Estate planning guide
Estate Planning Fees
Plans start at $2,000 for individuals and $2,500 for married couples. What a flat fee covers and what can change it.
What it costs
A price you know before we start
Most people put off estate planning for one of two reasons: it is uncomfortable to think about, or they do not know what it will cost. The second one is easy to answer. At Montanez Yu, estate plans start at $2,000 for individuals and $2,500 for married couples. The fee is flat and quoted in writing before we begin.
Here is what that fee covers, what can change it, and how it compares with the cost of having no plan at all.
Estate planning consultations are free, and there is no obligation to hire us afterward. If you decide to go ahead, the written quote tells you what the plan includes and what it costs, so the only number you need to think about is the one in front of you.
Our fees
Estate plans start at $2,000 for individuals and $2,500 for married couples. Your consultation is free. Once we understand your family and your property, we give you a flat fee in writing for the plan we recommend. The fee does not change based on how many hours the work takes, and you decide whether to go ahead before any work begins.
What a complete plan includes
A complete estate plan from our office includes the core documents most California families need, drafted to work together:
A revocable living trust that holds your home and accounts and passes them to your beneficiaries without probate
A pour-over will that catches anything left outside the trust and nominates a guardian for minor children
A durable power of attorney for your finances
An advance health care directive
The deed that transfers your California home into your trust
Written instructions for retitling accounts and updating beneficiary designations
See our complete estate plan for how these pieces fit together.
What can change the price
Our fees start at those amounts because some families need more than the core documents. The flat fee reflects the work your plan actually requires. Things that can add to the scope include:
More than one piece of real estate, including rental property
A business or LLC interest
A child or other beneficiary with special needs
Children from more than one relationship
Trusts that hold money for heirs over many years
Larger estates that may face federal estate tax
At the consultation, we tell you whether anything in your situation goes beyond the core documents, and the written quote reflects it.
Why we use a flat fee
Hourly billing makes it hard to know what a plan will cost until the work is done, and it can make people hesitate to call with a question. A flat fee puts the cost on the table at the start, so you can make a decision with the full number in front of you.
The cost of doing nothing
Without a trust, a California estate that includes a home will often have to go through probate court. The fees for the estate’s attorney and personal representative in probate are set by state law as a percentage of the estate’s gross value, before subtracting what is still owed on the mortgage. For a typical Southern California home, those fees alone can be many times the cost of a plan, and the process often takes a year or more. Our guide to choosing a trust or a will explains when probate applies.
What the process looks like
We start with a free consultation, then a design session. We draft your documents, walk you through every page, and make sure each one is signed the way California law requires. The fee is quoted for the plan as a whole, not meeting by meeting. If you want to know more about the work behind each step, read what an estate planning attorney handles.
Getting a quote
Call (951) 444-7407 or request a free consultation. We will ask about your family, your property, and your goals, recommend the documents that fit, and give you a flat fee in writing. There is no obligation to go ahead.
Talk with us
Montanez Yu prepares complete estate plans for individuals and families throughout California, including revocable living trusts, wills, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives. Estate planning consultations are free, and every plan is a flat fee, quoted in writing before we begin. Call (951) 444-7407 or request a free consultation.
This guide is general information about California law, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.