Make Your Own California Will

by Douglas Godbe

Overview

Do you know who will get your property if you die without a will? Safeguard your family from unnecessary grief by leaving a will outlining your specific wishes.

Make Your Own California Will explains California law regarding wills, joint property, and distribution of your estate. Complete with detailed instructions and more than twenty blank forms, this book makes writing your own California will inexpensive and hassle-free.

-Probate Procedures

-Community and Separate Property

-Small Estate Distribution

-Executing Your Will

-Specific Bequests Safekeeping Your Will

Ready-to-Use Forms with Instructions:

-Nomination of Guardian

-Last Will and Testament (17 different versions)

-Simple Will

-Codicil to Last Will and Testament
-and many more...

-California laws and requirements

-Asset roadmap

-Sample completed forms

-Plain-English glossary of terms

-Step-by-step instructions

-Ready-to-use, blank forms

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402234699
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	03/01/2003
Series:	Legal Survival Guides
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Douglas E. Godbe has practiced law in California for over 20 years, most recently in Laguna Hills. He is a California State Bar Certified specialist in probate, estate planning and trust law. Mr. Godbe is the author or co-author of several Sphinx Legal Survival Guides, including How to Probate & Settle an Estate in California.

Table of Contents

Using Self-Help Law Books -
Introduction -
Chapter 1: Basic Rules You Should Know -
-What Is a Will?
-How a Will Is Used
-Joint Tenancy Avoids Probate
-Joint Tenancy Overrules Your Will
-Joint Tenancy Can Be Risky
-Tenancy in Common Does Not Avoid Probate
-A Spouse Can Overrule a Will
-A Spouse's Share Can Be Avoided
-I/T/F Bank Accounts Are Better Than Joint Ownership
-There Are Special Rules for Homesteads
-Some Property May Be Exempt from Your Will
-Getting Married Automatically Changes Your Will
-Getting Divorced Automatically Changes Your Will
-Having Children Automatically Changes Your Will
-How Your Debts Are Paid
-Estate and Inheritance Taxes
-Annual Exclusion
Chapter 2: Do You Need a California Will? -
-What a Will Can Do
-What If You Do Not Have a Will?
-Is Your Out-of-State Will Valid in California?
-Who Can Make a California Will?
-What a Will Cannot Do
-Who Can Use a Simple Will?
-Who Should Not Use a Simple Will?
Chapter 3: How to Make a Simple Will -
-Identifying Parties in Your Will
-Specific Bequests
-Remainder Clause
-Alternate Beneficiaries
-Survivorship
-Guardians
-Children's Trust
-Statutory Wills
-Handwritten Wills
-Witnesses
-Notary
-Self-Proving Affidavit
-Personal Representative
-Disinheriting Someone
-Funeral Arrangements
-Forms
-Corrections
Chapter 4: How to Execute a Will -
Chapter 5: After You Sign Your Will -
-Storing Your Will
-Revoking Your Will
-Changing Your Will
Appendix A: Glossary
Appendix B: Sample Filled-in Forms -
Appendix C: Forms -
Index -