ESTATE PLANNING

A Complete Estate Plan

Every plan is built around the person it serves.

Schedule Your Free Design Session

Flat fee
Quoted in writing up front

You work with me
Start to finish

Anywhere in California
By phone or email

Trust deed included
Prepared for your home

Prepared by Jay S. Yu, Esq., California Licensed Attorney · Yu & Yu Law, Fullerton · Last reviewed October 2026

WHAT IT IS

More than a set of forms

An estate plan is a written plan that reflects your family, your finances, your health, and your values. It says how your affairs should be handled during your life, if you become incapacitated, and after your death.

THE FOUNDATION

The core documents in every plan

01

Revocable Living Trust

The center of the plan. It holds your assets, avoids the cost and delay of probate, and keeps your affairs private.

02

Pour-Over Will

A backup that directs any assets left outside the trust and names guardians for minor children.

03

Power of Attorney

Authorizes someone you trust to manage your finances if you cannot.

04

Healthcare Directive

States your medical wishes and names who will make healthcare decisions for you.

05

Certification and Assignment

Administrative documents used to fund the trust and show that it exists.

06

Trust Deed

I prepare the deed that moves your home into your trust.

BEYOND THE PAPER

Funding the trust

Signing the documents is only half the work. A trust is like a safe: it protects only what you put inside it. I give you hands-on guidance so the plan works when it is needed.

FUNDING GUIDANCE

What I help you put in place

01

Retitling assets

Moving real estate, bank accounts, and investments into the name of your trust so they avoid probate.

02

Beneficiary designations

Reviewing life insurance and retirement accounts so they line up with the rest of the plan.

03

Incapacity planning

Keeping your power of attorney and healthcare directive complete and current, so your family can avoid a conservatorship.

04

Transfers

Advising on joint tenancy and marital deductions to simplify transfers and reduce taxes.

WHEN YOUR GOALS CALL FOR IT

Plans for more complex goals

01

Charitable giving

Gifts to nonprofits, religious organizations, or community foundations.

02

Advanced wealth transfer

Irrevocable trust structures for larger or international estates.

WORKING WITH ME

One attorney and one flat fee

01

I lead every plan

I lead every plan myself, from the design session through final review, and you work directly with me throughout.

02

Flat-fee pricing

After your design session, I give you a flat-fee quote before any work begins, with no surprise bills.

See pricing →

QUESTIONS CLIENTS ASK

What clients ask about a complete plan

What happens if I become incapacitated without a plan?

If no one has legal authority to act for you, your family may have to ask a court to appoint a conservator, a public process with ongoing court supervision. A complete plan avoids that: your successor trustee manages trust assets, your agent under a durable power of attorney handles the rest, and your healthcare agent makes medical decisions.

Do beneficiary designations override my trust?

Yes. Life insurance, retirement accounts, and payable-on-death accounts pass to whoever is named on the account, regardless of what your will or trust says. Part of every plan is reviewing those designations so they line up with your trust. Read how beneficiary designations work with your plan.

What are the certification of trust and the assignment?

They are the working documents that put the plan to use. A certification of trust lets your trustee prove the trust exists to a bank or title company without handing over the full trust (Prob. Code § 18100.5). A general assignment transfers personal property, such as furniture and jewelry, into your trust.

Are documents from another state valid in California?

Usually. California accepts a will signed under the law of the state where it was signed or where you lived (Prob. Code § 6113), and a durable power of attorney valid where it was signed (Prob. Code § 4053). Whether they fit California community property rules and your family today is a separate question. Read Documents Prepared by Others.

How often should I update my plan?

Review it after a marriage, divorce, birth, death, move, sale of a home, or a significant change in what you own, and every few years otherwise. A plan written before a major change can send assets to the wrong person or name someone who can no longer serve. Read How to Update an Estate Plan in California.

How much does a complete estate plan cost?

The Complete Estate Plan is a flat fee quoted in writing before any work begins. Larger or more complex estates, such as business owners or several properties, are quoted at the design session. See pricing.