank You team Filippi!!
Walking into the Filippi Law Firm you are greeted by a friendly and welcoming receptionist. Any concerns regarding picking the right law firm are quickly erased. Jim Filippi and his staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. They are extremely knowledgeable in Estate Planning, the reason for my need of an attorney. After obtaining my estate information they quickly got to work on updating my Revocable Living Trust and associated documents. Their fees were extremely reasonable for the time and effort they put forth. I highly recommend the Filippi Law Firm.
