Single, No Kids, No Sibs. Who Gets Their Assets?

Shelly and Doris were retired flight attendants who lived in Lafayette. They’d never met during their careers, but now that they were retired, they’d become great friends and loved to laugh and share stories over a glass of wine.

When Shelly went into the hospital for routine surgery and died from complications, it left Doris shocked and lost without her best friend. Shelly was only 64, and she’d left a handwritten Will but no Living Trust. Shelly had lost her sister and brother-in-law in a terrible skiing accident 15 years ago, but she was very close to their four children, especially her niece, Karen, and she’d named Karen the Executor in her Will. But without a Trust, the family would have to go through Probate.

Doris was shocked to learn that Shelley had more than $320,000 in a Fidelity account

Over the years, Shelly had made smart investments in Apple, Wells Fargo and Microsoft. The Fidelity account had no named beneficiaries, so it would have to go through Probate. As Executor, Karen would oversee the estate’s distribution among her designated family members.

Karen was a teacher who knew nothing about Probate, so she contacted a Probate attorney to help manage her aunt’s estate. After 18 months, when the court finally awarded the money to the family, the attorney charged nearly $10K for managing the Probate.

After this experience, Doris felt some urgency to create estate planning documents

Doris didn’t have kids or siblings. She had Social Security and a great pension, but she didn’t have family or close friends she could ask for help if she became incapacitated. Shelly’s niece Karen and her husband Kevin had moved in to Shelly’s condominium, and they’d become close, so she asked Karen for advice. Karen said she would be glad to be there for Doris, and Kevin agreed to be her backup.

Doris created a Living Trust with California Document Preparers

Doris came in to the Walnut Creek office to create her Living Trust. As part of her Living Trust package, she also created a Financial Power of Attorney, an Advance Healthcare Directive and a Will. Notary is included in the fee. Doris is leaving Karen and Kevin 20% of her estate; the balance will go to the church she has been attending for more than 20 years, Lafayette’s St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church.

During this health crisis, many are feeling an urgency to create Living Trusts 

Our Trust package includes a Will, Power of Attorney and an Advance Healthcare Directive and Incapacity Planning. We guide you through the process and prepare the legal documents. At California Document Preparers, for most of our services, we charge one flat fee. We’re helpful, compassionate and affordable. Schedule an appointment today at one of our three Bay Area offices in Dublin, Walnut Creek or Oakland. 

We service the entire East Bay and North Bay areas

Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond, Pinole, Alameda, San Leandro, Castro Valley Newark, San Lorenzo, Concord, Alamo, Danville, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, Pleasant Hill, Martinez, Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Discovery Bay, Pleasanton, San Ramon, Livermore, Tracy, Hayward and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.

CDP Works Remotely for Those Living Outside the Bay Area

For many people these days, working remotely is the way business gets done, and California Document Preparers is able to accommodate clients who live outside the greater Bay Area. We frequently get calls from those who are located in different parts of California or even different states who would like our assistance in creating legal documents.

Last month, “Jo” called to inquire about our Living Trust package. We provided a brief explanation of our services, detailed the pricing and suggested that she come into our office so we could show her samples, review the process, and answer her questions. As it turned out, Jo lived in Calaveras County and driving to our office represented two-plus hours each way. We further explained our process and the documents we would be preparing. She gave us her email address and we sent her our Trust overview, workbook and price list.

Barely one week later, Jo emailed us the completed workbook

She was very impressed with our customer service, paid us by credit card and scheduled a meeting to review and sign the Trust and other estate-planning documents because she had decided it was worth the long drive.
We are always happy to work remotely with our clients by answering questions, forwarding materials and transacting as much business as possible by phone and email. Most of our clients are from the greater Bay Area, so we develop a face-to-face relationship while working on their documents. We look forward to clients from the Central Valley, Southern California and northern counties coming in to complete the signing of their Trusts. It gives us the opportunity to meet them in person, walk them through the contents of the Trust and explain the funding process.

Remote clients can arrange for the Trust’s signing in a convenient location

In those cases where our remote clients cannot meet in our offices for the signing, they can arrange the signing with a local notary. We send detailed instructions for the signing process, highlighting those areas of the Trust and other estate-planning documents that require signatures, initials and dates.

Because of our personal attention and service, Jo’s brother and friends have become Living Trust clients as well. We believe our thoroughness makes a difference. We do not charge for our time and are happy to answer questions. We want our clients to be informed and comfortable about the decisions they are making. Ask any small business owner: the best compliment he/she can receive is a referral of new business from a happy client.

Creating a Living Trust is an important part of your retirement planning

Contact California Document Preparers at one of our three Bay Area offices today to schedule an appointment. We’re helpful, compassionate and affordable.