For Californians who already have a trust
Your trust was right — the day you signed it.
Since then: maybe a marriage. A divorce. A grandchild. A property bought, sold, or refinanced. A successor trustee who’s passed away or moved across the country. Your trust doesn’t know any of that happened — it will do exactly what it said years ago, whether that’s still what you mean or not.
Free • No obligation • Flat fees stated before any work begins
Where your trust stands
- DraftedDone
- SignedDone
- FundedDone
- Kept currentThe gap
The two-minute check
Has any of this happened since you signed?
If you check even one box, your trust may now say something you no longer mean.
Since the date on your trust…
- Someone in the family married, divorced, or remarried
- A child or grandchild was born — or a beneficiary passed away
- You bought, sold, or refinanced real estate
- Your named successor trustee died, moved away, or is no longer the right choice
- A relationship changed — someone you’d no longer want inheriting still appears by name
- Five or more years have passed without anyone reading the document
Why it matters
An outdated trust doesn’t fail loudly. It fails after you’re gone.
The wrong people inherit
A trust distributes to whoever is named in it — even an ex, an estranged relative, or a beneficiary who died before you, with no instructions for their share.
No one can act
If your successor trustee can’t serve and no working backup is named, your family may need a court’s help just to administer your own trust.
New property goes to probate
Assets acquired after signing aren’t automatically in the trust. A new home left outside it can drag the estate into the very probate the trust was built to avoid.
Your family pays to untangle it
Conflicts between an old trust and present reality get resolved with attorneys, time, and sometimes litigation — at far greater cost than an update.
The fix
Bringing a trust current is paperwork — and paperwork is what we do
You tell us what you want changed. We prepare the documents, complete and signature-ready, for a flat fee you approve first.
Trust Amendment
Changes specific provisions — a beneficiary, a trustee, a distribution — while the rest of your trust stands.
Trust Restatement
Replaces the full text while keeping the original trust’s name and date, so assets already in the trust stay put.
Trust Transfer Deed
Moves newly acquired real estate into your existing trust, recorded with the county.
Certification of Trust
The summary banks and title companies ask for — updated to match the trust you actually have now.
How it works
From “it’s probably fine” to fixed — in four steps
Free consultation
Tell us what’s changed since you signed. We’ll explain which documents you can direct us to prepare, and quote the flat fee.
You decide the changes
You choose the updates — beneficiaries, trustees, property, distributions. The decisions are always yours.
We prepare the documents
Amendment, restatement, deeds, certification — complete and ready for signature per California requirements.
Sign and store
You execute the documents; recorded deeds go to the county. Your trust matches your life again.
- Bonded & Registered California Legal Document Assistant
- Flat, transparent fees
- Documents prepared at your direction
- Free, no-obligation consultation
Straight answers
Questions people ask about updating a trust
How often should a California living trust be updated?
A common rule of thumb is to review it every three to five years — and immediately after major life events: marriage, divorce, births, deaths, or buying, selling, or refinancing property. The review costs nothing; leaving a stale trust in place can cost your family a great deal.
What’s the difference between an amendment and a restatement?
An amendment changes specific provisions and leaves the rest intact. A restatement replaces the entire text while keeping the trust’s original name and date — so assets already titled in the trust don’t need to be retitled. Which fits your situation is your call; we prepare either at your direction.
I bought a house after signing my trust. Do I redo the whole thing?
Usually not. New property generally needs a trust transfer deed moving it into your existing trust, recorded with the county. That’s one of the documents we prepare.
What does an update cost?
Attorneys often quote four figures or bill hourly. We charge flat fees, stated before any work begins, based on the documents you direct us to prepare. The consultation that determines that list is free.
Can you tell me what changes my trust needs?
No — that would be legal advice, and as a Legal Document Assistant we cannot give it. You decide the changes; we prepare the documents from your instructions. If your situation is complex — blended family, tax exposure, a dispute — we’ll tell you plainly that an attorney is the right call.
Find out what your trust says now — free
Book a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll listen to what’s changed, explain your document options, and quote a flat fee. No retainer. No pressure.