Protect Your Family. Control Your Legacy.
Make sure a judge, not chance, doesn’t decide what happens to your assets. Our Santa Clarita wills and trusts attorney helps you create a clear, court-ready estate plan that can avoid probate, protect beneficiaries, and reflect your exact wishes.
Why This Matters
- Will preparation in Santa Clarita, CA: name guardians, choose an executor, direct specific gifts, and control the residue of your estate.
- Revocable living trusts: maintain control during your lifetime, streamline transfer to heirs, and avoid probate delays and costs.
- Coordinated estate planning: align beneficiary designations, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives with your goals.
At the Law Offices of Andrew Cohen, you’ll work directly with an experienced Santa Clarita wills and trusts lawyer who brings decades of estate planning experience and a practical, step-by-step process.
Ready to begin? Call 661-481-0100 or request your consultation now.
Understanding the Need for a Will in California
A well-crafted Last Will and Testament ensures you, not the court, decide how your assets are distributed. With a will, you can:
- Name an executor to manage your estate and handle probate efficiently.
- Appoint guardians for minor children and outline their care.
- Direct specific gifts (real estate, bank accounts, personal property) and control the residuary estate.
- Address debts and final expenses, and coordinate your will with a revocable living trust (via a pour-over will).
Without a will, California intestacy laws determine who inherits, often against your wishes.
Keep Your Will Current
Your will should be reviewed and updated after major life events: marriage or divorce, a new child, buying or selling a home, starting a business, a significant change in assets, or the death/incapacity of a named executor or guardian. Even absent big changes, review every 2–3 years to confirm the language still matches your goals.
For guidance on will preparation in Santa Clarita, or to update an existing will, contact our Santa Clarita wills and trusts attorney at 661-481-0100.
Trusts in California: The Fastest Path to Avoid Probate
A properly structured revocable living trust lets you keep control of your assets during life and transfer them to beneficiaries without probate, helping your family avoid court delays, costs, and loss of privacy. For many families in Santa Clarita, combining a living trust with a pour-over will, beneficiary designations (POD/TOD), and powers of attorney creates a complete, court-ready estate plan.
Why a Trust May Be Right for Your Family
- Probate avoidance: Distribute assets privately and efficiently.
- Control & flexibility: Amend or revoke a revocable living trust as life changes.
- Protection for beneficiaries: Stagger distributions, add conditions, and protect against overspending.
- Coordination: Align deeds, account titles, and beneficiaries so your plan actually works.
Common Trust Options We Prepare
- Revocable Living Trust (RLT):
Maintain control as trustee, update terms anytime, and streamline transfers to heirs without probate. Choosing the right trust starts with understanding what you keep versus what you give up. See Revocable vs. Irrevocable Trusts in California for a practical comparison you can use to plan confidently. - Special Needs Trust (SNT):
Provide for a loved one with disabilities without jeopardizing SSI or Medi-Cal eligibility; appoint a reliable trustee to manage funds. - Spendthrift Trust:
Protect inheritances from creditors and poor money management by limiting a beneficiary’s direct access.
Critical Step: Funding Your Trust
A trust only controls assets titled to it. We help you:
- Record a new deed for real property to the trustee of your trust.
- Retitle bank/brokerage accounts and update beneficiary designations.
- Coordinate retirement accounts and life insurance with your trust plan.
Work directly with an experienced Santa Clarita wills and trusts attorney to choose the right structure and ensure your trust is properly funded.
Ready to move forward? Call 661-481-0100 or Schedule a Consultation.
