Inheritance Trust Attorneys in Napa California

Helping Clients Meet Their Estate Planning Goals

If you’re worried about how your family will fare when you pass away, this is the ideal time to start making an estate plan. You don’t want your family members to worry about how they’ll pay the bills while they deal with their grief. With some careful planning now, you can ensure they have time to mourn the loss without going right back to work or moving from a house they can no longer afford. 

This is why we encourage you to come to Celaya Law for estate planning help from a compassionate attorney. Our goal is to be extremely helpful in planning for the future while also being sensitive to your family’s specific needs. If you’re ready to get peace of mind knowing your family will be protected when you’re gone, call our Napa Valley law firm to meet with experienced estate planning attorneys.

How Do You Know If You Need a Trust or a Will?

One of the first steps of the estate planning process is to determine how to protect your assets. For most people, this means setting up a trust, last will, or both. The goal of trusts and wills is to provide instructions on which beneficiary gets which asset after you pass away. When your wishes are clear, you can prevent arguments among family members who may have assumed they’d get certain assets. This is why most estate plans have a trust, a will, or both. 

If you’re unsure why you’d need both, realizing the benefits of each is helpful. For instance, wills are considered simple and inexpensive to set up. Not only can you use a will to specify which loved ones get your assets, but you can also appoint a guardian for minor children. Many people use wills to explain their wishes regarding their funeral, as well.

A trust also states who gets your assets, with the added ability to clarify when they should get them, such as once your children reach a certain age or education level. Depending on the type of trust, your assets may be protected from creditors, lawsuits, and high taxes. Another benefit of trusts is that they avoid probate, meaning your loved ones will get their inheritance sooner than they would if you only used a will in your estate plan. Our experienced estate planning attorneys in Napa Valley can help you choose between wills, trusts, and other estate planning options.

What Is the Probate Process?

As you begin the estate planning process and try to choose between wills and trusts, you’ll notice that avoiding probate is often mentioned as a reason to choose a trust. If you’re unfamiliar with probate, it’s a legal process that ensures the will is legitimate and pays the estate’s taxes and debts before distributing the assets.

As you might imagine, this process takes several months to complete and can become costly. In addition, probate is public, so the distribution of your assets will become a matter of public record. If you don’t like the idea of your heirs waiting until probate is over to get their inheritance, your estate planning goals should include opening a trust. This is because when you put your assets in a trust, they’ll bypass probate.

If you need help turning your estate planning goals into reality, contact our Napa, CA law firm to speak with an attorney. Our team will first ensure you understand the differences between wills and trusts. If you decide that a trust meets your estate planning needs, we’ll explain the benefits of a living trust, family trust, and other trust options, and then we’ll prepare the trust documents once you’re ready.

How Can We Help with Trust Administration?

As you start making financial decisions that will affect your loved ones in the future, you might wonder what happens if you or your family have questions about the elements of your estate plan. Fortunately, you can hire a skilled attorney to assist with every step of estate planning, from creating a living trust to ensuring assets are distributed according to your wishes. 

When you hire an attorney from our Napa Valley firm, you will get guidance with every step of trust administration. First, we’ll advise you on the right trust for your estate planning goals, helping you make financial decisions that can reduce your tax burden while ensuring your family members get the property you want them to have. At that point, an attorney from our firm will help you transfer assets to the trust. 

Rest assured that our trust administration services can extend over the life of the trust. So, whether you need guidance with estate planning basics or your surviving husband or wife has questions about the distribution of assets when you pass away, you can count on an estate planning attorney to help.

Are You Ready to Contact Inheritance Trust Lawyers in Napa, California?

Over the years, we have assisted numerous families with estate plans featuring wills, trusts, business succession plans, and other important estate planning strategies. If you don’t like feeling uncertain about what the future looks like for your family, please contact us for advice. You deserve peace of mind knowing that your family’s future is secure, and a knowledgeable attorney from Celaya Law can provide you with this. 

If you’re ready to speak to an attorney about your estate planning options, call 707-754-0977 for a consultation. We can explain the estate planning process so you understand the benefits of using wills, trusts, and other legal documents to make your wishes clear to your family members. It’s never too early to think about your estate planning goals, so contact us today to talk to an attorney about your future.