What to do when you have to close out a trust after a death: the steps, the order, and the deadlines, from a California attorney who has guided trustees through this since 1997.
Clear guidance without the jargon, so you always know where you stand.
If someone has died and you have been left in charge of their trust, what you are facing is called trust administration, and most people meet the term for the first time on the worst week of their life. It means closing out the trust: working out what is in it, paying what is owed, and getting what remains to the people it was meant for. We guide trustees through every step, so nothing important is missed and the family is protected.
California trust administration follows a clear sequence: notify the beneficiaries and heirs, inventory and value the assets, pay the debts and final taxes, keep careful records, and distribute what remains according to the trust. Each step has rules, and mistakes can create personal liability for the trustee.
Donald W. Flaig walks you through the entire process, prepares the required notices and accountings, and keeps the administration on track. He is licensed throughout California and works with trustees anywhere in the state, not only in the Conejo Valley. If you have just been named a trustee, the first conversation is free.
If you have just been named a successor trustee, we make the path clear. We start with a free conversation to understand the trust and the estate, then map out exactly what needs to happen and in what order. We prepare the formal notices the law requires, help you inventory and value the assets, and guide the handling of debts, expenses, and taxes.
Throughout, we keep the records and accountings that protect you personally, so you are never guessing at a deadline or a duty. When the time comes to distribute the trust, we make sure it is done correctly and the administration is properly closed.
It starts with one conversation, completely confidential, and you speak directly with the attorney.
Schedule a free consultation →Prefer to call? (818) 338-7620, Monday to Friday.
