Protect your loved ones and ensure your wishes are honored with a California Revocable Living Trust — a powerful way to secure your legacy and provide peace of mind for the future.
A Vanguard Revocable Trust protects your Estate from Probate and ensures a seamless, private transfer of assets to your loved ones.
Each Trust is part of a complete package that includes documents like an Advance Healthcare Directive, Power of Attorney, and more.
Every Vanguard Trust is fully customized to meet your unique needs with transparent, flat-fee pricing - no hidden costs!
A Revocable Living Trust puts you in control — during your life and after. It protects your loved ones by avoiding Probate, keeps your affairs private, and provides you support in the event of incapacity.
At Vanguard, every Trust is custom-tailored to your goals, and we’ve never written a Trust that has gone through Probate.
Estate Planning can feel overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to. Below, we’ve answered common questions to help you feel more informed, confident, and supported as you move forward.
A Revocable Trust, also known as a Living Trust, is a legal arrangement in which an individual (the grantor or settlor) transfers assets into a Trust during their lifetime.
The Trustor remains the owner of these assets and can amend, modify, or revoke the Trust at any time while they are still alive.
A Revocable Trust can provide significant benefits.
It offers a flexible and private way to manage and distribute your assets during your lifetime and after your passing.
By avoiding the public Probate process, you can streamline the transfer of your assets, saving time, reducing costs, and protecting your family’s privacy.
A Revocable Trust can also help you plan for potential incapacity, ensuring that your wishes are carried out, even if you cannot make decisions for yourself.
In California, if you pass away with assets valued over $184,500 not held in a Trust, California law will require a process called Probate.
Probate is a Court Proceeding initiated by your family or creditors. This includes proceeding determines:
1. The Existence and Validity of a Will: Was a Will validly executed? What are the Terms of the Will?
2. Financial Obligations: Are there any debts or taxes to be paid?
3. Asset Valuation: What is the total value of the deceased’s Estate?
4. Heirs and Beneficiaries: Who are the rightful inheritors of the Estate?
The California state court oversees this process, which can be slow, time-consuming and expensive. After all creditors, taxes, probate court expense, attorney fees, and other liabilities have been paid, then the remaining assets are distributed to the beneficiaries named in a Will, or to the heirs as determined by law if there was no Will.
In many instances, Probate is initiated by family members when real Estate is involved.
After you pass away, a Successor Trustee, designated by you in your Trust document, will be responsible for managing your assets.
This Successor Trustee (an individual or entity) will distribute your assets according to your wishes, pay any outstanding debts, and ensure your beneficiaries receive their inheritance.
Choosing a Successor trustee who is trustworthy, reliable, and capable of handling your Estate’s financial and legal aspects is crucial.
“Vanguard was very helpful, quick, and attentive in providing me with legal documents that I needed to take care of my estate and to eventually update my Trust. Excellent customer service also!” – Kathy P.
Choosing Vanguard means choosing personal service, responsive support, and trusted professionals who understand the nuances of California law and prioritize your needs.
At Vanguard Legal Group, we’ve helped thousands of California households create custom-tailored Estate Plans that reflect their specific values and needs.
At Vanguard Legal Group, all our Trusts are part of a Complete Trust Package. Here’s what’s included:
This is a checklist of important documents and their locations, lists key associates’ names and contact information, catalogs your digital asset inventory, and helps ensure all documents are organized and accessible.
This is the document you use to properly fund your Trust (it formally puts your possessions into your Trust).
This document establishes the primary details of the Trust and clearly outlines all your specific wishes.
If you make a mistake and forget to put something in your Trust, this document proves you meant to do that.
This provides the legal ability for someone you designate to make critical healthcare decisions if you can’t and may also provide instructions to healthcare professionals.
This provides the legal ability for someone you designate to make critical financial decisions if you can’t.
This document provides for the easy transfer of all assets to your Trust simultaneously. That includes any assets without a formal title, such as family heirlooms, collections, or other types of personal property.
This document provides the legal power to transfer your property into your Trust, thus avoiding Probate. Once it’s notarized, this grant deed legally transfers your real estate into the Trust.
You’ll always have access to your attorney at no additional cost, ensuring you receive expert guidance whenever you need it!
Each client is also paired with a dedicated Client Services representative, ready to assist throughout your Estate Planning journey.
Create a plan your family can count on!
Use the form to tell us your needs, and we’ll provide the guidance you’re looking for.
