Estate Planning, Explained
Estate planning can feel intimidating, but the core ideas are simple. These free guides explain — in plain English — what a will and a trust actually do, who really needs them, and how to make sure your plan works when your family needs it. Everything here is written for Californians and reflects how estate planning works in California.
Start anywhere. If you're brand new, begin with how to make a will in California or the four-document checklist, then go deeper by topic below.
Intestacy & Probate
Dying Without a Will in California: What Actually Happens
The step-by-step reality when a Californian dies intestate — who takes over, what the court does, and how long it takes.
Who Inherits in California When There's No Will?
California's intestate succession order in plain English — spouse, children, parents, siblings, and beyond.
What a Surviving Spouse Inherits in California
How community property and separate property split for a surviving husband, wife, or registered domestic partner.
Probate Without a Will in California
What the probate process looks like when there's no will — administrators, bonds, timelines, and costs.
California's Small Estate Affidavit
The shortcut for smaller California estates: who qualifies, what it covers, and how the affidavit process works.
California Probate Fees, Explained
What probate actually costs in California — statutory attorney and executor fees, court costs, and what drives the total.
Wills
Make a Will in California (Free)
Create a legally valid California last will and testament with AI guidance — free, no login or payment required.
How to Make a Will in California: 4 Ways
Statutory form, holographic will, free online tool, or attorney — how each route works, what each costs, and which fits your situation.
Will vs. Trust in California: Which Do You Need?
The plain-English difference between a will and a living trust — what each one does and why most Californians benefit from having both.
The California Statutory Will: The Free Official Form
California's fill-in-the-blank will form from the Probate Code — how to use it, and where its rigidity becomes a problem.
Holographic (Handwritten) Wills in California
California recognizes fully handwritten wills without witnesses — here's when that's useful and why it's risky.
California Estate Planning Checklist: The 4 Documents Everyone Needs
The four-document checklist every Californian's plan comes down to — what each does and how to get all four in place.
How to Sign, Notarize & Store Your Estate Documents in California
Notary for three documents, two witnesses for the will — then fund the trust, store everything findably, and review as life changes.
Trusts & Property
Living Trusts in California
What a revocable living trust is, how it bypasses California probate, and who actually benefits from having one.
How to Fund a Living Trust in California (Your Home, Prop 19, Bank Accounts)
How to move your home, accounts, and other assets into your trust so it actually works — and the property-tax reassessment answer up front.
What a Successor Trustee Does in California, Step by Step
What actually happens when a trust is called on — during incapacity and after death — and what your successor trustee does and needs.
How to Avoid Probate in California
The ways California assets pass outside probate — living trusts, beneficiary designations, joint title — and how they fit together.
Community Property & Inheritance in California
How California's community property system decides what's yours to leave — and what your spouse already owns.
Directives & Guardianship
Advance Health Care Directives in California
The document that names your medical decision-maker and records your wishes for care — and California's witnessing rules for it.
Durable Power of Attorney in California
Who manages your finances if you can't — what a California durable power of attorney covers and how to execute one.
Naming a Guardian for Your Child in California
How Californian parents nominate a guardian for minor children — and what happens if you never name one.
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Start my planFreeWillUSA.ai is a free self-help tool and is not a law firm. These guides are general information, not legal advice, and do not create an attorney-client relationship. State requirements can change; for complex situations — a blended family, a business, a large or taxable estate, or property in more than one state — consider having a licensed California attorney review your documents.