Author: briandanielruss

A transfer on death deed is a mechanism that can keep a home or other real property out of probate upon the property owner’s passing. The transfer on death deed effectively says, “When I pass away, I want this piece of property to go to so-and-so.” Transfer on death deeds are a completely legal way to transfer real property, but I generally caution against using the deeds. I caution against transfer on death deeds because they are not as dynamic as a living trust and can lead to unintended disputes after passing.

No Efficient Remedy for Predeceased Beneficiaries

To me, the most significant shortcoming of the transfer on death deed is that there’s no way to offer alternative beneficiaries if one of the beneficiaries predeceases the transferor. (see PROB § 5652(a)(4)). This is a major departure from other estate planning tools like a will or a living trust. Wills and living trusts allow you to name alternative beneficiaries in the event the intended beneficiary passes away before you.

For example, say you have two children who each have their own children and you want to leave your family’s cabin to both of your children and their families to enjoy. So you set up a transfer on death deed naming your two children as beneficiaries. Unfortunately, one of your children predeceases you and you don’t change the transfer on death deed. When you pass away, the family cabin would be left entirely to the child who survived you. Your other child would not receive any interest in the property under the transfer on death deed, leaving that child’s family with no legal interest in the family cabin. Under a will or trust, you likely would have said that your child’s family would take an interest in the family cabin if the child predeceased you.

Not Effective for Properties Held in Joint Tenancy

Transfer on death deeds are void and ineffective if a property is titled as joint tenancy or community property with right of survivorship. (see PROB § 5664) An interest in a property held in joint tenancy immediately passes to the other surviving tenants upon one of the tenants’ passing, so it makes sense that a transfer on death deed would not effect a joint tenancy.

A transfer on death deed is similarly ineffective if spouses who own a property together try to establish a transfer on death deed. When one of the spouse’s passes away, the remaining interest would automatically go to the other spouse, making the transfer on death deed void. Finally, the surviving would have to create a new transfer on death deed since they are the only remaining interest holder in the property. Establishing a living trust would solve the joint tenancy problems with transfer on death deeds.

No Way to Designate Shares

A transfer on death deed transfers the property to the beneficiaries as tenants in common in equal shares. (see PROB § 5652(a)(3)). This means that if there are two beneficiaries, each would receive a ½ interest in the property – you’re not allowed to split an interest ¾ for one person and ¼ for another person. This becomes problematic if there is reason to provide unequal distribution.

Difficult to Revoke

Finally, transfer on death deeds have statutory requirements for revocation. Unlike a will or trust that could be revoked immediately by a simple amendment, a transfer on death deed must be signed, notarized, and recorded with the county within sixty days of notarization (see PROB § 5632). Adding extra steps to the process increases the likelihood that the revocation won’t be effective because of delays, missed steps, etc.

In conclusion, I rarely recommend transfer on death deeds due to their rigid requirements and ack of flexibility. You will not find a transfer on death deed as part of BDR’s Four-Part Plan because they are not the most effective method to Make Your Plan.

Planning your estate if you have minor children is very different than if you have grown children or no children. You need to make sure your children will be cared for while they’re still minors and that they have financial stability when they each adulthood. The three necessary elements for your estate are a will, a living trust, and life insurance.

A Will.

Everyone needs a will. I’ve been over this before. It’s a simple two-part test: (1) Do you own stuff?, and (2) Are you going to die?. If you answered “Yes” to both questions, you need a will.

For parents of minors, the will’s function goes beyond disposing of your assets. A will also allows a parent to designate guardian(s) for their child. The guardians are the ones who will be responsible for raising the child in the event the child’s parents pass away.

Designating a guardian is an important detail that many people overlook because they think their loved ones will just figure it out. “Well, shouldn’t the kids just go to my [parents/sibling/friend]?” is a question I get all the time. The problem with not designating a guardian is that your loved ones might have disagreements about who you would’ve wanted to serve as the guardian. Then they’re going to get involved in custody dispute simply because you didn’t write down your wishes.

Of course, when determining legal guardianship after a parent passes away, the child’s other parent will be first in line to raise the child regardless of what your will says. And the courts still retain some authority to overrule your will (e.g., the guardian you proposed has developed Alzheimer’s disease and can’t care for themselves).

A Living Trust.

A living trust is an essential tool to protect your children’s future interests because it allows you to designate the ages or stages when your child can receive your assets. Imagine this scenario: Your child is 17 years old when you pass away unexpectedly. Your will designates your child as the sole recipient of your assets, which includes a house, a 401K, a car, and your bank accounts. The assets are managed by a fiduciary for a few months until your child 18, then your child receives all of your assets. Does your child have the tools and temper to handle those assets?

Do you remember when you turned 18? If you had received several hundred thousand dollars, what would you have done with it? For me, I would have stopped working, bought a new Mustang, and probably would’ve blown the rest of the money.

That’s why I recommend parents of minor children establish a living trust to control the distribution of assets to their children. The living trust can include provisions like restricting the use of the trust’s assets for college or necessary medical expenses until the child turns a certain age. Or you can designate that a child receives lump sum payments from the trust at certain ages (e.g., ¼ at age 18, ½ at age 25, and the remainder at 30).

Life Insurance.

The purpose of life insurance is to protect your loved ones’ financial interests in the event you pass away. If you pass away and leave several young children, life insurance is a critical tool to ensure there is money available to meet the children’s needs.

It’s important to ensure you name your living trust as the beneficiary of your life insurance policies. The trust will hold the proceeds from the policy and the distribution of the proceeds will occur according to the trust. If you simply name your children as the beneficiaries, then they will receive a lump sum payout when they turn 18.

A common estate planning goal I hear is that folks want to ensure their children and grandchildren receive as much inheritance as possible. The folks want to make sure their assets are not consumed by taxes, probate fees, and other miscellaneous costs.

But what most folks don’t want to talk about is debt and how debt is handled at death. It’s an icky subject – discussions about debt can get wrapped up in embarrassment and guilt. But debt occurs, and a plan needs to be in place to deal with it.

To be clear, this post is being written as general information only and is not legal advice for any particular situation.

Foremost, I always recommend planning to eliminate debt. The best way to protect your family from dealing with your debts is to ensure you don’t have any debts! Most folks think estate planning is only concerned with distributing assets at death, but it’s really about ensuring that your affairs are in order in case you pass away (which you will!).

I understand that folks regularly pass away carrying debt. I receive regular inquiries about how to discharge debt at death. And I regularly tell folks that most debt doesn’t just disappear at death.

It’s rare that debt is discharged at death. Some federal student loans can get discharged at death (but not private student loans), and some unsecured debt can get discharged at death. Unsecured debt is generally only potentially dischargeable if the estate has not other assets to pay off the debt.

So the worst thing you can do is hope that your heirs won’t inherit your debt. They will! So Make Your Plan!

If the debt is secured by an asset, like a mortgage is secured by a property, or an auto loan secured by a vehicle, then the loan must be satisfied or else the lender may force the sale of the asset to satisfy the debt.

If you don’t clean up the debt, or at least make a plan for it to be dealt with, then your heirs will be forced to deal with it. And your assets, that you wanted to make sure to pass on to your children and grandchildren, will get tied up cleaning up debt instead of being passed on to your heirs.

In conclusion, the key takeaway is to avoid debt so you’re heirs don’t have to deal with it at death. The debt won’t go away. The lenders will always want their money back. And unless there are no other assets to satisfy the debt, then it’s exceptionally unlikely your debt will be discharged upon death.

The Law Offices of Brian D. Russ regularly serves clients in Elk Grove and is familiar with what’s needed to properly record real property transfer documents in Sacramento County.

Brian’s estate planning practice is designed to serve folks throughout Northern California. Whether it be in Elk Grove (Sacramento County), Davis (Yolo County), or Roseville (Placer County), Brian is ready to serve his clients.

What’s interesting and what most people don’t realize is that estate planning law regularly overlaps with real estate matters and recording deeds is needed. Think about it, you want to plan your estate properly for your kids, and your real estate holdings may be your single largest asset. So you need an attorney that understands how to properly transfer your real estate assets to protect your interests.

So What Do Most Elk Grove Residents Need in an Estate Plan?

I always recommend BDR’s Four-Part Plan. My plan includes the following four elements:

• Living Trust (including a trust transfer deed for one real property)
  Pour-Over Will
  Durable Power of Attorney
  Advanced Health Care Directive

It’s not enough to only have a trust or a will in place – you need to have a plan in the event you become incapacitated. You need to have a Durable Power of Attorney and Advanced Health Care Directive in the event of incapacity. These documents allow your designated agents to act on your behalf if you can’t make decisions for yourself.

The Law Offices of Brian D. Russ regularly serves clients in Citrus Heights and is familiar with what’s needed to properly record real property transfer documents in Sacramento County.

Brian’s estate planning practice is designed to serve folks throughout Northern California. Whether it be in Citrus Heights (Sacramento County), Davis (Yolo County), or Roseville (Placer County), Brian is ready to serve his clients.

What’s interesting and what most people don’t realize is that estate planning law regularly overlaps with real estate matters and recording deeds is needed. Think about it, you want to plan your estate properly for your kids, and your real estate holdings may be your single largest asset. So you need an attorney that understands how to properly transfer your real estate assets to protect your interests.

So What Do Most Citrus Heights Residents Need in an Estate Plan?

I always recommend BDR’s Four-Part Plan. My plan includes the following four elements:

• Living Trust (including a trust transfer deed for one real property)
  Pour-Over Will
  Durable Power of Attorney
  Advanced Health Care Directive

It’s not enough to only have a trust or a will in place – you need to have a plan in the event you become incapacitated. You need to have a Durable Power of Attorney and Advanced Health Care Directive in the event of incapacity. These documents allow your designated agents to act on your behalf if you can’t make decisions for yourself.