For some people, the choice is easy; for some people the choice is hard. Here are some things to consider before choosing your Trustee. (These also apply to your choice of Executor and financial Agent.)

I was wondering whether ChatGPT would create a valid Will for me and if so, what that Will would look like. So I asked it to write one for me. Here is my experience.

Does a Trust need to be recorded? No, a Trust does not need to be recorded.

When you are a parent of young children, it can be hard to set aside time to plan for their future. At California Trusts Online, we try to make estate planning convenient and affordable so that parents of young children can focus on their children’s daily needs and their long-term needs.

The two most pressing questions that parents face are

            1. Who will take care of my children if I cannot?

            2. Where will my money (and other assets) go if I die?

In California, you are free to give your estate to whomever you want to, but how do you set up your distribution plan if you do not have any children? The choice of who inherits from you is very personal and should reflect your values. Here are some options to consider.

Why do many people resist estate planning? I think that there are several reasons:

1.  Estate planning forces us to confront our own mortality.

2.  Some people are uncomfortable talking about their private lives with attorneys.

3.  Indecision and overwhelm.

4.  Expense and reluctance to deal with attorneys.

However, if you let these emotional hurdles stop you from creating an estate plan, you may miss out on the emotional benefits of estate planning.

Most lawyers will tell you that if you own real estate in California, you probably need a Trust. That does not mean that you only need a Trust if you own real estate. If you rent, live with your parents, live rent-free at your significant other or spouse’s place, or couch-surf, you might need a Trust.

The necessary elements to create a Trust in California are:

The intent to create a Trust;

An asset to be governed by the Trust; and

A Trustee.

With the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last week, many people are concerned that other fundamental privacy rights are in jeopardy. If you are in a same-sex marriage and you are worried about the Supreme Court overturning Obergefell v. Hodges, or if your spouse is a different color than you and you are concerned about the Supreme Court overturning Loving v. Virginia, you may not be able to protect all of your marital rights through the use of estate planning documents, but you can protect some of them.

Can I put my foreign assets into a Trust I created at California Trusts Online? Maybe. Maybe not.

By “foreign assets” we mean real property located outside of the United States, shares or equity in legal entities organized under the laws of another country, bank and investment accounts “booked” with a foreign financial institution.