A Last Will and a Revocable Living Trust both direct how your assets are handled after death, but they work in very different ways. The right choice depends on what you own, where you live, and how much privacy and efficiency matter to you.
What a Will does
A Will takes effect at death and is administered through the California probate court. It names an executor, designates guardians for minor children, and specifies who receives your assets.
The trade-off is probate itself: it is public, it takes months (often a year or more in California), and it carries statutory attorney and executor fees calculated as a percentage of the gross estate.
What a Trust does
A Revocable Living Trust is created during your lifetime and holds legal title to the assets you transfer into it. At your death, your successor trustee distributes those assets according to the terms you set — without court involvement.
That typically means faster distribution, far lower administrative cost, and no public record of what you owned or who inherited it.
A practical rule of thumb
If you own California real property, or your estate exceeds the small-estate probate threshold, a Trust is almost always worth the additional upfront cost. If your estate is modest and you have no real property, a Will alone may be sufficient.
Either way, the wrong document is the one that was never signed. If you're still deciding, book a call and we'll walk through your situation.