A Will does not take effect until after your death, whereas a Revocable Trust is effective once executed. A Will can describe your wishes for how your estate is to be handled upon your death. This includes how your assets are to be distributed, and guardianship of your minor children. A Will does not cover everything you own, and you should seek legal advice regarding what may and may not be covered in your will. Ms. Martinez would be happy to explain the how a Will may affect your estate and what options you have for your Estate Plan.

A Will may not be enough for your estate to avoid Court involvement after your death. Even having a Will, if you die in California with $150,000.00 in value of assets, your estate will need to be administered through the local Probate Court. This is a lengthy and costly process that may be avoided by having a proper Estate Plan.

A proper Estate Plan involves several documents working together. If you create a Revocable Trust, you still need a Will that pours over your assets into your Trust. A Will works with a Trust so that any assets you owned at the time of your death, that were not held in your Trust, will pour over into your Trust to be administered under the terms of your Trust.

Wills