Resources
The draft phase, in six core document types.
A guided look at the 24 questions most families work through for each part of a typical California plan, in the same order you see in our draft process.
Phase one
Power of attorney
A durable financial power of attorney names who can act for you. The right scope and backup agents help the people you trust help you without extra court steps.
Power of attorney
Who can manage finances and act on your behalf if you are unavailable or unable.
- Confirm which accounts and property the agent can handle, and any limits you want in writing.
- Name your primary financial agent and at least one backup who is organized and trustworthy.
- Decide when the power should be usable (immediately, or only after a specific event) based on your goals and comfort.
- Plan for simple record keeping so you or your family can see what the agent has done, if ever needed.
Phase two
Advance health care directive
This combines your care wishes with who may speak to your medical team. Clear choices reduce guesswork in stressful moments.
Advance health care directive
Your voice for care choices when you cannot speak for yourself.
- Name your health care agent and alternates, and any guidance you want them to follow.
- State the outcomes you would want, and the kinds of support you do or do not want, in plain terms.
- Know where paper or digital copies should live, such as with your agent and your regular doctors.
- List who is allowed to receive information under HIPAA, beyond your health care agent if needed.
Phase three
Will
Your will tells the court how you want property to pass and who should care for your children. It works together with the other tools above.
Will
How the probate court will understand who receives what, and who cares for children if you pass.
- Name guardians and alternates for minor children, and a plan if your first choices cannot serve.
- List who should inherit specific property and who should receive the rest, including backups.
- Name an executor you trust, with alternates, to handle court filings and final bills.
- Capture personal items or letters you want to leave, if those matter to your family.
Phase four
Trust
A revocable living trust can hold and manage property during your life, and pass it privately after, when written to match your plan.
Trust
A flexible way to own and pass assets, often with privacy and continuity outside only a will.
- Confirm which assets you want the trust to hold first, and how you want them titled on transfer.
- Name a trustee to carry out the terms, with alternates, and the standard you want for investment and distribution.
- Clarify who benefits now, and how and when they receive support after you pass, including if someone needs protection.
- Add backup plans if a beneficiary is young, has special needs, or a trustee cannot serve.
Phase five
Grant deed
For California real estate you fund into the trust, a grant deed (or similar transfer) is how title moves from your name to the trust as grantee, subject to the rules that apply in your case.
Grant deed
The recorded deed that transfers real estate to your trust so the trust is on title the way you intend.
- Confirm the legal description, assessor parcel number, and vesting line match the property and trust you want on title.
- If a mortgage is involved, know what your lender or title company expects before and after a transfer to a living trust.
- Plan for signing, notarization, and recording in the right county, in the right order, with a clear chain of signed copies.
- After recording, file proof with your team and note any home insurance, tax, or statement updates tied to a change in title.
Phase six
General assignment
A general or separate assignment helps catch property and rights that a deed does not, so more of your plan is in writing in one place.
General assignment
A writing that assigns personal property, business, or other interests to the trust when a deed alone is not enough for your plan.
- List the categories of property or rights you are assigning, such as tangible goods, business interests, or intangibles your draft calls out.
- Cross check accounts, designations, and other titles so the assignment lines up with what the trust already owns or will own.
- Confirm who signs, how many originals you need, and which schedules or exhibits should attach, if your packet includes them.
- Decide where originals live, with your trust binder, so a successor trustee can find them without guesswork later.
After drafts are ready
Review, sign, and fund the plan.
When your drafts are in good shape, we move to review and signing, then the funding steps that make your plan work the way you expect.
Informational only. Not legal advice. No attorney client relationship is formed without a signed engagement agreement.