Estate planning, explained in plain English
General education on trusts, wills, and probate — how the pieces work and how people decide. Written by Rozsa Gyene, a California estate planning attorney. Educational only; not legal advice.
What Is a Living Trust and How Does It Work?
The container idea, the three roles, what a trust does and doesn’t do — the whole concept in plain English.
Read the guide →Living Trust vs. Will: How to Think About the Choice
The first fork in the road, honestly compared: cost today vs. probate later, privacy, incapacity, and how families actually decide.
Read the guide →How Much Does Probate Cost?
Where the money actually goes — court fees, executor and attorney fees, bonds, appraisals — why it varies so much by state, and how families reduce or avoid it.
Read the guide →Do You Need a Living Trust If You Own a House?
A house is the #1 reason people consider a living trust. How homes and probate interact, and the honest trust-vs-will tradeoff for homeowners.
Read the guide →How to Avoid Probate on a House: 4 Methods Compared
Living trust, survivorship ownership, transfer-on-death deeds, and beneficiary planning — with the tradeoffs of each, honestly.
Read the guide →How to Fund a Living Trust
The step that makes the trust real: deeding the home, retitling accounts, what stays out — and the discipline that keeps a plan working.
Read the guide →What Happens If You Die Without a Will?
Intestacy explained: the state’s fixed formula, the court-chosen guardian, who gets left out entirely, and what a basic plan fixes.
Read the guide →What Is a Pour-Over Will (and Why Trusts Include One)?
The safety net behind every living trust — what it catches, the three jobs only a will can do, and its honest limits.
Read the guide →