Wills

A will is the most foundational part of your estate plan. All estate plans need to have a will. It’s in a will that you give instructions on how to handle your personal and financial affairs after your death.

The main reason you need a will is to ensure your financial assets go to the people you choose to receive them. You can make specific gifts to individuals or organizations. These gifts can include a piece of real property, a piece of jewelry, a sum of money, or any other item you own.

If you have children under the age of 18, you may nominate a guardian or guardians who are responsible for your children’s upbringing and personal care if you and the children’s other parent die before your children become adults. It is important to nominate guardians for your underage children in your estate plan, because the courts take great deference to the choice of a parent’s nomination of guardians. If you do not nominate guardians, your children could be placed in the care of someone you may not want to raise them.

In a will, you have the opportunity to name a designated person or persons to carry out your wishes after your death. These people are called executors. Many people name close family members such as a spouse, a child, or close friend to serve as executor.

The executor of your estate is charged with carrying out your wishes as specified in your will. The executor brings your final affairs to a close. The job of executor is very time-consuming, and care should be taken when picking an executor(s) of your estate.

If you do not have a properly executed will as the foundation for your estate plan, your estate could be distributed according to the default distribution scheme set out in the California Probate Code.

All people aged 18 years or older should have a will as part of their estate plan. Newly married persons and families with children need to make estate planning a high priority if there is no estate plan in place. If an existing estate plan has not been reviewed in quite some time, it should be a priority to review and revise it so there will not be adverse consequences for not having a proper plan in place.

Proper planning is essential. Our mission is to work together with you by first determining your individual needs, values, and dreams for the future. Then we want to provide you with ideas that will help you create your own unique plans that fit your needs.

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