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Resources & Interviews
Everything we publish, in one place. Start with the interview series, then dig into the cornerstone guide or a specific topic.
The Interview Series
Expert answers, on video
Every piece below comes from a recorded conversation with a professional who does this work every day. Watch the clip, then read the plain-English breakdown.
Interview 1 with Jason Gaudy, Gaudy Law
An estate planning and probate attorney in Upland, California, with 23 years in practice and roughly 30 families a month. We sat down with him on the question that follows every exchange: what happens to the property after you defer the tax? Trusts, probate, Prop 19, tenants you inherit, and the people who should be in the room.
Trusts & Probate
Why a trust, what probate actually costs, and the ways plans go wrong.
▶Why Almost Everyone Needs a Revocable Living Trust, Not Just the Wealthy
A California estate attorney explains why a revocable living trust is the centerpiece of most plans, from a single house to a $20M portfolio.
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▶Probate vs. Trust: The Real Cost Is Time, Not Money
Probate fees average $15,000 to $20,000 before administrator fees and court costs, and estates sit open about a year. A California attorney compares both paths.
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▶Why Most People Choose a Trust and Why You Must Keep It Updated
Most clients end up with a revocable trust for good reasons. But a plan written years ago may not match your life now. Here’s what triggers a review.
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▶Why DIY Online Trusts Often Backfire
Downloaded trusts fail most often at funding: the deed never gets retitled, or a refinance takes it back out. A California attorney explains the fallout.
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▶When Estates End Up in Court: The Real Cost of Trust Litigation
What a trust contest actually costs, the three grounds that hold up, how no-contest clauses work, and why a good plan can still end up in court.
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▶When to Name a Professional Trustee Instead of Family
What a professional fiduciary costs, why courts often prefer one, and the two questions this California attorney asks before naming a child as trustee.
Read & watch →Property Tax & Transfers
California specifics: Prop 19, Prop 13, deeds, and Medi-Cal estate recovery.
▶Prop 19 Explained: Passing Rental Property to Your Kids Now Costs More
California’s Prop 19 limits the parent-child property tax break to a primary residence. What that means for inherited rentals, from a California attorney.
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▶Why Adding Your Child to the Deed Can Backfire
Putting your kid’s name on the deed to skip probate can cost the property tax break, the step-up in basis, and control. A California attorney explains why.
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▶Medi-Cal Can Come After Your Parents’ Estate: How a Trust Protects the Family
If a California parent was on Medi-Cal, the state can claim against the probate estate. An attorney explains recovery, trusts, and the $750,000 option.
Read & watch →Family & Heirs
Blended families, dividing property, and who should serve as trustee.
▶Blended Families & Real Estate: Heading Off the Fight
A 16-property blended-family case study: why naming which heir gets which property helps, where it breaks down, and why the family home is the hard one.
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▶Estate Planning for Blended Families: Dividing Property Without the Fight
Percentage split or name the property? How one California attorney structures trusts for blended families, and when to let heirs decide whether to sell.
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▶What Happens to the Trust When the First Spouse Passes
Husband dies, the trust holds rental property. What does the wife do? Usually very little. A California attorney on AB splits, deeds, and remarriage.
Read & watch →Owning & Titling Property
Holding real estate in trusts and LLCs, across states, and with tenants.
▶Estate Planning for Real Estate Investors: Stay Protected & Keep Control
How real estate investors use a revocable living trust plus LLCs to get liability protection and probate avoidance without handing over control.
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▶The #1 Estate Planning Mistake Real Estate Investors Make
The most common estate planning mistake investors make is doing nothing: no trust, no LLCs. An attorney on why people stall and what the delay costs.
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▶How to Hold Real Estate in Multiple States
Own property in more than one state? What ancillary probate is, why it happens, and how a California trust and LLCs can hold out-of-state real estate.
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▶Inherited a Rental With Tenants? Here’s How to Handle It
Inheriting a rental means inheriting the lease. What happens to tenants when the owner dies, when eviction comes up, and how to weigh selling vs. keeping.
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▶Titling Your Bank & Investment Accounts With Your Trust
Does a living trust need its own EIN? Which accounts belong in the trust, who to name as beneficiary, and why vehicles usually stay out of it.
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▶Where’s the Trust? Keep Your Estate Documents Findable for Your Heirs
Families often can’t locate a parent’s trust or deed after a death. Why estate documents belong somewhere digital that heirs can actually find.
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▶Make a List of Everything You Own: Your Family Will Thank You
An estate plan is only as good as the asset list behind it. Why an estate attorney asks clients to inventory every property and share it with their team.
Read & watch →Working With Professionals
Building the bench, and keeping your documents findable.
▶Why Your Estate Plan Needs a Team (Attorney + Advisor)
A CPA, a financial advisor, an estate attorney, and a real estate pro are the four people Jason Gaudy says every property owner should have on call.
Read & watch →
▶Parent’s Attorney in Another City? You Can Still Get Help
You don’t have to use the lawyer who drafted your parent’s trust. How trust administration and probate work when the family or the attorney isn’t local.
Read & watch →Be a guest
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Accredited-investor requirements and minimums.
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