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Ventura Estate Planning Attorney

Estate Planning in Ventura, CA

There are few things as intimidating as the task of completing your estate plan. The best time to plan for your incapacity or passing, though, is while youโ€™re still healthy.

With a little time, effort, and guidance from a trusted estate planning professional, you can develop a plan to protect your family and get peace-of-mind. Failing to complete a proper estate plan can place the security of your family and assets in jeopardy. Contact our Ventura estate planning attorney to book a planning session today.

What is Your Estate?

Your estate is comprised of everything you own: your home (including all the stuff inside your home), bank accounts, 401k, business holdings, investment accounts, etc. In addition to what you own, your estate must also consider your minor children and pets.

Itโ€™s important to be thoughtful and strategic about how, when, and to whom your estate is divided and distributed. Inaction can lead to the government taking over control of the distribution of your assets after you pass. This is known as dying intestate and generally involves probate court. This intestacy process leaves your loved ones with few options and places your legacy in the hands of the government.

The Benefits of an Estate Plan

A well-prepared estate plan can ensure the safety and security of your family long after you have passed. A financial planner can help you make important financial decisions about your estate while youโ€™re still in good health and help ensure your trust is funded and safeguarded for the next generation.

If your trust is unfunded (meaning you havenโ€™t put any money or assets in it), your loved ones could face a public, costly, and time-consuming probate process upon your death. Donโ€™t worry; fundingย the trust sounds complicated, but working with a professional like us makes it fairly easy.

The Trouble with Using a Will Only

Many presume that a will is more than enough to convey their wishes for their estate after they pass. Unfortunately, with only a will, the plans for your assets are only effective upon your death and require probate court proceedings to work. If you become incapacitated, your assets will be under the control of a court-appointed conservatorship.

Even when your distribution plans for your assets are honored, it is easy for loved ones to see an inheritance as a windfall. Too often, a personโ€™s legacy is frittered away by poor decisions made by grieving family members.

Thatโ€™s why most inheritances are gone within a mere five years of receipt. A failure to consider the long-term implications of their financial choices often results in oneโ€™s inheritance disappearing practically overnight.

With the help of an estate planning lawyer, you can ensure your beneficiaries are taken care of and that the assets are distributed in a way that will be the most beneficial to all involved.

How Our Ventura Estate Planning Lawyers Help Youย 

At Hermance Law in Ventura, we offer strategic legal advice and estate planning services tailored to your family and financial dynamic.

Here are four ways we can use estate planning tools to help you.

Wills: Making Your Wishes Known

A last will and testament is a signed and witnessed written document whose terms go into effect when you die. With it, you can designate beneficiaries, make guardianship designations for young children, and pick an Executor of your estate.ย 

Drafting a will is a quick and painless way of allowing your wishes to be known, and therefore a great starting point for beginners. Speak with a Ventura will lawyer to ensure your will is drafted legally, ethically, and properly according to your wishes.

Trusts: Asset Protection That Works

Creating a living trust is one of the best ways to avoid probate. Trusts come in various forms, but their overall purpose is asset protectionย for your heirs and to prevent those assets from being forced through the costly and time-consuming probate process.

Trusts work by transferring ownership of the assets from your name to a trustee, who manages the assets on behalf of your beneficiaries. Our Ventura trust lawyer can help set up a trust document that meets your needs and assist in trust administration when the time comes.

Guardianship: Estate Planning for the Vulnerable

When it comes to estate planning, planning for the vulnerable is a must. An estate plan can be used to address concerns regarding the care of young children, special needs family members, and incapacitated adults.

Speak to one of our Ventura guardianship attorneys about establishing guardianship and how you can ensure your loved ones have a bright future.

Probate: What Happens When You Donโ€™t Plan

Without proper estate planning, you leave your estate at the mercy of your local probate court. Even with a will, you risk the details of your estate becoming public knowledge and your loved ones fighting in probate court over their rights to property, accounts, and other assets.

Should your family find themselves heading to court for probate matters, our experienced Ventura probate lawyers can help them navigate the probate process, ensuring things go as smoothly as possible.

Services We Offer In Our Ventura Estate Planning Attorney Office

Estate Planning

Establishing who will receive your assets, manage your business, or make health decisions in the event of your death or incapacitation are the processes involved in estate planning.

No matter your age, you ought to have a will, a durable power of attorney for finances, and a medical directive as part of your California estate plan.

Wills

You have worked so hard for your family. Make sure that they stand to benefit by contacting one of our wills attorneys.

Do you have a close relationship with your stepchildren? Without a will, they will be left out. Make things easier for every family member by having a will representing all your wishes.

Trust

A revocable living trust allows you to put in writing, how you would want your assets managed upon your incapacity or passing and how your assets would be distributed to your beneficiaries.

A trust is generally not filed with the probate court keeping it private.

Kids Safeguard System

The Kids Safeguard Systemยฎ was developed to surpass the requirements of a standard estate plan for children to ensure the children’s safety at all times and to record your wishes for your young children.

As parents, we can conceive every possible concern you could have. We have a solution for them all.

Probate

Probate is the procedure by which a decedent’s will is verified, any outstanding debts paid, and assets distributed to beneficiaries.

The court determines the legitimate heirs of a decedent and how to distribute their assets. We can help with the process, represent you in disputes, and also help you avoid probate altogether.

Trust Administration

We can offer legal counsel and support to help a trustee successfully execute the tasks required for trust administration.

Our services include gathering, managing, and allocating a decedent’s accounts, assets, and other belongings that are titled in a trust and settling any existing debts.

Our Estate Planning Process

We understand that Estate Planning is generally an item on your To-Do list that keeps getting pushed towards the bottom of your list. Letโ€™s be honest, itโ€™s not glamourous to do and it requires you to think about things that you just donโ€™t want to think about. But, it is so important to ensure that your family is planned for and protected.

Our process is designed to make it as easy as possible for busy families to complete their Estate Plan in 4 to 6 weeks. We have flexible schedules to allow working families to meet in the evenings or even on some Saturdays. We use the latest technology available to ensure the families can access information and messaging 24ร—7.

Hermance Law Estate Planning Process

Stage 1: Family Planning Appointment

After our phone consultation, the first meeting is an opportunity for us to get to know each other to determine if we are a good fit to work together. You will need to complete a online worksheet at least 2 days prior to our meeting in preparation for it. The Family Planning Appointment uses the worksheet you complete to give us an idea of what your currently family situation and finances are. During the Family Planning Appointment, you meet with an attorney to design an Estate Plan that specifically addresses your family needs. All Estate Plans are done on a flat-fee basis so you donโ€™t have to worry about hidden fees coming up throughout the process.

Stage 2: Pre-Signing

During this stage, your entire Estate Plan is drafted within 2 weeks of signing our legal fee agreement and paying your invoice. An Estate Planning summary is sent to you for your review and we send you any follow-up questions we have. During this stage of the process we use our online secure client portal to share documents and communicate with each other. After you review the summary, you then send back any questions or revisions using our secure client portal. You will also meet with your attorney virtually again during this stage to go through all of your estate planning documents, answer any questions, make necessary changes, discuss trust funding and next steps, and discuss your A-Team of professional advisors. We then finalize all your Estate Planning documents for your Signing.

Stage 3: Signing Estate Planning Documents

At this stage, we have an in-person meeting or online remote signing where you sign your Estate Planning documents. Our hope is at the end of the meeting, you will feel a tremendous weight lifted from you and a feeling of accomplishment for protecting your family.

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Stage 4: Post-Signing

Our relationship doesnโ€™t end at the signing. We will be in contact with you every 3 years to review your Estate Plan as part of our service. But thatโ€™s not all, as a client you will receive communications from us on an ongoing basis updating you as needed and providing you tips and education on family planning. We are always here for you if you have any questions.

Planning Framework for Parents

We are here to help you

No two families are the same, so no two estate plans will be.

To discuss your custom California estate plan strategy, contact us. Let’s chat. We assure you that you will be able to communicate openly with us in a no-cost consultation, whether in English, Spanish, or Korean.

Click below to schedule an appointment, or complete the form here. A member of our estate planning team will contact you!

Our team can provide services to you in

English
Spanish

Webinars and Events

Wine Tasting & Networking Happy Hour

Wine Tasting & Networking Happy Hour

Monday, December 4th AT 4:30PM – 6:30PM

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Virtual Estate Planning Workshop

{FREE} Virtual Estate Planning Workshop

Monday, December 4th AT 7:30PM

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Reviews

Jodie Pena

Crista and her team are amazing. Rick and I had our Family Trust done. We had been talking about doing it for a couple years and it seemed daunting. Crista really helped by taking the time to explain everything instead of just saying…do this. We really appreciated her process. One big thing for us was how the appointments were laid out, so as not to waste time, yet spend the time needed to answer questions and get things done. Thank you to Crista and her team for making the process easy and for making us feel special for finally getting it completed!

Christina Dronen

We worked with Jun Shim. He’s fantastic. Helped us step by step figure out everything we need to feel good about how we leave things for those we care about. Love how Hermance Law offers great digital options too. Highly recommend!!

T Ballenger

THE BEST!ย  Crista Hermance and the Hermance Law team are simply great at what they do. As a fellow estate planning attorney, I have very high standards for others in my field- Crista and Hermance Law is one of the few firms I refer my clients and their families to without hesitation-if you need a knowledgeable, professional, caring advisor to guide you through the estate planning process, look no further – HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

hermance law firm
Kellye Patterson

Such a great firm! My husband and I got our family trust done and are so happy with the service and professionalism we received. They offer so many options for all your needs and budget. We feel very secure and protected now that we have this completed. Not only the attention to detail throughout the process make them great, but the follow up and constant contact make them amazing. While they specialize in families with small children, Hermance Law can assist with all your trust needs. I have already referred them to multiple families of all ages with rave reviews. Worth a consultation, worth following them on social media and the piece of mind you get is priceless!!

Ruth
Ruth M

Attorney Jennifer Romero from Hermance Law walked us throughout the entire estate planning process answering our questions and providing guidance on the options we have available. Her support made it easier to understand Californiaโ€™s law regarding estate planning and minor children. I highly recommend this service to anyone who needs support with documentation of your wishes. Thank you Jennifer!

Resources

We are probate lawyers, but we are also parents. We have great resources on estate planning for parents, focusing on what parents can do to protect their children in emergencies.

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Get to know the basics and watch our quick videos with tips, questions and answers.

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Serving Clients Throughout California

Find An Office Location Near You

We understand that this can be overwhelming. Family estate planning forces uncomfortable conversations about preparing for unfavorable eventualities. Rest assured that we are as empathetic as we are knowledgeable.

Find us in Ventura, Westlake Village, Valencia, Pasadena, Calabasas, Santa Clarita, and Irvine, or connect with us virtually.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main goals of estate planning?

Every estate plan should address four main goals:

  1. Protecting assets, property, and wealth for future generations
  2. Minimizing financial burdens (estate tax, inheritance tax, probate fees, legal fees, etc.)
  3. Determining guardians for dependents
  4. Incapacity planning (medical treatment, disability, funeral costs, etc.)

To achieve all four, a comprehensive estate plan is critical.

What are some common estate planning mistakes?

Among the many mistakes made in estate planning, the most common tend to be:

  • Not having a will or estate plan in place at all
  • Lack of healthcare and disability planning
  • Naming minor children as joint owners to assets
  • Not keeping an estate plan up-to-date

The good news is that all of these issues can be avoided when you enlist the help of an estate planning attorney.

What's the difference between a revocable trust and an irrevocable trust?

Both revocable trusts and irrevocable trusts are estate planning documents that provide asset protection.

The main difference between the two is that with a revocable trust, you can change the terms of the trust documentโ€”add and remove beneficiaries, trust assets, or even terminate the trust completelyโ€”while with an irrevocable trust, you cannot. Our trust attorneys can help you choose the right trust for your needs.

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