Probate: A Tragic Consequence of the Pandemic

COVID is proving to be a very cunning adversary. Experts continue to learn about and respect COVID’s nuances because it’s still the one in control. While the disease is most dangerous for the elderly and those with preexisting conditions, it transcends demographics. It’s affecting those who are healthy, athletic, young and strong.

Probate has emerged as an unfortunate consequence of COVID

Tragically, thousands of people, including our health care workers, are dying from this disease every single day. Many never created a Will or Living Trust. Their families, still reeling from the shock of a tragic death, are now having to deal with Probate. They’re tackling the challenges of administering an estate during a pandemic when everything is infinitely more difficult.

California Document Preparers guides our clients through the entire Probate process

While Probate can seem overwhelming, it is actually a very methodical process. Best of all, we guide you through the entire process, and we prepare the legal documents.

As part of Probate, the Court appoints a personal representative, or Administrator, to settle the estate, so we work directly with that Administrator throughout the Probate process. The administrator is responsible for:

• Collecting all of the decedent’s property
• Paying all of the estate’s debts, claims and taxes
• Collecting all rights to income, dividends, etc.
• Settling all disputes
• Distributing or transferring the remaining property to the heirs

Access to the decedent’s accounts to determine the financial landscape 

The Administrator may meet with the financial advisor, insurance agent, accountant, etc. to acquire estate information. Gaining access to all of the decedent’s records–bank statements, savings accounts and income tax returns–will help determine the financial landscape. The Administrator is in charge of valuing and and selling assets, as necessary, to settle the estate’s debts or expenses.

During Probate, the deceased’s estate becomes a separate tax entity, so the Administrator must obtain a federal identification number and open a bank account in the name of the estate, from which to pay creditors. It is also necessary to file the estate’s tax return and a final individual tax return.

Distribution of remaining assets

Once all taxes and debts have been satisfied, the Court will then distribute any remaining assets according to state law. In California, the first priority is given to the deceased’s spouse, followed by the deceased’s children.

Working with California Document Preparers

The safety and wellbeing of our own team and our clients are important to us. For many of our clients, we are working completely virtually using ZOOM and phones. We’ve instituted stringent sanitation procedures in our offices, so our clients can feel comfortable about meeting with us. Everyone is wearing masks and gloves; hand sanitizers are distributed throughout the space. We limit the number of people in the office so that we can maintain proper social distancing.

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 and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.

Three Months and Counting: What We’ve Learned During the COVID Lockdown

It’s been three months since we began sheltering in place. We assumed we’d be back to our happy little routines within a few weeks. How naïve we were. We now know that our happy little routines will be disrupted for a long time to come.

Along the way we’ve learned that:

There’s a deep well of generosity and a strong sense of community among us

• LVMH shut down perfume production and began producing hand sanitizer. Cable companies offered free wifi for homebound students.
• In my own community, volunteers organized grocery runs for those who couldn’t drive or get to the stores.
• Wellness checks included neighbors dropping off care packages and casseroles. For the elderly, this virus quickly could become dangerous and isolating.
• In Ohio, the Cleveland Clinic was struggling to find protective face masks for its 55,000 employees. A call to Abe Troyer, a local Amish community leader, resulted in 60 home seamstresses teaming to sew 12 thousand masks in two days. “If there is a need, people just show up,” said Mr. Troyer.

We really are all in this together

This disease freely roams the globe. It won’t be over until everyone is vaccinated. Our government talks about a vaccine by year’s end, but this virus mutates. Will the virus we develop today work on the virus that evolves tomorrow? No one knows, though the government has committed $1.2B to drug company AstraZeneca to develop a vaccine.

Expertise and government matter

There’s a reason why we have government and policies. It’s important to hire smart, experienced people, to build teams who know how to execute in a crisis. We really can’t underestimate the importance of strong leadership, experience and expertise. We’ve learned an important lesson: Crisis is inevitable, it’s how you deal with it that matters.

We can learn from others

What if we took a page from New Zealand, a tiny country whose population is less than that of the Bay Area? New Zealand is cautiously COVID-free, thanks to smart leadership. They’re all over renewable energy–79% of their electricity comes from renewable, and their goal is to be 90% renewable by 2025. Think about that. An entire country working toward an environmentally conscious goal. What if we did that? What if America’s collective creativity were directed toward renewable energy? We could own this and lead the world.

Some amazing things are emerging from this crisis

We’ve learned about our own resilience, resourcefulness and ingenuity. We’ve:

• Gotten to know our families again and hopelessly spoiled our pets.
• Reduced pollution. We can do this. Venice’s canals are clearer than they’ve been in 20 years.
• Learned new languages. My neighbor can’t stop baking. It’s endless–gardening, knitting, sewing, painting and canning. These close-to-the-earth kinds of activities are somehow life-affirming.
• Rediscovered our creativity and inventiveness. Skype book clubs, Periscope jam sessions, live-streamed yoga classes and worship services. We’ve Zoomed everything imaginable—from art classes, happy hours and dinner parties to weddings and memorial services.
• Gone back to using the internet as it was meant to be used. A way to connect, share information and come up with creative solutions to pressing problems. There’s a kind of pioneer spirt about this—the kind of thing that surfaces when the power goes off for an extended period.

We’ve found inventive new ways to transact business, but something is missing

Many of these activities represent positive change that will transcend COVID. But we all want our lives back. We want to be around people again. To be in a crowded restaurant or bar, to go to movies, concerts and events. To have the freedom to hop on an airplane and travel. To meet new people, to be free to reach out and shake hands. To connect. We want to hug our friends again! Despite our agility and reliance on our online channels, we’ve learned that the need for human connection remains a powerful, driving force.

And that’s one of the good things to emerge from our lockdown. We’ll get through this. Stay safe.

The uncertainty of this disease leaves many people scheduling appointments to create or update their Living Trusts 

Our Trust includes a Power of Attorney, an Advanced Healthcare Directive and a Pour Over Will. For those with children under 18, it provides the opportunity to name a Guardian. 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.

Working with California Document Preparers

The safety and wellbeing of our own team and our clients are important to us. For many of our clients, we are working completely virtually using ZOOM and phones. We’ve instituted stringent sanitation procedures in our offices, so our clients can feel comfortable about meeting with us. Everyone is wearing masks and gloves; hand sanitizers are distributed throughout the space. We limit the number of people in the office so that we can maintain proper social distancing.

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 and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.

Why is Grandma Twice as Likely to have Dementia as Grandpa?

Eight out of every ten of us will have some form of dementia before we die. Here’s another stat that most of us likely don’t know. Two-thirds of the 5.8 million people in the U.S. who have Alzheimer’s disease are women.

By 2050, that number will zoom to nearly 14 million—and 9 million of those will be women. This according to a new report from AARP. “People just don’t think about the fact that women are disproportionately affected by dementia,” says Kristine Yaffe, M.D., professor of psychiatry, neurology and epidemiology at UCSF.

Dementia: Not a disease so much as a group of symptoms

Dementia’s symptoms show a decline in memory and social abilities so that they interfere with the ability to function on a daily basis. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. But there are other forms of dementia. Women shoulder a wildly disproportionate burden in every single one of these diseases, robbing them of independence, memories, and in many cases, their self-identity.

• Women’s lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease is twice that of men’s.
• They are more likely to be caregivers for loved ones with dementia, which takes a toll on their own financial, physical and mental wellbeing.
• Women make up more than 60% of dementia caregivers.

Why are women at greater risk for dementia? 

Experts assumed it was a consequence of women living longer than men—and of course it’s a factor, but not a reason. “The social and environmental influences on health play a huge role in brain health for women,” notes Sarah Lenz Lock, senior vice president for policy and brain health at AARP. “Women face more challenges due to lower educational levels. They have fewer economic resources, they provide more caregiving for their families and they experience more stress. All of these factors affect the risk of cognitive decline.”

Reproductive history plays a role

The age at which women get their first menstrual periods, how many successful pregnancies they have, childbearing and the decline in estrogen at menopause—all may be contributors, along with genetic factors, depression and anxiety.

Racial and ethnic disparities

Racial and ethnic disparities place women at a greater risk. Older African Americans are twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s as older whites; and older Hispanics have a 1.5 times higher risk than non-Hispanic whites. While there is little research to understand this disparity, lack of access to health care stands out as a contributing cause. Conditions such as heart disease, stress, hypertension, diabetes and obesity that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities increase the risk of dementia.

What can women do to reduce their risk for dementia?

A mounting body of research suggests that a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of dementia by more than 33%.

Here are the key components of a brain-protective lifestyle:

• Exercise regularly. Cardio or aerobic exercise increases blood flow, reduces inflammation and stimulates the release of growth factors, stimulating brain health.
• Stimulate your brain. Puzzles, word games and challenging reading material help keep your brain in shape.
• Stay socially connected. Besides helping prevent isolation and loneliness, staying connected to people you care about provides a sense of purpose and support.
• Relieve stress. It’s women who juggle careers and family obligations. That’s a problem for brain health because ongoing stress and anxiety cause depression and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s. Work on decompressing through exercise, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, therapy, time with friends or whatever helps you relieve the pressure.
• Get plenty of good sleep. It’s remarkable what a good night’s sleep can do. The toxins, get cleared out.
• Eat a balanced diet. Fads come and go. A heart-healthy/Mediterranean-style diet still makes sense.
• Protect your head from injury. Traumatic brain injuries are an important risk factor for dementia, so be sure to wear helmets for biking or skiing.

Control chronic health conditions. “There’s a connection between heart health and brain health,” Yaffe says, “and hypertension, diabetes and obesity have big effects on the brain because of the vascular effects and other effects.” Take steps to prevent these health problems or keep them under tight control. “Taking care of themselves with short-term investments in their health and wellbeing will pay long-term benefits for women,” Lock says.

Many of CDP’s clients are retired or they’re thinking about retiring

Healthcare issues, particularly Alzheimer’s, are frequent topics—especially for those who may be caring for aging family members. If someone you love has been diagnosed with some form of dementia, it’s important to create a Trust while that person still has testamentary capacity.

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

Our Trust package includes a Will, Power of Attorney, 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. 

Note that our offices are open and we’ve instituted stringent sanitation procedures. We can also provide our services virtually.

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 and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.

This story is based on a story from the AARP, Dementia’s Gender Disparity: Report Uncovers Unique Challenges Facing Women, by Stacey Colino.

Looking for the Perfect Place to Grow Old? Try Washington D.C.!

Martha Baron, 79, has found the ideal place to grow old. Her happy place is just half a block from her Washington D.C. condominium—the Newark Street Community Garden. During the growing season, Ms. Baron visits her two organic garden plots where she tends to her flowers, tomatoes, zucchini and herbs on a daily basis. But it’s more than growing and harvesting her crops. “It’s a wonderful place to meet others of all ages from all different walks of life with similar interests, and it gives me a purpose,” said Ms. Baron.

Such opportunities are helping make Washington an ideal place to grow old

After her husband died, Ms. Baron moved to Washington to be near her children and grandchildren. Like many seniors, she found it difficult to meet new people and make friends. That’s all changed. She joined the garden and became a member of Cleveland & Woodley Park Village, an organization of volunteers that provides services like shopping trips and transportation to doctor appointments and plans social outings for older adults.

87% of adults 65 and older want to stay in their own communities as they age

These statistics are consistent across the U.S. as cities grapple with the needs of older adults. The nonprofit Milken Institute’s Best Cities for Successful Living report found several cities to be ahead of the curve–smaller cities like Iowa City, and Sioux Falls, S.D., and larger ones like Washington, Boston and New York.

Washington’s success may be due to the growth of a concept called “Villages”

Ms. Baron’s Village, at $500 a year, has 100 members, aged 57 to 95, and 160 volunteers. It’s one of 15 Villages across the district and more than 50 throughout the Washington metro area. These Villages are part of an international effort supported by the WHO as part of an effort it launched in 2007 for cities that serve aging populations.

For the development of a Village program, WHO recommends a rigorous five-year process in which city leaders, businesses and government agencies focus on improving the elements that affect seniors’ quality of life. These include:

• Affordable housing. The ability to downsize and find smaller, low-cost housing.
• Availability of public transportation—busses and ridesharing. Safe paths for walking and biking.
• Grocery stores with healthy food options.
• Opportunities to participate in civic and cultural events.
• Access to a retail sector with drugstores, banks and a library.
• Houses of worship, safe parks and open spaces.

Ensuring that seniors can participate in the life of a community

As part of the Age-Friendly Cities program, Washington has increased the number of parks and open spaces, equipping them with seating, drinking fountains and restrooms. They’ve developed neighborhood walks, tai chi and the community gardens like Ms. Baron’s that provide opportunities to stay active and meet new people.

Washington D.C. has developed other programs that help seniors age in place

• East Capitol Urban Farm, a vacant three-acre plot in Ward 7 is being turned into a new urban farm.
• Safe at Home provides grants of up to $10,000 for homeowners to make their houses safer and more livable—such as adding grab bars or wheelchair access.
• Genesis, aGenerations of Hope residence, is a 27-unit affordable community that brings together residents 60 and older with young families and single mothers transitioning from the foster care system.
• Affordable housing for grandfamilies. Plans call for a 12-story affordable-housing development that will offer subsidized housing and services for grandparents raising grandchildren. Fifty of the 223 apartments for low-income residents will be set aside for such “grandfamilies.”

Cities will look to Washington, D.C. as a model for senior services

Many of our clients are seniors who come in to our offices to create their Living Trusts, so health care issues and retirement planning are frequent topics. This inspiring article about Washington D.C.’s work to create innovative programs can serve as a model for other cities as they strive to provide safe, affordable services for their senior populations.

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

Our Trust package includes a Will, Power of Attorney, an Advance Healthcare Directiveand 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 todayat one of our three Bay Area offices in Dublin, Walnut Creek or Oakland. 

Note that our offices are open and we’ve instituted stringent sanitation procedures. We can also provide our services virtually.

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 and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.

This story is based on a story in The New York Times by Kerry Hannon.

ER Workers Worry: If They Die, Who Will Care for Their Son?

Dr. Adam Hill, an emergency room doctor, and Neena Budhraja, a physician’s assistant, both work in New York City public hospitals that are overwhelmed by the coronavirus. They sat down one night to address a growing concern: Determining who would be their 18-month son Nolan’s legal guardian if they became infected and died. These ER workers worry about who will care for their son if they die.

These aren’t just anxious parents. They work in two of the city’s busiest public hospitals

The couple spends their days and nights intubating terrified patients, navigating stretchers in crowded hallways and searching for clean equipment. The pandemic is putting unimagined strain on medical workers, exposing them to dangers and emotional stress unlike anything they have ever experienced. Among the deaths are those of their colleagues.

They talk to their colleagues to find out how others are keeping their families safe. Some send their children to live with relatives. Another doctor has moved to his basement, Facetimning with his children upstairs. One doctor is living at an airport hotel.

Adam and Neena don’t have those options

They take turns at their hospitals and return home to their young son. Neena has thought about quitting, yet feels a responsibility to her team. This is what she trained for. Yet both have lost colleagues to the virus, and their biggest fear has been infecting their families.

Neena and Adam were married in 2017, and they lived the kind of high-adrenaline life typical of those who work in emergency rooms. They trekked to Machu Picchu and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. ER doctors are accustomed to the predictable unpredictability of ER life. But the coronavirus transcends everyone’s imaginings.

Adam knew by early March that something was very wrong

Adam recognized that something was seriously wrong when men in their 30s and 40s, otherwise healthy, were showing up at the ER with fevers or were having trouble breathing. They would deteriorate rapidly, gasping for air within a few hours. He kept waiting, thinking that his team would get a handle on these cases and turn a corner.

The hospitals began retrofitting the facilities for the virus

They installed huge fans in the ER to suck out dirty air to try to keep the virus from spreading. The fans are loud, so alarms go off constantly from equipment monitoring the breathing of patients on ventilators. The entire team is hoarse from yelling over the noise of the fans and the alarms. It’s chaotic, exhausting.

Taking precautions to stay safe

Neena covers her scrubs with a gown that hides her wrists. She wears an N95 mask, a face shield, a cap and gloves. She uses the same face mask for two straight shifts, instead of changing it between patients as standard protocol calls for.

When her shift ends, she tapes her N95 mask to the inside of her locker and wipes down her face shield and stethoscope with alcohol. She changes out of her scrubs in a bathroom, leaves her sneakers and takes a packed subway or bus home. The trains are crowded now because of virus-imposed service cuts. Arriving home, Neena quickly turns away from Nolan, throws her airtight bag of dirty scrubs into the laundry room — where they will sit for at least 48 hours before she washes them — and takes a shower.

COVAD takes a personal toll on healthcare workers

Adam is not sleeping well. Late at night, he scrolls through a Facebook group of fellow ER doctors. One doctor wears gloves and a mask at home to protect his family. For Neena, a colleague’s death was a turning point–the overcrowded emergency room, the lack of isolation rooms, the hallways jammed with people on stretchers waiting days for a spot in intensive care to open up. She thought about quitting. One day, Adam found himself “crying uncontrollably, just finally letting out all the emotions from the past month.”

Choosing a guardian for Nolan in case something happened to them

As Adam and Neena worked on their Living Trust, a key part of this was deciding on a guardian for Nolan—if something happened to them they wanted to make sure that they were choosing the person who would care for their son—not the court. Because of the virus, everyone’s life has become a little more uncertain–Adam and Neena named three backup guardians.

Despite the stress, long hours, sleepless nights and concern for the health of their families, both Neena and Adam had always planned to spend their entire careers practicing emergency medicine. Dealing with the pandemic has strengthened this commitment.

Doctors worry that if social distancing stops, the rate of infections will spike again

Over the course of ten days, they have seen a steady decline in new virus patients at their respective hospitals. The fear that they will get sick has not gone away, and colleagues continue to test positive. Doctors are realists; they worry that if people stop social distancing too soon, a second wave of cases will inundate the hospital.

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

Our Trust package includes a Will, Power of Attorney, 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. 

Note that our offices are open and we’ve instituted stringent sanitation procedures. We can also provide our services virtually.

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 and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.

This story is based on a story in the New York Times by Jesse Drucker.

COVID Heroes: Scientists Are the New Rockstars!

Europe’s new heroes aren’t actors, musicians or politicians. The new celebrities are epidemiologists and virologists. These are the people who are drawing huge virtual crowds around the world during their regularly scheduled briefings. There’s a good reason for their popularity. COVID Heroes: Scientists are the new rockstars!

In a time of political disinformation and delusional happy talk, people want the truth

We need to know what to expect, to be able to make plans. We’ve learned that we can rely on these scientists—not necessarily our politicians–to provide accurate information.

In Italy, Dr. Massimo Galli, an avuncular director of infectious diseases

In a hospital in Milan, Dr. Galli quickly became a familiar face on Italian current-affairs TV shows, delivering no-nonsense updates about the virus. He called social distancing “the mother of all battles”. He understands the way Italy’s multigenerational families and geographical density made Italy’s infection rate so steep. Between broadcasts, Dr. Galli creeps back to his laboratory to help his colleagues with research.

In Greece, Prof. Sotirios Tsiodras, addresses the nation every day at 6pm

Professor Tsiodras’ delivery is flat, and he relies heavily on his notes as he provides the latest data on the confirmed sick, hospitalized or deceased. He offers practical advice—such as using a solution of four teaspoons of bleach per liter of water for disinfecting surfaces, including our hands. This church-going father of seven has been frank, proactive, alert to dispelling misinformation. Greece has fewer than 100 deaths since the start of the outbreak.

Dr. Christian Drosten has emerged as the voice of scientific reason in Germany

Long respected for the depth of his knowledge and willingness to share it with peers, Dr. Drosten has never sought the limelight. Colleagues have described him as an unlikely hero. Germany has had a relatively low death rate. As chief virologist at the Charité University Research Hospital in Berlin, Dr. Drosten is a sought-after guest on talk shows and the star of a daily podcast. He makes it clear that he “is a scientist, not a politician”.

Here in the U.S., Dr. Anthony S. Fauci is a highly respected immunologist

Dr. Fauci is the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He has had a brilliant career, advised six presidents and received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has been instrumental in developing treatments that enable people with HIV to live long and active lives. Dr. Fauci has been outspoken on the need for social distancing and being cautious about not reopening our economy while COVID cases are still on the rise. His honesty and forthright delivery have made him a hero of the left while angering those on the right who see his efforts attempting to undermine Trump. He now has security guards.

In Spain, Dr. Fernando Simón has become an endearing scientific hero

The director of Spain’s health emergency center, Dr. Simon delivers COVID updates. He acts as a counselor for anxious citizens who have peppered him with questions online, including whether people should take off their shoes before entering their homes (not necessary). Dr. Simón tested positive for the virus in late March, prompting a nationwide outpouring of sympathy and well wishes.

Legitimate COVID information will be coming from Dr. Fauci, the CDC or the WHO

It’s important to remember that developing a vaccine for this disease is going to take much longer than we would like. Making sure that it’s safe will take time, manufacturing it will take more time. And remember that we’re all part of this big global community—everyone must be vaccinated.

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

Our Trust package includes a Will, Power of Attorney, 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. 

Note that our offices are open and we’ve instituted stringent sanitation procedures. We can also provide our services virtually.

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 and Fremont. Our clients also live in the Napa Valley, Benicia, Vallejo, Martinez, Fairfield.